beefing up?

[mwghinkle]

best foods for beefing up the tail? i'm sure that different ways work well on different geckos but i would just rather see what everyone else is doing. i feed 15+ mealworms daily in calcium powder, occasional crickets and earth worms. also occasional silkworms. i'm considering starting on superworms, for a 48 gram 6/7 month old roughly 8" from head to tip of tale anyone have a recommended amount daily?

 

[katie_]

Take a q -tip and attach tiny weights to the ends. Make sure he has a spotter...

Leos don't get "beefy" arms.
Your leos tail will get a healthy size by eating normal amounts of normal prey items. Do not try to 'beef' up your gecko by feeding it fatty foods. Thats not good for it.

 

[Wbrown5496]

The leopard gecko "beef up" prey of choice is normally wax worms. Most people use them as a last resort due to their "addictive" nature. It can become very hard to get a leopard off them. They are not a well rounded feeder and should not be used as staple. That being said 48 grams seems an appropriate weight. I feed pretty much only superworms. I feed from a dish that gets replenished when ever its low. They average about 1-3 superworms per feeding.

 

[mwghinkle]

i've read superworms aren't a good staple, just curious on everyones input. he will sometimes eat 20 mealworms. he will almost eat until i quit feeding him. and lol @ the qtips, i didn't know they should be so small, i figured around the area where there leg meets the body would be beefier. thanks.

edit: i would only feed it things that are good for it, i want my leo as healthy as possible!

 

[Wbrown5496]

Like I said. I have over 20 leopard geckos all eat superworms as a staple. They occasionally get dubia while my colony gets big enough for all of my geckos. Superworms are easier to digest then mealworms and aren't a bad feeder. You can look at any insect nutritional value you chart and pick a feeder based on the condition of your gecko. If you gecko is thin pick a feeder with a higher fat %. If it is obese pick a food with a lower fat %. For a staple pick a balanced feeder.

I'm including a picture of a gecko that is fed only superworms and what I find to be an ideal weight with a decent tail. Some of my geckos are above this. (Which I would consider obese) and some below. (Mainly girls just ending their egg laying). He is 55 grams.

 

[katie_]

I would avoid waxworms.