How do YOU keep up a food supply?

[JennieDoomsday]

Okay. I'm a first-time owner of a tarantula (who also eats crickets). And I am about to get my first leopard gecko.

What do you usually do about food?

My spider is easy 'cause I can go to the pet store every two weeks, grab him like 10 crickets, and that's all the food he needs for the next week or two.

-Geckos eat way more often though. Should I go buy pet store crickets constantly (every week)?
-Should I order bulk online and keep them alive til my gecko eats them all? (no idea how to do that...)
-Should I raise crickets? (No idea how to do that either, other than putting them in a plastic terrarium with some gut-load and half a potato. What about egg laying for baby crickets? Best way to get them in and out, keep their numbers up, etc....)
-All of the above goes for mealworms.

The list goes on. When I think about it, keeping a constant supply of food seems much scarier than any pressures of taking care of the gecko! They seem quite hardy and low maintenance, but feeding sounds like a different story.

Anyone want to help out or ease my mind? Heh...

 

[Tony C]

For one gecko it probably isn't worth buying in bulk or trying to culture crickets. Have you considered roaches? Dubia roaches are easier to culture than crickets and can be used to feed your gecko and tarantula.

 

[JennieDoomsday]

Oh, no I guess I'll look into roaches. I hadn't seen them on a list of foods that leopard geckos can eat.

 

[Chewbecca]

roaches are all mine eat in the winter time because I do not breed my own beetles to make worms, so worms are a no-go in Illinois winters for me.

 

[Srt14292]

As tony said, for one gecko it probably isn't worth getting a culture, however I would agree with the roaches, they can be kept steady. but they may go into a breeding frenzy and you may have too many, however just going to the shop once a week for your will be alllright, not worth culturing crix, but if you can getyour hands on some locusts they are great.

 

[TheRed]

Another vote for the roaches. Way easier to keep than crickets and healthier.

 

[GeckoNub]

I breed dubias too, really easy to look after and most of my geckos yum them up

I also get crickets, locusts, mealworms and waxworms maybe once a month depending on who is being a picky eater.

I get 3 tubs of food on ebay for about £7 with postage and theyre a good supplier. So if i want to get them different food for variety or because they have gone off the roaches ill do a mix of different bugs so that ive got something they will all eat.

But for something you can breed and keep all the time dubias win easily

 

[Vision Geckos]

I just count on all my geckos going on hunger strikes. Works like a charm, regrettably.

 

[RoninSTi]

I keep a colony of Dubia Roaches, HIGHLY recommended. They are super easy to care for, they don't smell, they don't bite, they don't climb, and they have live birth (no mess with egg laying areas yada yada). Also your leo AND your tarantula will love them. I also keep a colony of mealworms, another low maintenance easy to breed food source, but not the greatest staple food.

Any questions feel free to post or PM me.