How can I fatten up my geckos?

[Olimpia]

Mine look healthy, don't get me wrong, but from I'm seeing on this site mine don't weigh as much as they maybe should for their age. I keep seeing people say that their 10 month males weigh more around 70-80g and mine is not even close to that at the same age.

So what do you recomend to get them to start gaining more weight (in a way that is healthy, obviously. No one wants to just stuff them until they look like porkers)? Right now, with 2-3 geckos per tank I am throwing in about 15-20 crickets, which makes for five or more per gecko. And I'm doing this every 2 days. Should I throw in more crickets, and maybe start adding a plate of mealworms also?

Thanks in advance!

 

[LizMarie]

are you sure they're eating all the crickets and are they each getting enough food? I've seen that people that use Roaches and/or supers tend to have bigger leos. Maybe having a constant food supply of mealworms might help them.

Just remember that some Leos grow differently some reach 70-80g by 10months while others at 2years are just 30g. As long as your geckos are healthy and happy it shouldn't be much of a problem unless your looking to reach a specific wait for breeding.

 

[Olimpia]

They eat all their crickets, so I know they're eating, but I might have to give them more food. Is it good to keep them suplemented with lots of supers? I've been giving them supers every once in a while, but I might keep a bowl with them in there if they're a good food source. I think that since I've heard wax worms should only be treats I have this idea about all worms as fatty, unhealthy main feeder bugs.

 

[Gonser]

Check out the Phoenix worms. Very nutritious. Downside is they are very active and crawl out of shallow dishes so you need a very smooth high dish, but they love these worms. They need to be stored around 50 degrees, so not in the fridge.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

with Crickets you will notice that due to the higher protein to fat ratio you're geckos will grow at a slightly slower pace then having a higher fat ratio in their diet. Remember fat geckos aren't always the healthiest of geckos. it's always a case by case basis

 

[ariana]

i feed mainly supers with mealies and crix every once in awhile.
and my male, tyke, is huge, as are the females.
try that n see how it works for ya

 

[LizMarie]

They eat all their crickets, so I know they're eating, but I might have to give them more food. Is it good to keep them suplemented with lots of supers? I've been giving them supers every once in a while, but I might keep a bowl with them in there if they're a good food source. I think that since I've heard wax worms should only be treats I have this idea about all worms as fatty, unhealthy main feeder bugs.

A lot of people here feed supers as their geckos staple diet but are fatty. I'm using them at the moment with a few roaches and haven't had any issues but they are hard to keep in dish because they're ALWAYS active. But on the upside 1 super will equal like 5mealies because they're huge!

Actually I've heard that Silkworms are one of the best feeders, I hope to be trying these once I feed off most of the supers. When looking for feeders I look at this comparison chart.

 

[Olimpia]

A lot of people here feed supers as their geckos staple diet but are fatty. I'm using them at the moment with a few roaches and haven't had any issues but they are hard to keep in dish because they're ALWAYS active. But on the upside 1 super will equal like 5mealies because they're huge!

Actually I've heard that Silkworms are one of the best feeders, I hope to be trying these once I feed off most of the supers. When looking for feeders I look at this comparison chart.

Wow silk worms are expensive. They do look awsome, but they're more money than I have to spend on my reptiles right now haha.

 

[Olimpia]

Thanks everyone for the imput! I will begin adding mealworms to their diet, along with a few supers, and see how that goes.

 

[LizMarie]

Wow silk worms are expensive. They do look awsome, but they're more money than I have to spend on my reptiles right now haha.

lol.. that's understandable.

 

[Bellalee]

According to that chart .. wax worms are less fatty and have more protien then mealworms....

 

[Olimpia]

According to that chart .. wax worms are less fatty and have more protien then mealworms....

I know, I saw that, and it's weird. I've always heard that wax worms are super fatty and shouldn't be given more than every once in a while.

 

[LizMarie]

I know, I saw that, and it's weird. I've always heard that wax worms are super fatty and shouldn't be given more than every once in a while.

I've heard the same. Could it be the gutload? Supers, mealies, etc basically eat whatever we give them but to my understanding waxworms will only eat Honey or something like that, so can that play a roll?

 

[Andrew]

I would try to add more variety to the diet. Along with crickets, try mixing in mealworms and the occasional waxworm, and/or anything else deemed suitable as a feeder.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

as far as a Fat to protein ratio Supers do have a higher Protein to fat compared to Waxworms. Crickets and Roaches provide a well balanced diet that is not too heavy on the fat/protein ratio

 

[ang3l3s]

silkies die quick and are hard to maintain,roaches and supers are easier to keep, i use waxies but it is like junk food....... but i love spoiling my gecks at least once a week. i too noticed crazy weights on some of the other geckos but hey , r your geckos happy, in the end that is all that counts. moderation is the best rule in all living things IMO for what it's worth.

 

[Olimpia]

I have now ordered a couple hundred supers and a couple thousand mealworms online and I'm going to start incorporating them into my geckos' diets. It's so true that variety is the best way to get enough of everything, so that's what I'm going to do. I went all out today and got a couple plastic bins from the dollar store and prepared them to recieve the worms when they get here tomorrow (Geeze, my poor neighbors must walk down the hallway, see a box labelled 'crickets' sitting on our doorstep, and not know what to think lol)

I'm also trying to find a site that sells cheap waxworms. The average price I see around is something like $13 for 500 or 1000 or something like that. Does anyone else know of anything cheaper?

 

[Olimpia]

silkies die quick and are hard to maintain,roaches and supers are easier to keep, i use waxies but it is like junk food....... but i love spoiling my gecks at least once a week. i too noticed crazy weights on some of the other geckos but hey , r your geckos happy, in the end that is all that counts. moderation is the best rule in all living things IMO for what it's worth.

Totally - if I can enjoy a good burger or pie every once in a while my geckos should be able to do the same. I'll order them som wax worms as soon as I find a site with a price and shipping cost that I can live with lol