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When adopting a new pet, it helps to know how big they will eventually grow. This is especially true for reptiles! Many species of lizards, including leopards geckos, start out as very small fry, but eventually grow to more than three times their size within a few months. To properly care for and house your new scaly friend, you need to understand the sizes of healthy leopard geckos and how quickly they grow. lizards grow at every stage of life.
After all, the size of any pet reptile determines the size of their enclosure and the right sizes for their food. Read on to learn about the leopard gecko’s average growth rate and how big you can expect yours to grow in terms of weight and height once they reach their full adult size.
How big are baby leopard geckos?
Baby leopard geckos are known to have fry about 0 to 2 months old. They hatch from small, fragile, soft-shelled eggs that are only about 1.5 to 2 inches long! Immediately after hatching, the average baby leopard gecko is usually about 3 to 4 inches in length and about 2 to 5 ounces in weight.
Luckily these are cute reptiles are only so small and vulnerable for a few months. They grow very quickly during their first months of life. After reaching two months of age, they are officially considered juveniles. At this point, most juvenile geckos are about 5 inches in length and 15 to 25 grams in weight. They remain in the juvenile growth stage from 2 months to about 7 months of age.
Leopard geckos have four loosely defined growth stages: hatchling, juvenile, sub-adult, and adult. Now that we’ve covered how big you can expect your baby gecko to be within the first 6 months, let’s get into their sub-adult and final adult sizes!
How big are adult leopard geckos?
After the juvenile life stage has ended, the growth rate of most leopard geckos begins to slow down drastically. However, your scaly friend isn’t done growing yet!
The sub-adult stage begins when a gecko is about 7 to 8 months old. At this point, your gecko should be about 6 to 7 inches long and weigh anywhere from 30 to 40 grams. This is also around when geckos begin to outgrow their original enclosures.
While a baby gecko can be safely housed in a 10-gallon enclosure, sub-adults and adults need a minimum of 20 gallons of space to be comfortable. If you’ve bought a starter home for your gecko, this is probably when you need to buy him a larger, more permanent tank.
Your leopard gecko is finally considered an adult when it is about 12 months old, 7+ inches tall, and weighs about 50+ grams. However, they will not become sexually mature for several months! This means that for their own safety, you should not rush to breed your gecko until they are at least 18 months old and weigh at least 60 grams.
When do leopard geckos stop growing?
It is normal for leopard geckos to continue to grow during their adult stage and well beyond their first year of life. In general, they don’t stop growing until they are about a year and a half old. Depending on the shape, sex and genetics of your gecko, they can grow to over 100 grams and over 10 inches in length!
Most of a typical leopard gecko’s growth occurs during their first 6 months of life. This is when their growth is fastest. They will gain about 5 to 10 grams each month until they are about 7 or 8 months old.
The growth rate of most geckos begins to slow significantly once they approach their sub-adult age and size. At this point, you can expect your gecko to gain only a few grams per month until they finally reach their final adult size around 18 months of age.
Encouraging healthy growth of leopard geckos
Aside from an appropriately sized enclosure (10+ gallons for infants and 20+ gallons for young animals and larger), there are a few important tips to keep in mind as a reptile owner to ensure your gecko is growing well.
First, it is essential that a leopard gecko in captivity has a varied, nutritious diet and a regular calcium supplement regardless of their growth stage. A varied diet of insects is the best way to encourage your gecko to grow at a normal rate.
Don’t feed your leopard the same thing every day! There are many great feeders insects to choose from, from crickets and mealworms to Dubia roaches and wax worms. All these insects have their own specific protein, moisture, fat and nutrient content.
Be sure to generously coat feeder insects with calcium powder before each meal. Captive geckos need a lot of extra calcium to prevent muscle and bone problems, especially when they are young.
In addition, keep a close eye on the temperature and humidity in their enclosures and adjust them if necessary. Incorrect temperature or humidity settings will stunt your pet’s long-term growth and predispose them to a host of health problems and illnesses, from respiratory infections and metabolic bone disorders to simply not being able to properly digest their food.
Finally, weigh and measure your gecko weekly as they grow and compare their size to a growth chart to make sure everything is running smoothly. If they appear very small for their age, it is probably time for a checkup with your reptile vet to make sure there is nothing wrong with their health.
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