Am I Overfeeding?

[Inlovewithherps]

We've had our 2 yr. old Leo's (1.1) for almost two weeks. They were underweight when we bought them and so I've been feeding them every night and keeping about 20-30 mealworms in the tank for them at all times. The last time that I bought feeders was last friday and I thought that I'd stocked up for at least a week but we ran out of crickets and are almost out of mealies. We've gone through about 60 crickets, 150 mealworms and 20 waxworms this week.
They are starting to look better and even have a little fat on their tails so I don't mind buying so many feeders...I just want to be sure that it's okay for them to eat this much.
Am I overfeeding them?

 

[LeopardLunatic]

Geez, you only have 2 right, if so then yes thats a little excessive i would only feed a dozen per leo every to every other day.

 

[Inlovewithherps]

A dozen total (mix of cric/mealies/wax)?
Okay, I'll try but they act like they're starving ALL of the time. The person that we bought them from (a Zoologist) said that they had gotten to expensive to feed and so she was giving them mealies like 1X a week. :main_huh: Now everytime that they see us they race out and beg for food. I have a hard time saying No

 

[acpart]

I think most geckos know when to stop eating (there are some very chunky exceptions on this forum). I find that my geckos also eat different amounts at different times of the year and this is the time where they seem to be eating a lot. Some of them may gain 10-15 grams (these are adults who are several years old and always well-fed) before they slow down a lot and lose about that much during the late fall/early winter. I would say that if they're eating that much they must need it, but you may want to stop the waxworms which are pretty high in fat content from what i've been told.

Aliza

 

[LeopardLunatic]

well it depends some people like to fatten up their leos with waxworms. As for feeding amount if you feed all 3 kinds at once then probably 1 1/2 dozen each.

 

[GeckoStud]

I have always heard feed them as much as the will eat in 15 minutes and no more. But many breeders us many different feeding schedules. Mine get a full bowl of mealies and when they eat that I give them more. Then they get crickets 3-4 times a month and waxworms 2-3 times.

Plus the longer you have the leo the better you can gage their appetites and what they like. I have some that love mealies and would probably eat just that if they had the choice, and then I have others who prefer crickets. The same could be said for appetites, I have some that are seemingly bottomless pits, and some very dainty eaters as well.

 

[Inlovewithherps]

Thanks for the help everyone..
Here are some before and after pics...

Leah the day that we brought her home...

Leah today...

Phoenix before....

Phoenix today....

They are definately putting on some weight! :main_thumbsup:
I feed about 5-10 crickets each and 1-2 waxworm a night as well as the mealworm buffet...all they can eat They don't like to chase food and ignore the crickets if I just dump them in the cage so most of the crickets are hand fed...spoiled Leo's.

 

[acpart]

They look great. I have a normal gecko named Phoenix that looks a lot like Leah and an albino (Eragon) that looks a lot like Phoenix.

Aliza

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

They look great! I keep a bowl of mealworms w/calcium down for my geckos at all times, and feed 6-8 appropriate sized vitamin dusted crickets weekly.

 

[Inlovewithherps]

They are starting to look much healthier. They've become a lot more active too. Phoenix is much harder to catch than he was when we brought him home...he's a FAST little guy! Leah walks onto your hand when you put it in the tank...she's a little love
So basically...they'll be okay if I let them pig out? Lol...I'll try to keep them from getting too fat
As soon as they get a little plumper I'll cut them back to every other day. For now though I hate to deprive them of food that they REALLY want. :main_yes: It must be the Mom in me.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

I give mine all the mealies they want, filling the dish every day to every other day and give crix once or twice a month waxies maybe 2 times a year

I think they can self regulate their food needs, Ive never seen or at least not many leos that I thought needed gastric bypass lol

 

[crs]

If you do the math that is only about 8 meal items a day which isnt all that much, mine eats 6-8 and it is at good weight already. So I would feed them as much as they want but you might want to do 2 feeding times separately throughout the day or leave a bowl of mealies in the cage.