better than nothing??

[breanna-banana13]

So as I've said in previous posts, Eliza hasn't been eating well at all. she has lost some weight (not a ton, but its noticable) and I have since discovered that she is ovulating. So my question is, since she has been refusing everything (crickets, mealies, supers and roaches) I caved and got some waxies yesterday, which she ate two of (then i tried to trick her with a mealworm by sticking it to the waxie...she wasn't buying it:main_rolleyes anywho...are waxies better than nothing??

 

[RocksMama77]

Im a newbie but my guess would be yes. I just know they have high fat content so be careful.

 

[breanna-banana13]

thanks, anybody else wanna chime in?

 

[Dan K.]

I have freind that has a gecko that only eat's wax worms I've tried to tell her it's not good for it but that's all she'll eat for bout a year and she's doing fine VERY fat but looks healthy. I don't suggest it only eating wax worms though.

 

[breanna-banana13]

well i tricked her yesterday :main_evilgrin: i stuck a mealie to the waxworm and she ate both. but if i continue to do that, its a 1:1 ratio of mealworms:waxies. i dont know what to do, like i said even if she just eats the waxies til shes done ovulating or whatever.

 

[Khrysty]

Have you tried killing a waxie and spilling its guts over the mealies? Ok, I know that sounds gross..but then your leo gets the taste/scent of the waxies and the better nutrition of the mealies.

 

[breanna-banana13]

lol that is kinda gross... but it sounds like it might work. ill give it a shot

 

[Lady_Kiya]

Waxies have a lot of fat content, so I would not use them as a staple feeder. However, if you are just using them as a staple while she is ovulating, I don't see the harm. I know it feels good to know they at least ate something.

 

[lillith]

OH! This sounds familiar!
I have a little Citrina that that ~refuuused~ to eat anything but waxies or slurry, but I finally figured out how to get her to take mealies: I have to look for the whitish, just-shed mealies that are still squishy-not-crunchy.

She won't eat crunchy bugs AT ALL. I tried crickets of all sizes? nope. Roaches? nope. Wax worms, yes. I didn't want to just feed waxies forever, I know it could be done, but unless I were raising those, too, I didn't want to and they're kinda pricey otherwise. I tried slurry because I was afraid she would starve otherwise, and she seems to really like it except for the occasional chunk of chitin (mealie shell) that didn't get completely pulverized. She would shake and fling her little head back-and-forth to get it off, rub her face on my jeans, anything to *get the yucky crunchy stuff off*. That's what gave me the idea to try "bald" mealies. It did take a few tries, and she had to be hungry enough the first time, but now she pounces them down, no trouble at all.

I should have named her Princess. She is one case that has made raising my own mealies completely worth it. It takes 1-3 months to get established, and then you hafta cycle alternating bins for a steady supply, but it's not too bad in the long run.

Back to topic, if you don't have your own mealies, maybe alternate with butter worms or other squishy larvae.

I don't know why some individuals won't take the crunchies, does anyone with more experience know if it's a quirk or a nutritional deficiency? Can a herp be chitin intolerant?

 

[DLS Reptile]

I have never hatched a gecko that did not feed solely on mealworms.

 

[lillith]

I didn't hatch that one. =D

Everyone I've hatched started on mealies. Waxies and crickets are treats. I'm open to trying other bugs in the future, too.

I think she's just finicky.

 

[loulovespat]

why are geckos so fussy lol, when i first got my gecko at 2months old he wouldnt eat mealworms just crickets, he wouldnt even eat waxworms but now at 5months he eats crickets, mealworms and woaxworms, so that too big of a diet for him?? does it matter how much food you give your gecko?? and i give my gecko 2 waxworms a week so that ok?? i give him 2 waxworms because i sprickle nutrobal powder on them, because when i sprickle the powder on the crickets, they jump around alot and the powder comes off