how to feed leo

[reds_21]

Hey guys

we just got back from the pet store with our new baby leopard gecko.

we bought about 25 crickets and 50 mealworms.

when we left the petstore the girl said that we have to cut the heads off the mealworms, is this true? i have read that they will eat through the lizard if we dont hack the head off. how long will they live after removing the head? we have calcium powder in the bottom of the food bowl, do we just set the worms in the powder?

we have also bought some type of powder coat for the crickets, do we coat and just place in tank or is there a special procedure we have to do to feed the leo crickets?

any help would be appreciated

thank you

 

[Riyo]

No, the mealworms will not eat through your leo's stomach...that is myth. Don't cut their heads off.

Also, your leo will be stressed so it probably will not eat for a few days. Try to minimize contact with it (just keep an eye on it) until it settles into it's new environment. I would try feeding it in a couple days.

What kind of supplement did you buy? There are several different kinds (Calcium, Calcium w/ D3, Vitamins, and combinations of calcium and various vitamins). I personally use the Repashy Superfoods ICB and I dust every other feeding. I leave a small bowl of pure calcium in their enclosure at all times, as well.

Good luck

 

[reds_21]

i have been told a number of times that meal worms will eat through the leo. now they have all been people at ******** that told me this but still, it seems to be a common thread.

anyways, i bought Flukers Calcium with vitamin D3 and Reptolife plus which contains multi vitamin and mineral formula PLUS color enhancers and antioxidants. is this ok?

then we got the cricket food/water.

 

[StatikStepz]

yeah... do not cut the heads off the mealworms... For one, Geckos are stimulated by movement, so u if kill the mealworm, then your gecko will have no interest in it... And 2nd... this is entirely a myth! No mealworm will EVER chew its way out of your leo's stomach. I've always fed my geckos superworms (which if you don't know or haven't seen em yet, they are pretty much a huge mealworm, but a different species) and superworms obviously have larger jaws than regular mealworms, and never have a problem!

I think Steve Sykes said it best in his "care sheet" on geckosetc.com... "Some people say that you should not feed mealworms to your geckos because there is the possibility that the mealworms can eat their way out of the stomach of a gecko. This is absolutely, 100% not true!!! A customer of mine once called me frantically after hearing this old wives tale from an employee at their local pet store. The pet store employee told them they need to pinch off the mealworm's head before feeding them to their geckos. Not true! This is also a problem because geckos require live prey! I go through 30,000-40,000 mealworms a week, if I had to pinch all those heads it would be a full time job!"

LOL

 

[Riyo]

The mealworm/superworm thing is a complete (and common) myth. It isn't surprising that the people at the big box pet stores told you this but you have to take their advice with a grain (or entire shaker..) of salt. I'm not saying that everybody that works at these stores don't know what they're talking about when it comes to basic reptile care, but many of them really have no idea.

As far as your supplements go - they should be fine. I've personally never used the Fluker's brand but I'm sure it'll work. When I was using two separate supplements I dusted with Calcium the majority of the time and then dusted with the vitamin supplement once a week.

 

[StatikStepz]

...and don't always listen to what an employee at a pet shop will tell you... half of the time, the information they tell you is just what they think or have been told by another employee that has no idea... do your homework 1st on any questions u have, and just about any answer u have about things like this can be found on any reputable site, like this... and don't ask a pet store employee! lol

 

[JordanAng420]

Your supplements sound perfectly fine.

Take everything that is said about reptile care and husbandry by chain store employees with a grain of salt. Now that you belong to this forum, you have all the access to ACCURATE information that you need.

The worms generally die from the crunch when they first grab the insect, and if not, the stomach acids kill and drown the mealworm. It is physically impossible for a worm to eat through the geckos stomach. I wish they'd stop saying that.

 

[StatikStepz]

...i have a theory on why pet store employees say that...

I think they have to as part of their job... i think their boss tells em to say that. I think it's a marketing idea... I mean think about it... If you pinch or cut off the heads, then the mealies die and the gecko does not eat them when they are no longer moving.... soooooo.... that means you only have to go back to the store and buy more!!!! Its genious!!!!

lmao.

 

[JordanAng420]

...i have a theory on why pet store employees say that...

I think they have to as part of their job... i think their boss tells em to say that. I think it's a marketing idea... I mean think about it... If you pinch or cut off the heads, then the mealies die and the gecko does not eat them when they are no longer moving.... soooooo.... that means you only have to go back to the store and buy more!!!! Its genious!!!!

lmao.

HAHAHA! As funny as it is, I wouldn't be suprised if it was true!

 

[StatikStepz]

The worms generally die from the crunch when they first grab the insect, and if not, the stomach acids kill and drown the mealworm.

I was gonna say that aswell... A gecko's bite can be pretty strong (in comparison to the exoskeleton of a worm), and when they crunch down on it, its generally lights out.

 

[StatikStepz]

...just picture droppin an egg on a hot frying pan, and you get that good sizzlin action goin... thats what is happening to the mealworm in the gecko's stomach. OoOoOoOoOooo yeahhhhh!!! lolll

 

[reds_21]

now i did see "super mealworms" at ******** as well. what is the difference? just size?

as i mentioned i have a juvenile leo, whats the best size of cricket/mealworm for him? baby small food or can he eat adult crickets as well?

 

[StatikStepz]

now i did see "super mealworms" at ******** as well. what is the difference? just size?

as i mentioned i have a juvenile leo, whats the best size of cricket/mealworm for him? baby small food or can he eat adult crickets as well?

no... if your gecko is a juvie, get pinhead crix up to approximately 3 week old crix... i don't know the size of your gecko, but i would say anywhere in that range should be fine... You can figure it out this way... whatever u feed it should be no wider than half the width of your gecko's head, and no longer than the length of it's head.

the difference between mealworms and superworms is quite a difference. Superworms are not just "big overgrown mealworms"... they are a completely different kind of species and worm. Nutritionally speaking, superworms are much more higher in just about everything... calcium, protein, water content, etc...

 

[reds_21]

well we have had the gecko home for about 2 hours now. we were watching him walk around a bit so we figured, lets just drop a mealworm or two in the tank as well as a couple crickets.

this is awesome!!!! once we coated the worms as well as the crickets and dropped them in BAM!!!! gone and eaten!! the gecko licked his lips a few times and can we say awesome!!! he ate them crickets/mealworms like they were going out of style!!!

heres my question. how much do i feed him? do i feed him till he ignores the food or do i limit him to a few a day?

also, we bought a 50 count container of meal worms, where should we keep these so they stay alive? the container says refrigerator. will they be fine in there?

 

[JordanAng420]

I'm glad he ate for you already! He must have been hungry! You can feed him as much as he wants to eat. He'll stop when he's done. You can also leave a bowl of mealies in there with him, as long as you freshen the bowl daily. Oh, and make sure you gutload the insects for a day or two with the cricket food and water you bought. Once they're gutloaded, THEN you can put them in the fridge to store. I find that they can live in there for a month, sometimes more.