how often?

[daveim]

I have a young leo about 4 and a half inches long, and I feed it (don't kow what gender it is yet) mealworms that are about ahalf inch long. How much and how often should I feed him? he is a vracious eater, and I feel so sorry for him because he looks so hungry all the time that I want to feed him until he won't eat no more, but then won't have any mealworms left for later and he'd get all fat. Currently I feed him three mealworms every other day, but now that I have a steady supply, i am going to feed him two or three every day. Is that what I should do?

 

[bohannbj]

That's what I do, with a day off every now and then.

 

[Jaiden23]

Every leo is going to be a bit different regaurding how much and how often it should eat... generally speaking however, juveniles usually eat more than that. I feed my youngest girl (6 months old) 10 insects daily, sometimes a bit more or a bit less depending on her appetite for that day. My older leo (9-10 months old) will either eat 5 insects daily or she will eat 10 every other day.

You really can't overfeed a leopard gecko, if it eats too much then it will throw it back up. Then you will know what its limit is, and they will usually stop on their own before they over-eat again.

If your leo still acts hungry after eating three everyday, go ahead and give him a few more mealworms daily. It's always better to have a leo with some extra fat storage vs a skinny one, in the event that it decides to go on a random hunger strike :main_thumbsup:

 

[daveim]

I just don't want to feed him too much because he might throw it backup again or I might run out of food. I don't only have a leopard gecko, I also have three anoles, a frog, and a mediteranean gecko that all eat the same mealworms.

 

[cwazy]

not trying to sound any certain way, but if feeding your gecko more is gonna make you run out of food maybe you need to reconcider him... more pets mean more food... i have a cat, if i get another one i cant expect to spend the same amount on food... more pets more food... :main_yes: i would say to feed him what he will eat and just buy more food... just my opinion! :main_rolleyes:

 

[nats]

Yeah the juvies can pack in the bugs!!
I dont count, but I know it's like 8 to 10 crix or mealies a day, and
they are still looking for more.
But that's only when they are in the mood for food!
Some days they will only eat one or two, and other days, nothing at all!
You just have to gauge their individual eating habits. After you have had
the animal for a while, you know when it's hungry or not.

 

[daveim]

no, I don't mean I have a shortage of food because I just ordered 1,000 mealworms, but even with that many they may either die, escape, or be eaten. Of course, if they are all eaten, I would have enough time to order some more, but I'm going to take as little chances as possible. I just don't beleive that they can eat that many mealworms, because 10 mealworms is as big as he is.

 

[cwazy]

lol... yes... it seems the smaller the gecko the bigger they eat... just what i observed

 

[MSMD]

My juvies that size will easily eat 10 mealworms a day most days. Sometimes as many as 12-15. Most of the mealies I feed are larger than 1/2", also. Generally, you want to let young leos eat just about as much as they want. Most of the calories/nutrition goes towards growing. I have yet to see an obese juvie.