gecko getting fat

[greenzebra]

My female gecko is looking a little more rounder than usually in her abdomen. She is a little over 1 year old. I feed her 3 super worms ever 203 days and she poops the day after being fed. There has been no change in her diet and she has not been around any males. Should I cut down on feeding? Why is she getting rotund?

 

[Jordycakes]

im not sure what super worms are, but she's props ovulating

 

[Cesar_Da_KIng]

Lol you only feed her every 203 days?

 

[CNest]

I'm thinking he meant 2 or 3 days? Haha I would also guess she might be ovulating.

 

[JM_Daniels]

It could be ovulation, but diet could play a role too. You are only feeding superworms? Superworms are high in fat content (twice as much fat as mealworms). I would suggest you switch it up a bit...maybe add in some crickets or mealworms here and there instead of all superworms.

 

[Jordycakes]

Ahh superworms the same as Waxworms? if so yeah thats well too many i give mine 1 a week if there lucky!

 

[CNest]

Superworms look like mealworms on steroids.

 

[greenzebra]

Super worms are her staple and I feed small-medium super worms and I did mean every 2-3 days not 203. My gf doesn't like bugs in the fridge so I can't get mealworms. Leopold gets crickets occasionally but gets kind of bored hunting them down so she decides not to eat them unless I hand feed her them. Is there anything I need to do if she is ovulating?

 

[katie_]

Ahh superworms the same as Waxworms? if so yeah thats well too many i give mine 1 a week if there lucky!

No they are not the same as a waxworms.
They have a very similar content to mealworms I believe, but are more digestable.
I use them as a staple.

 

[Jordycakes]

ahh thats cool we dont get them in england, well iv never heard of a shop selling them

 

[JM_Daniels]

No they are not the same as a waxworms.
They have a very similar content to mealworms I believe, but are more digestable.
I use them as a staple.

They are not that similar. There is less chitin than mealworms which is what makes them easier to digest. However, as I mentioned earlier, the fat content is double that of mealworms.

It is best not to use superworms as a staple, in my humble opinion. The more variety you can include in the gecko's diet, the better. Swap in some crickets time to time and you will be doing your gecko a favor.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Here's a link to a website that compares the nutritional values of mealworms and supers from a variety of sources. Looks like supers are pretty similar to mealworms from this.

http://chamownersweb.net/insects/nutritional_values.htm

 

[getgeckos]

Superworms are fine as a staple, but a varied diet is best.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[katie_]

They are not that similar. There is less chitin than mealworms which is what makes them easier to digest. However, as I mentioned earlier, the fat content is double that of mealworms.

It is best not to use superworms as a staple, in my humble opinion. The more variety you can include in the gecko's diet, the better. Swap in some crickets time to time and you will be doing your gecko a favor.

Can you source that information?

 

[Russellm0704]

Superworms are also a great choice due to how active they are which entices the gecko more. Also, I believe leopards should have to work for their food, and supers are fast. I know there a lot of people who almost crap their pants because they are scared of supers causing harm to the geckos. My 40+ geckos have never had a problem.

 

[JM_Daniels]

Can you source that information?

Check out the chart at the bottom of this page by Ghann's Cricket Farm for the difference in fat content: http://www.ghann.com/insect_care.cfm

I can find some more if you'd like, but I don't mean to say that anybody is wrong. The higher fat content in superworms may actually be beneficial for certain geckos for fat storage in the tail. That's another topic though. Either way, I think we can all agree that variety is good.