Amounts.

[Bbugs]

First of all, I apologize for making "one of these threads". I know this info is out there, but I want some up to date opinions.

Okay, so my Leo, Grodie, is getting bigger and bigger. She is my first Leo, so I have been learning. I don't know when she was born, but I think she is about 8 or 9 months old. She will eat as much as I give her. I have been giving her 12-15 mealies every day, sometimes every other. She eat them all and seems eager for more. I know a lot of you say to feed as much as they want, but is that for breeders only? Grodie won't be bred. How much and when should I feed her? Thank you!

 

[Bbugs]

 

[LeopardShade]

She looks like a healthy gecko. You must be doing a good job of caring for her. While it is true that plentiful food is very beneficial in the juvenile and sub-adult stages, feeding adults excessively can lead to obesity. 12-15 mealworms once a day could be a bit much for a 8-9 month old. Mealworm shells contain chitin, which can occasionally be hard for geckos to digest in large amounts. But if she is defecating regularly, than she must not have a hard time with it. One thing to keep in mind is that the width of the gecko's stomach is about the size of the shape between its eyes, feeding too much can also cause regurgitation. I would recommend as she gets older feeding only 3-4 times a week to prevent obesity.

 

[prettyinpink]

What you're feeding is good. But if you want, you can switch it up with supers! She is big enough now if you want to make that change. I go by weight... My guys get 2-3 supers every night. More if they eat it before I go to bed, I just make sure their weight gain is fine and if they were to start getting fat I'd switch it up. My guys go on food strike every once in awhile so this helps.

She looks very nice and healthy

It's not really an 'amount' it's more just whatever, this is what I had a hard time when I got my leos...No one said an amount it was just 'whatever'.

As long as you're not feeding like 30 mealies and she's throwing them up you're good.

Hope this helped ya!

 

[Bbugs]

Yeah she always eats them all. She slows down a bit on the last couple ones but she still eats them. And oh yeah, she poops. A lot lol.

Btw thank you I try to keep her very healthy

So I should feed her 3-4 times a week with the same amount? And if I want to switch it up with supers I can put 2-3 in? If you go every other day, do you feed more supers?

Thank you so much for all the help everyone

 

[Bbugs]

Bump

 

[prettyinpink]

You can switch it up with supers, sure. If I were to feed every other day I'd put 4 in instead of 2. I usually put four in anyways, but they only end up eating 2-3.

When you want to feed all depends on you. I like to feed every night, or every other night. But that's just my opinion.

 

[Bbugs]

Okay! I will switch it up them and see if she likes it!

 

[LeopardShade]

I'd be careful with supers if I were you. While they are VERY nutritious, feeding too much of them to a gecko can cause constipation. My Super Snow loves supers, but she doesn't get them anymore because she always had a hard time digesting them. But every gecko is different. Try them out with yours.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Mine are offered one superworm daily. Some days they pass, no big deal, they're big and healthy. They'll eat tomorrow If it wasn't breeding time, it would be every other day tho.

 

[Bbugs]

Thank you. I won't be breeding so what should I feed?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Your gecko is approaching adulthood, so cutting back to every other day is a good idea. While he will still be growing, it's not at the same rate as a youngster. 2-3 superworms per feeding is plenty on an every other day schedule, he will still gain weight and grow fine, without becoming obese. If you still want to feed daily, IMO no more than 2. He may seem like he wants more but, some gex will over-eat, and it's not good for their health. I've had some that were total pigs and stalked their food dishes whenever they saw me rattling around with tongs. Tho they wanted more, they were satisfied with one worm a day. They are all healthy and robust. I think they really just wanted petted

 

[Bbugs]

Haha. Thank you for all of the advice!