Fat Tail gecko demand changing?

warhawk

warhawk

New member
I have noticed something and I wonder if other see it also or am I mistaken.

I know Fat Tails have never been in huge demand and that most people keep Leopard geckos. But about ten years ago the Fat tail was growing in popularity pretty good. Lots of articles about them and breeders where starting to work with them. Now that looks like it has reversed in the last few years, it looks (to me at least) like the fat tail has slipped and fewer people are keeping these guys.

I have noticed a few breeders have stopped breeding the Fat tail all together and they are starting to get harder to find. I know you can still get them in you look around. I really like my Leo's but I have always tried to learn all I could about the fat tails also. Every year I think this is the year I'm going to buy a pair of these guys but I always talk my self out of it.

So I got to thinking is this all in my head or has there been a change? If there has been a change what is the reason behind it?

My first thought is the economy, I know with money getting tight people will start to cut back on the little extra things. But to me this doesn't fit, if it was a money thing why have other reptiles keep up?

My other thought is with the other breeds of geckos gaining popularity have they pushed the Fat tail out of the way? The fat tail and the leo are very alike where some of the others are very different, so maybe that has a draw to a lot of people.

So what do you think? Has there been a move away from the Fat tail? And if so what do you think the reason is?
 
Hilde

Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
I don't know about fatties in particular, but it is quite common for a species to go down in popularity for a while, even a few years. Sometimes a new morph or trait of some sort pops up, and everyone just has to have some. Other times it's just a new wave of fans coming in to the hobby. Leopards have gone through that a few times, could very well be the same with fatties.

(Lots of views doesn't mean nobody wants to reply. Search engine bots come through here several times a day, each visit to a thread counts as a view. Obviously they won't be replying.)
 
warhawk

warhawk

New member
I hope it is just a phase and they come back, I really like the little guys. Kinda makes me think now is the time to pick up some.

Didn't think about the search bots never thought about them viewing topics like that.
 
thorrshamri

thorrshamri

Moderator/The French Viking Moderathorr
I don't think their popularity is decreasing, particularly when you consider all the morphs - oreo, tangerine, caramel, zero and the like. Such animals go for rather high prices, which means there is enough demand for them. Some morphs can sell as high as $ 800.

I am from France and in Europe, they often come as imports in numbers, just like in the US I guess. Many people are reluctant to buy WC geckos, that could be one reason. Still, I can see a lot of wanted ads in the classifieds for Hamm and other shows. Not so many people bother to breed wild type or striped ones while you can get them as imports for less than $50. Yet I see no change, I've been in the hobby for 18 years or so and fat-tails have always been around. The situation is the same nowadays for this species as it used to be 10 years ago - not so many CBB ones but enough demand for them. As for breeders, there are cetainly less of them than for leos (I do breed some AFTs myself) but they are not so difficult to find as CBB if you do some searches on forums and FB groups.
 
warhawk

warhawk

New member
You make a good point and good to hear others aren't seeing a decrease. I would assume it would be about the same in Europe and US.
 
thorrshamri

thorrshamri

Moderator/The French Viking Moderathorr
for this species i think so. Many potential buyers stay away from the WC ones as they are afraid of having to deal with parasites, yet they stay readily available in pet stores and prices have not changed in the past 10-15 years; about parasites on WC ones, i have never heard of or seen mites on them, amoebas may occur but are not frequent, and can be easily treated with Metronidazole; i am not aware of cases of coccidia or cryptosporidiosis, which doesnt mean it could never happen with this species; in most cases, parasites found in wild ones are intestinal worms, and they are not too difficult to get rid of with a little experience and/or vet advice. I am saying this to trigger off the fears people may have with buying wild AFTs. Anyway they are a great alternative to leos, provided they are kept with more humidity, they also make great pets and are usually very peaceful, colorful and beautiful animals, very hardy and easy to care for. Moreover, as they are still imported, new blood comes in and there are no inbreeding issues, contrary to what occurs with many species, cresteds, leachies and leos included.
 
Jrudd013

Jrudd013

New member
Personally, I believe it's the price difference. Its so much cheaper to get a designer leopard than an act. Anyone looking to get into the gecko hobby will usually go for the cheaper easier species. Aft are more picky eating wise. I think on the end it's price and simplicity.
 
warhawk

warhawk

New member
Jrudd013 said:
Personally, I believe it's the price difference. Its so much cheaper to get a designer leopard than an act. Anyone looking to get into the gecko hobby will usually go for the cheaper easier species. Aft are more picky eating wise. I think on the end it's price and simplicity.
Click to expand...

I have noticed the Fat tails prices are pretty high just like Leos but if you look around you can get good quality leos in just about any morph with out paying crazy prices. But the AFT with fewer breeders they get higher prices.

This might be the year I order a pair of these guys. Just need to find a pair I like from someone I can trust.



I saw this thread and I was thinking wow just guy thinks like me, then saw the name so yeah he does think like me. :biggrin:
 
A

acpart

Well-known member
I think the prices on the newer AFT morphs are coming down a bit and should continue to do so, especially for the dominant traits.

Aliza
 
warhawk

warhawk

New member
I have found wild caught online as cheap as $20 each, I don't want to go wild caught but if you only want normal that is a great deal. All the morphs are cool but not sure which I like best for a pair.
 
warhawk

warhawk

New member
I'm thinking I will take some photos or maybe a video one night this week.

I have been changing my rack system around so not had time. It is a lot of work to build a new rack from scratch.
 
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