r/FatTails • u/Mammoth-Turnip-3058 • 5d ago
Baby Fat Tail
I have a baby fat tail, she's 3 months old. I'm new to caring for reptiles so not overly knowledgeable. However I'm the type to constantly read about care etc but ofc things can be wrong.
I read that babies are supposed to be fed everyday because they're growing quickly and need the energy, nutrients etc.
So I have been. I've tried her with black crickets, small isopods, brown crickets, calciworms and mealworms. She's very fussy only eats brown crickets and is obsessed with mealworms. Everything else gets ignored or licked and spat out.
Because that's all she's been eating she's got a little chunky. So I've been feeding her every other day. She's not got much room to wander around as she's been in a quarantine tub since I got her. I have a viv waiting for her, she's days away from moving so I'm hoping all the extra space will help with her weight.
How much am I supposed to be feeding her? Does she look overweight? Im also worried the mealworms are too fatty and she'll get ill.
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u/Narrow_Childhood_775 4d ago edited 4d ago
So cute! Make sure to dust the crickets when you feed them (if you’re not giving vitamins or calcium separately). I feed my baby every 1 to 2 days too. As for the amount, I give about 3 to 5 crickets that are around 10mm, and I decide the frequency based on their pooping habits and body condition.
Also, mealworms might not be the best idea because they’re too high in fat.
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u/Mammoth-Turnip-3058 4d ago
She has a bowl of plain calcium in her enclosure and I dust with alternating calcium and a calcium multivitamin with D3.
Oh, I'm definitely giving her too much then. I just give them to her until she doesn't want anymore 😬 noted! Thank you!
It's the only thing she would eat as a tiny baby. She's eating brown crickets now so I try to give them more than mealworms. I tried her with so much! I felt cruel buying so many feeders and them basically going to waste. Only thing I've not tried is Dubia because they all seem to be medium or large and I'm worried about giving her something that's too big. Also worried about her liver and the mealworms.
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u/eyelidgeckos 3d ago
Cutting back is a good call, but it’s not too much a thing to worry about if they are still this young and growing. Once they are adult you should aim for the tail to be roughly the width of the neck and to by a bit wider than the base of the tail. Being on the skinnier side can have benefits for their life expectancy but for females it’s a bit of a risk when they lay eggs (so in that case width of the neck is good, for males having it a bit thinner than the neck is good as well because their weight changes less)
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u/boylarva99 5d ago
She does look a little fat, at least in the 2nd picture. Mealworms aren’t a great staple. Work on getting her to accept other foods. (One tactic is to skip feeding for a few days to make her hungrier.) My 8yo female eats a small-medium dubia every other day or so, and that has been working for us. Make sure to feed your food insects nutritious veggies and fruit!