I friend of mine (not Mooglebass - he has my Leopard Geckos) had my two AFTs for the last three months while I was medically recuperating, and I just got them back. They are definitely skinnier than when I handed them over to him, but not alarmingly so. However, the smaller gecko's tale really is too skinny, and much skinnier than the larger one's. I asked my friend about this, and he said it's because she just laid eggs. Now first of all, Petco had told me they were both boys. I never even checked, because I figured they knew. Ha ha Secondly, they either never had eggs with me, or they did but I didn't know what they look like. Thirdly, he said that she laid eggs three times while I was gone, i.e. once a month, but that in each case they 'went flat'. He further stated that in all three instances, he had discovered the eggs on the moss in the moist hide. Finally, he said that when she laid eggs last week, there were exactly two eggs.

I'm trying to make sense of all this, and here are some questions, which are obviously born of ignorance:

1.) Could laying eggs make her tail substantially skinnier than the male's? If so, what, if anything, should I do about that?
2.) How often and where do they normally lay eggs?
3.) How many eggs are normally in a clutch?
4.) If I do see a clutch, what on earth should I do with it?????????

On another note, I'm so glad to have them back. They are doing great, and so sweet. I go check on them all the time just like a mom with a newborn.

Thanks very much for your help!

Jennifer

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Leopard Geckos: Gravy & Noah
African Fat-tails: Mocha (gravid) & Csikos ('Striped')
Russian Tortoise: Dude
African Dwarf Frog: Anon
Firebelly Toads: anonymous (3)
Guinea Pigs (adult): Autumn, Butterscotch, Nudger
Guinea Pigs (juv.): Linda, Heidi, Scruffy
Netherlands Dwarf Rabbit: Kobe
Small Mouth Bass: Cupcake
Beta Fish: Indigo & Chelsae

What he is saying is normal. The female if not given addition foot etc, will lose weight when laying eggs. If they are like Leo's they lay 2 eggs per clutch for up to many clutches and its usually every 3-4 weeks or more often. Next time you see her lay eggs if you want to hatch them out, you need an incubator and if not, then I heard people freeze then so there is no chance of them hatching in the trash.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Many reptiles store fat in the tail for backup supply. One of those times is after egg-laying they utilize it for restoring body energy quickly. A reptile in the wild needs to be able to recuperate quickly or they will be easily fed upon.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa