How Many Ribs are too Many?

[GlennFrog]

So I've had my little girl Rinoa since Christmas. She seems healthy and she eats everything I feed her, which tends to be 8-10 small/medium crickets a day and some phoenix worms. Is this too little? I can see her ribs when she stretches out, and that kind of worries me. I know you don't want to provide females with all they can eat to prevent early clutches, but I'm also worried about underfeeding. Should I ever be able to see her ribs? I want her to be as healthy as possible, so if I'm doing something wrong, please tell me. Thanks for any help offered.

 

[SaintJimmy]

I would try to feed her some more fatty foods for a while, maybe give her some superworms (a couple a week) to see if she fattens up. If you can see her ribs, she is probably a bit too skinny. More importantly, if you can see the bones in her tail, she is definitely too skinny.

Just be careful, make sure she is acting ok, and feed her her favorite foods for the time being if you are worried.

 

[werecat]

If you are only seeing the ribs when she stretches out that seems normal to me. If you can see them all the time I would be more concerned. I see my panther's ribs when he's in certain positions, but I don't see them all the time (and his fat pads are healthy and his weight is good).

Have you weighed her? Do you ever see her hip bones prominently? Try monitoring her weight. Although this can vary, there is probably a range that is considered appropriate. I am of the opinion that it's better to be a tiny bit underfed (not starved) than overfed, especially to help keep a female's clutches smaller. Hopefully someone with more experience with females can advise you further.

 

[GlennFrog]

Thanks for the help everyone. I can't see any tail bones, thank goodness. I'll try adding more food to her regimen for a little bit to try to fatten her up slightly; extra worms and the such so she can grow up big and strong. Thanks again.