I'm confused

[Zig]

Is it better to use mealworms or crickets as the primary food source?

I'm an obsessed angler, and have been raising mealworms for a few years now, so I have access to everything from newly developed larvae to super mealies including all the hard and soft shelled versions in between.

The two(2) year old Leo we just brought into the family has been kept with a diet of 100% calcium dusted crickets. The previous owner told us that mealworms aren't a good choice due to their hard shells. (?)
Prior to getting her, I found this site and see mealworms are used quite often (normal and supers), so since we didn't have crickets available, her first feeding from us was mealworms.......................which she wasted no time hunting down and taking (slight issue with the reptile carpet causing a few missed attempts).
However, she has not deficated since - did I make a mistake by changing what she's used to?

 

[Ipsl]

I use meal worms. If you go to phoenixworms.com I think, there a nutritional guide about crix, mealies, and phoenix worms.

 

[moosassah]

It seems most of the people here feed mealies. They are convenient, easy to raise etc. Many will also continue to feed crickets as well as other bugs for variety.

The initial change in environment is enough stress to cause her not to poop for a bit.

 

[Zig]

So the threat of mealworms not being digested/shells causing digestive tract problems is a fallacy?

If so, my life just got a whole lot easier. :main_cool3:

 

[Mel&Keith]

We've never had any problems with mealworms and we go through a few thousand a week. Just make sure they're size appropriate so they don't get regurgitated.

 

[ReptileMan27]

Crix are just a pain is the a**. I use to feed crix as a staple to leos and now feed mealies. They are great as a staple and easier then stupid crix.

 

[Brhaco]

This is my pet peeve-I am SOOO tired of the constant disparagment of the mealworm. They are a fantastic food item. They come in a variety of sizes, are VERY easy to culture, are equally easy to gutload, and are so nutritious that they can be a staple diet for a wide variety of herps.

And as for leopard geckos specifically-A great example is Ron Tremper. He has literally thousands of breeder leopard geckos. From hatching to ripe old age, not a one of these lizards is ever fed anything but the common mealworm (Tenebrio molitor)! And there isn't a healthier or more productive colony of Eublapharis in the world. So don't ever apologize for feeding mealies...:main_yes:

 

[Inland Geckos]

i used to feed crickets and i think my geckos were more active and had more energy. now i feed mealies they are getting plump but more lazy i think. the mealies dont move much so its also harder to get their attention during feeding time. before they used to hear me shake the bag dusting the crickets and they would be out like kids on cristmas morning so i guess they are both good just depends on what u prefer housing. although i never had many crickets left over in the tank the mealies only seem to get eaten when the geckos are really hungry or see them squiggle. check out steve sykes site for good tips on pros and cons of the 2.