help my AFT grow big and strong

[wgparks]

So I have been wondering what is the best thing possible to be feeding to my AFT. not sure what his age is, but he is about 7 inches long, and weighs about 46 grams. I have been feeding him just crickets dusted with reptivite (i gutloaded them) but i was wondering if there was anything i should get him on that would bring out his colors more and help him get as big and healthy as possible, cost isn't an option for my gecko if it helps him.

P.S. can anyone help me determine how old my AFT is?

 

[wgparks]

sorry wrong section, can an admin move this please?

 

[acpart]

In my opinion the best thing to feed an AFT is whatever it will eat. I feed mine crickets and they are big and healthy; the male is over 70 grams. Other people feed roaches so that's an option. Mine have taken superworms and silkworms on rare occasions and have no interest in mealworms. Once the AFT is an adult I don't think there's any way to tell how old they are.

Aliza

 

[wgparks]

thank you, i was just wondering if there was something better to feed it with a better nutritional value than reptivite dusted crickets, or maybe if there was something better i should be dusting with? anyways i don't think he's completely an adult yet, but he's close i believe, he just doesn't seem as "filled out" as the adult geckos i have seen, i was thinking of a measurement chart that helped determine its age if that exists?....it probably should exist huh :main_thumbsup:

 

[LZRDGRL]

I started mine on crickets, but yesterday I saw them devour mealworms!!! Yay! So they'll get both, since I have my own mealworm colony and a big supply :main_yes:

Chrissy

 

[grboxa]

I'm not familiar with AFT's, do they not eat other feeders like leopard geckos or something? silkworms,supers,mealies etc?., I would hate to constantly deal with crickets.

 

[wgparks]

yeah mine won't really eat mealies, i'm going to try some supers and see if he eats them, but mine will really only eat crickets so far

 

[wgparks]

I am thinking of trying him on silk worms or phoenix worms, i hear they are really good for him, but i'm curious, how easy is it to keep either of these worms? is it the same basic setup as keeping mealies/supers? i want to keep them, not breed.

 

[grboxa]

Silkworms are relativley easy to keep, just keep them away from moisture. Keep them in a open container if you can, they are very very pool climbers, if its a high enough container they wont get out. What I do with my silkworms is I have them in a open container on a mesh with large enough holes for there droppings to drop through so they dont constantly lay around in there droppings. You can keep them up to 6 days(in my experience)...if you dont feed them they wont grow so i advise you buying the size you plan on feeding off...i think they come small med large, but if you do feed they can grow very fast. I cant stress enough to keep moisture away from these guys, and they are very prone to bacteria. Silkworms only eat prepared food called 'chow' and or fresh mullberry leaves. If your going to purchase Phoenix worms, make sure they are geunine, meaning they come in this media that prevents them from turning into flies...www.phoenixworm.com is one of many you can try from. Ive been told by the supplier that large sized phoenix worms will last up to 3-4 months....keep in mind that phoenix worms are generally a smaller feeder...some geckos dont respond to them....silkworms is a great choice like I said before they help weight gain without the extra fat and extremely nutritional.

 

[wgparks]

Okay so I do want to get the don on silkworms, don Juan Matus is his name, after the shaman :main_rolleyes: lol but anyways, yeah i would like to keep the silk worms, how many should i feed juan and what size?

EDIT: just looked at the price of phoenix worms....those are actually pretty cheap compared to the silkworms....is it easy/easier to care for those?

 

[grboxa]

Phoenix worms are a much smaller feeder, so your going to have to feed more rather then 1 silkworm at a time. I would go with silkworms, they will have a greater result for weight gain. It depends how big your AFT is, im assuming the same rules apply with leopard geckos, the feeder shouldnt be no wider then the length between there eyes. Also, silkworms are very filling and have alot of moisture so dont over feed with silkworms. What I do with my 7-8 mth old is 1 silkworm everyday, or 2 silkworms every other day and throw something else in here and there like phoenix worms,mealis/crickets.

 

[wgparks]

Phoenix worms are a much smaller feeder, so your going to have to feed more rather then 1 silkworm at a time. I would go with silkworms, they will have a greater result for weight gain. It depends how big your AFT is, im assuming the same rules apply with leopard geckos, the feeder shouldnt be no wider then the length between there eyes. Also, silkworms are very filling and have alot of moisture so dont over feed with silkworms. What I do with my 7-8 mth old is 1 silkworm everyday, or 2 silkworms every other day and throw something else in here and there like phoenix worms,mealis/crickets.

okay based on my gecko's size, 45 grams and about 7 inches long, how many phoenix worms would i be feeding him a day?

 

[grboxa]

if it were me, id think to have a good serving atleast 7-10 pheonix worms a serving......remember there a very small feeder in general but they are very nutritious. im not really familiar with pheonix worms I only had them a couple times I am ordering more soon with silkworms thoug.

 

[wgparks]

if it were me, id think to have a good serving atleast 7-10 pheonix worms a serving......remember there a very small feeder in general but they are very nutritious. im not really familiar with pheonix worms I only had them a couple times I am ordering more soon with silkworms thoug.

I was thinking of serving about 10 phoenix worms a day along with throwing in a cricket or 2 each day as well

 

[grboxa]

that sounds good, just make sure you monitor weight. Like I said im not familiar with phoenix worms, but to me 10 phoenix worms with some crickets sounds fine to me. Buy a gram scale and monitor the weight incase theres any weight loss which will then let you know if you need to increase the amount. Phoenix worms are extremely nutritious:main_thumbsup:

 

[wgparks]

that sounds good, just make sure you monitor weight. Like I said im not familiar with phoenix worms, but to me 10 phoenix worms with some crickets sounds fine to me. Buy a gram scale and monitor the weight incase theres any weight loss which will then let you know if you need to increase the amount. Phoenix worms are extremely nutritious:main_thumbsup:

yeah i have a small scale already so i just put him on there every week or 2 to check that weights aren't changing drastically