Feeding Pinkies to Leopards

[BoidKeeper]

Hey Everyone,

I was wondering what the rules are if you will for feeding pinkies to Leo's? I adopted one that is in a bit of rough shape. He was housed with another male and he got his butt kicked. I've got him set up in a hospital tank while I'm treating his bit marks with polysporine. He's also under weight and I was wondering if a few pinkies would help to put some weight on him.
Thanks,
Trevor

[asphyxia]

I would do it Trevor, you could also roll them in calcium/VIT.D3 powder (IMO)

Cheers
Brian

[Scotty Allen]

Good idea Trevor. I often used pinkies to fatten up females after egg-laying, or any that were a little thin. Keep using insects as well though, don't let your gecko get hooked on just pinks. As a side note if you're using live pinks, just dip their butts in the powdered calcium / vitamins whatever you're using. Nothing to be gained by choking the little guys on the dust.

[JeffT]

pinkies are a great food source, only feed them once every 3 weeks though. They are very high in proteina and fat.

[Tim and Julie B]

If the leo is underweight due to a lack of appetite from stress I wouldn't recommend a pinky at all. He may very well have trouble digesting it properly. Start him off with a constant supply of mealies with calcium supplements. Provide plenty of fresh water with some Electolize supplement form Exo-Terra. Most pet stores carry it, but if you cannot find it you can use Pedialite. A few drops/20 ml should do it. This will help stimulate the appetite as well as provide essential electrolites. When he improves and gains some weight back, and provided he is digesting properly (check for undigested insects) then you could give him a pinky once a month. Silk worms are also great for weight gain, but are often hard to obtain. Hope this helps,

Julie

[BoidKeeper]

Thanks guys. I can't belive I weigh all my snakes and it never occured to me to weigh him to track his recovery.
Cheers,
Trevor

[BoidKeeper]

I weghed him today. He weighs 53g, is that normal for a youg adult or is low? He certainly seems smaller then the two I had before. His tail is lacking that plumpness you normally see in big healthy Leos.
Thanks,
Trevor

[Siretsap]

Well pinkies are good. But don't feed them too often, they can developp problems with their digestive system.
Also, if he hasn't eaten in a long time, you should start with smaller preys to get his stomac going again, too big a prey will cause him to regurgitate it or pass it almost not digested (which he wouln't be able to do so it would block)

[BoidKeeper]

He has been eating regularly since he was separated from the other male. What happen was someone bought him and took him home to live with their other male. No one told them that two males couldn't live together. That person gave it to a friend of mine who set it up in it's own cage. He had it for about a week then I picked it up. It was in shed at the time. Once it shed I noticed all the bite marks and small size. I think it was being fed on a regular basis but not any great amount so regardless he is a bit under weight. He's been eating fine both crickets and mealies since I got him two weeks ago so I thought this week I would give him a few pinkies to help him a long a bit.
Thanks,
Trevor

[eyespy]

I agree with Julie B on this one. Fatty liver disease is most common in animals that were in rough shape to begin with, and then offered protein and fat-dense foods such as pinkies and waxworms when their metabolisms weren't running at a high enough rate to process them. I don't even like mealies in this case, as their hard exoskeletons tend to draw moisture out of the gut and slow down the metabolism by inducing a localized dehydration. I prefer crickets, silkworms, or butterworms.

It's usually best to work on excellent hydration first if the animal is significantly underweight, then offer small but frequent meals to get the digestive system used to proper muscular motion, and gradually increase protein and fat content over a period of a couple of weeks. That prevents toxins from building up in the liver when an animal can't fully break down complex proteins and fats.

[BoidKeeper]

He's 53g. What are the sings of dehydration in a Leo?
Thanks,
Trevor

[eyespy]

Decreased levels of electrolytes in the blood are the only good indicator. Loose puckered skin, cloudy or sunken eyes, inactivity, and refusing to eat show up in some animals but many clinically dehydrated animals appear completely normal.

[BoidKeeper]

Well I think he's doing fine then. He's active and alert. At night he roams around a bit and has a good apatite.
Thanks for your input,
Trevor

[bob_thesnowman]

honestly i wouldn't worry to much over a leo that weighs 53 grams especially if he is eating as well as you say he is!he'll prob be just fine