Chubby Feeling Skink

[NickBrahz]

So my little Louie ive accidentally been overfeeding the past couple weeks and now he feels very solid to hold, he is pooping daily so its not him getting backed up.
I just measured him a couple minutes ago and he is:
17/3/2015
Weight: 79grams.
Length -
To Tail: 27cm.
To Hind Legs: 17cm.

Previous lengths and weights are:

Code: Select all

11/1/2015.
Weight: Unknown.
Length -
To Tail: 15cm(Est).
To Hind Legs: 11cm(Est).

7/2/2015.
Weight: Unknown.
Length -
To Tail: 20cm.
To Hind Legs: 13cm.

2/3/2015.
Weight: 48 Grams.
Length -
To Tail: 24cm.
To Hind Legs: 16cm.

7/3/2015
Weight: 55 Grams.
Length -
To Tail: 24cm.
To Hind Legs: 16cm.

11/3/2015
Weight: 67 Grams.
Length -
To Tail: 24.5cm.
To Hind Legs: 16cm.


So im wondering if i should keep feeding him a teaspoon of food every second day now (he is now roughly 3 weeks 1 month if breeder gave me accurate DOB) and it will correct itself if he even is chubby i might be wrong because i only have the one and nothing to compare him to.

Heres a couple pictures i took, he flattened himself out a bit as i tried to take them and dull colours due to a shed in a few days.

CAM00573.jpg

CAM00574.jpg

CAM00575.jpg

[starscream3232]

Perfectly normal to be putting weight on that fast. Babies pack on the grams fast. You can see a daily increase if you say him every day when they are that young. The most important thing when they are babies is to make sure they get plenty of calcium/D3 so their bones develop correctly.

[NickBrahz]

Yeah i was weighing him every few days and he was sky rocketing but then a few days ago he started to feel like a fat sausage so just wanted to make sure, thanks.
He gets Calcium/D3 powder + UVB light + direct sun.

[starscream3232]

Looks like you going great with him. Looks excellent from the pictures. When they get to be adults is when you should be concerned about being over weight. That's when they should be fed about twice a week or so. I know they are different sub species but on of my northerns I got last year was 55 grams when I got him. As of today 525 grams. He'll be 9 months at the end of this month. I'm hopefully getting one of two easterns this season. Only difference is they are around $700 in the states.

[wermy]

I'm having this experience right now! My bub suddenly developed a ravenous appetite in the last week or two. He is still much shorter than your Louie was at this stage, but just as barrel-chested and feeling very fat in my hand. I'm wondering if it's a growth spurt I should help along with more food, or if it's time to cut back. He is only 2 months old, but instead of putting his food into growth he seems to be getting wider instead. He is pooping regularly these days though, so at least that's something.

I am a bad indulgent mama and feed him 1.5 tsp daily though. It starts with just 1 tsp but he licks his plate clean and then I feel guilty.




He's not even flattening himself in these pics, he's just round, all the way around.

[NickBrahz]

About a few days to a week later he seemed to go back to normal so i suggest waiting about a week and see how he is then.

[alichamp]

This is a good recent thread to read over for this info:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=28009

[Richard.C]

babies put all they eat into growth,eg they grow faster the more they eat,they generally if got the tight temps cant get obese as youngsters as it goes to growth

your two look perfectly normal,far from over weight

[wermy]

babies put all they eat into growth,eg they grow faster the more they eat,they generally if got the tight temps cant get obese as youngsters as it goes to growth

your two look perfectly normal,far from over weight

Is it bad if they eat lots and grow too fast though? From reading through some older threads, it seems some breeders prefer to intentionally grow their babies slowly, is there a reason for this?

[Scotts1au]

Slow growth, maybe, if you have Northerns, quite rare to have MBD in Easterns. Pure southern Easterns are relatively slow growers so bone problems are relatively rare. Just need to continue attention to P:Ca ratios (add some Ca supplement) and stop worrying. :-)

[NickBrahz]

Louie is big and fat again today because for the past few days i been letting them eat as much as possible seeing the cold is coming in(This week the temps are only in the 20's celcius so it's chilly, brrrr!)

Today he ate a lot of food, sat there with his head resting on the food bowl and then 30-45 minutes later decided to go for round 2 and eat some more.

[wermy]

Oh whew thanks Scott, it's so good to hear MBD is rare in Easterns! It's been such a niggling worry for me. I do supplement his food with Calcium + D3 but it doesn't stick to food very well so I worry how much he's really getting. I don't know if he's a southern Eastern or anything, but he does seem to be a slow grower compared to Nick's Louie.

Nick, LOL at you Aussies feeling chilly in the 20's! 25-26C would be considered a robust summer day here. Lately we're barely clinging on to the low 20's and most people are still walking around in t-shirts and jandals. Hahaha. You are right about winter coming though, I guess it's wise to let them eat up in case they decide to brumate this year!

[NickBrahz]

At about 20-23 degrees is when i pop on my trackies and jacket, 25 i get away with jacket and shorts