Gutloading Mealworms

jaredricha

New Member
Messages
29
Location
Connecticut
So, Ive had my leo for quite some time now I think 3 years old now. He is a healthy male I tried crickets when he was young and he did not eat them Ive always fed him mealworms since and the occasional treat the wax worm. And now feeding super worms. Ive never gutloaded mealworms for him is this necessary? I use Zoo Meds Reptivite with d3 twice a month and leave some in the cage for him.
 

Dinosaur!

New Member
Messages
908
Location
Las vegas, Nevada
It is very important to gutload all feeders (waxworms excluded). If you do not gutload mealowrms, it is about the equivalent of feeding your gecko cardboard with vitamins on top. He may be doing fine so far, but in the long run gut loading will improve his health. Aslo, a note on your dusting. (This is part of a guide I wrote on dusting last year, but it is still applicable:

5: Supplementing/dusting

It is extremely important that you are supplementing your leopard geckos diet with calcium and vitamins in order to prevent your gecko from contracting MBD (metabolic bone disease, or having vitamin deficiency. I'll tell you what method works for me, but there are other successful methods out there that you may choose to use instead.

First off, you need calcium WITH vitamin D3. D3 is an essential vitamin for leopard geckos, and without it, they cannot absorb the calcium they intake, making it pointless, and causing MBD. You should sprinkle this on top of the mealworms after you put them in our geckos food bowl, as the "shake and bake" method will suffocate and kill the worms. This is the calcium with D3 that I use.

AMS4HCs.jpg


you should only dust with D3 every other feeding, as high amounts can cause illness.

Second, you need to have a multivitamin with vitamin A in it. Your gecko needs this to help prevent shedding, eye, and organ issues. Dust the same way as with the calcium, but only ONCE a week. to much can be harmful. This is my vitamin supplement.

awTSc8X.jpg



And lastly, you will need to keep a small bowl of D3 free calcium inside of your geckos tank. This way, your gecko can lick up the calcium when it feels that it needs it, without the risk of overdosing on D3.

or8RxKl.jpg


bGoNy8y.jpg



For the whole guide (which includes gut loading info and such for mealworms, here's the link http://geckoforums.net/f128-feeding-feeders/97779.htm ( i hope this helps you out :) )
 

jaredricha

New Member
Messages
29
Location
Connecticut
It is very important to gutload all feeders (waxworms excluded). If you do not gutload mealowrms, it is about the equivalent of feeding your gecko cardboard with vitamins on top. He may be doing fine so far, but in the long run gut loading will improve his health. Aslo, a note on your dusting. (This is part of a guide I wrote on dusting last year, but it is still applicable:

5: Supplementing/dusting

It is extremely important that you are supplementing your leopard geckos diet with calcium and vitamins in order to prevent your gecko from contracting MBD (metabolic bone disease, or having vitamin deficiency. I'll tell you what method works for me, but there are other successful methods out there that you may choose to use instead.

First off, you need calcium WITH vitamin D3. D3 is an essential vitamin for leopard geckos, and without it, they cannot absorb the calcium they intake, making it pointless, and causing MBD. You should sprinkle this on top of the mealworms after you put them in our geckos food bowl, as the "shake and bake" method will suffocate and kill the worms. This is the calcium with D3 that I use.

AMS4HCs.jpg


you should only dust with D3 every other feeding, as high amounts can cause illness.

Second, you need to have a multivitamin with vitamin A in it. Your gecko needs this to help prevent shedding, eye, and organ issues. Dust the same way as with the calcium, but only ONCE a week. to much can be harmful. This is my vitamin supplement.

awTSc8X.jpg



And lastly, you will need to keep a small bowl of D3 free calcium inside of your geckos tank. This way, your gecko can lick up the calcium when it feels that it needs it, without the risk of overdosing on D3.

or8RxKl.jpg


bGoNy8y.jpg



For the whole guide (which includes gut loading info and such for mealworms, here's the link http://geckoforums.net/f128-feeding-feeders/97779.htm ( i hope this helps you out :) )


Thank you so much. I just removed the d3 dish from his cage. For the superworms I think they all died(first time getting those) None of them seem to be moving. Not sure when I will be able to go get the gutload and stuff for the mealworms. Can you take a picture of what the feeding mealworm container looks like?
 

Dinosaur!

New Member
Messages
908
Location
Las vegas, Nevada
I would put a picture of the feeding bin up for you, but our new puppy decided to make a snack of my camera chord... I will post pictures if I get a new chord sometime soon though! Basically I have all my mealworms in a sixteen quart tub with about two inches of oats and cheerios (plain) that were ground in the blender. Then i give them sliced apples or baby carrots, and remove the vegetables that are old and rubbery. You can also use wheat bran, non ground oats, or commercial mealworm bedding. I don't know if those supplements are available on amazon though, as I bought them from my local reptile store... But you should be able to find them online or at a +++++ store :) And I'm glad that I could help!
 

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