dumb/wierd question...

[shadowdragon619]

okay, time for an odd question. Its that time of year when its getting warmer outside, and my house is being invaded by ladybugs. i dont have screens on my tanks. i know Spaz wouldnt be dumb enough to eat one, but i think Wretch might because he's younger. i've already found a dead ladybug in his calcium dish (it must have suffocated from the calcium). So my dumb question is....can eating a ladybug harm my gecko? lol

 

[steve905]

Heres a dumb question back to you. Are they red or orange in color..Different types of lady bug/

 

[shadowdragon619]

i get both kinds of ladybugs here.

 

[Srt14292]

I would go with NO, seeing as they are from outside and they spend most days on plants etc..they are bound to be contaminated with pestisides so I would say probably not try and get yourself some screens or even a makeshift cover.

 

[STUTFL]

Not to mention they squirt out absolutely foul-smelling stuff from their legs; if your leo managed to eat one he'd probably be regretting it pretty soon. Anything that brightly-colored is rarely going to be good to eat. I don't know if they'd have an outright toxic effect on leos, but I'd definitely keep them out of the tank if possible.

 

[STUTFL]

The fact that they tend to pile up dead in window wells instead of attracting one of the bajillions of hungry insectivores (birds, reptiles, small mammals, etc.) would be another warning sign. :laugh:

 

[chechatonga]

I would say anything that has a bright color and has a weird smell when they die, should definately be avoided.
Just buy some 2x4's or smaller and build a wood frame that fits over your tank.
Finish it off with some metal window screen and staples.
Or you can buy a cover at a local pet shop. not too expensive

 

[shadowdragon619]

yeah, other things tend not to eat them...but i'm not sure if a two month old gecko would be that smart, lol

 

[STUTFL]

Probably not. :laugh: Cover them cages!

 

[serialzombie]

I've seen my leopard geckos eat them. I was initially worried that they might be mildly poisonous, but nothing has happened yet.

Also, if they gobble them down fast enough, I don't think they have time to put off that noxious chemical.

 

[STUTFL]

I don't think "nothing has happened yet" is a ringing endorsement for eating ladybugs, but glad you haven't had any trouble.

 

[serialzombie]

No, not at all. Which is why I don't bring them in from outside to feed to them off.

Everything that I've ever read has simply stated that they secrete foul tasting alkaloid compounds to deter predators. Not that they're actually poisonous.

I'll probably go to the library today to try and find a book specifically on coccinellidae, (and therefore, whether or not we should all be investing in screen tank covers) but if anyone here has the answer right of the top of their head regarding the toxicity of lady bugs, I would be most interested to hear it.

 

[STUTFL]

When I ask Firefox if ladybugs are poisonous, it takes me directly to a page containing the line,

Ladybugs are not poisonous to humans. However, they can have toxic effects on some animals.

Assuming leos aren't one of those animals, the gross-tasting stuff is in a ladybug's blood, right? So the leo's eating it no matter what ... I've heard of them causing stomach upset if an animal for some daft reason eats a lot of them (no surprise there :laugh: ).
I figure leos are small, slow metabolism, better safe than sorry. *shrug*

 

[serialzombie]

I've had trouble finding a sufficiently academic book on the subject for less than $300. That being said, what information I have found has pointed to ladybugs being mostly just foul tasting, but toxic to some animals (read mammals and other insects). Don't know how species specific this is, however.

Seriously, do we have any entomologists on the boards that might have something to add?

 

[TFerguson]

If you're willing to lick a bright colored toad, then by all means let your geckos eat ladybugs...just sayin..