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 Giant FAQ  |
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Ron & Marilyn Tremper |
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- Just how big will the Tremper Giants grow?
- Where did the Tremper Giant come from?
- Prior to the Tremper Giant what were the heaviest leopard geckos you knew of?
- What is the length of your largest giants?
- My 2-3 year old leo weighs 120 grams. Does that make it a giant, too?
- Why do the younger Giants appear gangly?
- Is this trait a simple recessive?
- How can you tell a Giant baby from a normal-sized gecko when they are young?
- What types of Tremper Giants are for sale?
- Are the normal Giants themselves carrying the genes to be Giant albinos?
- Have you seen any health problems in the Giants?
- Do the Giants/Super Giants have any trouble mating with non-Giants?
- Do the Giants and Super GIants breed at the same age as normal sized animals?
- Do any of the various Tremper Giant color or pattern morphs grow larger than the others?
- Are your Giants/Super Giants ill-tempered?
- What do you feed your Giants?
- What does "het" mean?
- Do you think they will hold their price?
- What makes them get so big?
- Can I buy a single male or female?
- What is the longest leopard gecko you know of?
- Do the Tremper Giants have any special housing needs?
- When did you debut this new mutation?
- Do all your albinos have eyes with the same amount of red color?
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Q # 1 - Just how big will the Tremper Giants grow?
A # 1 - Male Super Giants here often reach 110+ grams in 12 months. The largest Tremper Super Giant, named Moose, weighed 140 grams at one year of age with his greatest weight now being 156 grams. What we're offering is a genetic giant and just how big they may get will vary from person to person, but expect our Giant males to be 90-110 grams and the Super Giant males to exceed 110 grams. One of Moose's sons, "A-Fei" (means "Fat Boy"), in Taiwan has hit 168 grams at 18 months of age. I feel that someone will have a 200 gram Tremper Super Giant one day.
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Q # 2 - Where did the Tremper Giant come from?
A # 2 - Please visit our new Giant Genetics page.
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Q # 3 - Prior to the Tremper Giant what were the heaviest leopard geckos you knew of?
A # 3 - A 8-year old male weighed 110 grams*. And a 3-year old female weighs in
at 120 grams (128 grams when laying).**
(* source Gourmet Rodent)
(** source Golden Gecko)
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Q # 4 - What is the length of your largest super giants?
A # 4 - As of August 2004, Moose was 11 1/8" and his brother (weighs 144 grams) is 11 3/8" long. These, along with A-Fei, which is also 11 3/8", are the longest leopard geckos I know of.
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Q # 5 - My 2-3 year old leo weighs 120 grams. Does that make it a giant, too?
A # 5 - There is a difference between making a 9-10" older male leopard fat and these Giant geckos, which are genetically predisposed to be huge no matter what the diet is. It is a genetic mutation.
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Q # 6 - Why do the younger Giants appear gangly?
A # 6 - Like a reticulated python male Giants do not put on their heavy body weight until they reach 10".
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Q # 7 - Is this trait a simple recessive?
A # 7 - No. For the first two years we thought the gene acted as a simple recessive, but when customers began breeding with only one Giant parent and when we repeated our test breedings, it was found found that the Giant trait is a true co-dominant gene. Meaning that you can get some larger "intermediate" sized Giant offspring produced from only one parent carrying the Giant gene. The largest Giants are called Super Giants - Moose's line. Read more about Giant Leopard Geckos.
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Q # 8 - How can you tell a Giant baby from a normal-sized gecko when they are young?
A # 8 - With experience, the Giants really standout when just 4-5" in length. They have a much longer torso and elongated tail compared to a normal gecko of the same age.
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Q # 9 - What types of Tremper Giants are for sale?
A # 9 - All specialty color morphs have now been breed into the Giant line as of 2005. Carrot-heads, carrot-tails, super tangerines, stripers, reverse-stripers, jungles and various patternless giants are now on the market.
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Q # 10 - Are the normal Giants themselves carrying the genes to be Giant albinos?
A # 10 - Yes. The "Giant Normals (het for albino giant)" we are offering are Giant normal phase banded geckos carrying the trait to be Giant albinos, too.
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Q # 11 - Have you seen any health problems in the Giants?
A # 11 - None.
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Q # 12 - Do the Giants/Super Giants have any trouble mating with non-Giants?
A # 12 - No.
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Q # 13 - Do the Giants and Super GIants breed at the same age as normal sized animals?
A # 13 - Yes. The male Giants are sexually mature in 90 days or less. The female Giants are best paired up at 7-9 months of age or 55+ grams
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Q # 14 - Do any of the various Tremper Giant color or pattern morphs grow larger than the others?
A # 14 - To date, we have seen no difference.
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Q # 15 - Are your Giants/Super Giants ill-tempered?
A # 15 - Not at all. In fact, the Giant albinos are all naturally tame! While all the normal Giants are quite lively.
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Q # 16 - What do you feed your Giants?
A # 16 - They have been raised on 1" pet store mealworms. They have never been given pink mice, waxworms or other fatty foods.
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Q # 17 - What does "het" mean?
A # 17 - It is a slang term for the word heterozygous. A "het" outwardly looks like a normal example of a given species, but genetically carries one or more less dominant (or recessive) traits, such as being albinistic or striped patterned.
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Q # 18 - Do you think they will hold their price?
A # 18 - Yes, in fact, we expect prices to increase for some phases of the Giant as new weight records are reached. Unusual leopard geckos are always valuable.
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Q # 19 - What makes them get so big?
A # 19 - They are the result of selectively breeding a mutation. Just as in purebred dogs, if you can make a Chihuahua you can make a St. Bernard!
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Q # 20 - Can I buy a single male or female?
A # 20 - Yes.
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Q # 21 - What is the longest leopard gecko you know of?
A # 21 - To date, several of our Super Giant males have reached nearly 11 1/2". It is my goal to produce a 12", 200 gram, leopard gecko one day.
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Q # 22 - Do the Tremper Giants have any special housing needs?
A # 22 - For the best results house your Giant alone for the first 10 months. Heavier water and food dishes are needed to prevent spillage.
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Q # 23 - When did you debut this new mutation?
A # 23 - They were first listed on leopardgecko.com on August 9, 2002. The first public viewing occurred at the National Reptile Breeder's Expo in Daytona Beach - August 16-18th.
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Q # 24 - Do all your albinos have eyes with the same amount of red color?
A # 24 - No. Every albino has varying amounts of red eye pigment. Some eyes get more of the fine wavy red lines on the pupil with age and others have a grey tone colored pupil with minute red, orange or pink lines. The eyes not only vary from albino to albino, but for a given albino they vary with age. All albinos are light sensitive and therefore close their eyes in bright light.
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