Is there a such thing as too much?

[smsararas2]

My juvenile Leo does not seem to EVER get full! I have been feeding her every day at the same time and you can be sure that at that time of the evening she is out and almost begging. Tonight she ate 12 medium crickets and 10 meal worms. This is every day that she is eating like this. Should I be worried she i going to get fat? I know they say to let juveniles eat what they want but holy jumpings, I am afraid she is gonna bust a gut!

 

[gothra]

Wow, 12 crickets and 10 mealies in one feeding- thats a lot! Just make sure she doesn't swallow all that food too quickly, otherwise she might regurgitate. My 2 week old hatchlings ate 5 lateralis, 1 silkworm and 3 mealworms last night.

 

[smsararas2]

I know that is alot and she was still looking for more. She is about 8 to 9 months as far as we can tell and I don't know if I should keep feeding her like that or what. I put her in her "feeding tank" so she can't lose crickets in her home and she just goes crazy. She sees a cricket and shakes her tail and you can almost see her smiling and she just dives on them from across the enclosure. She will do the same with the mealies when she is done with the crickets. So, should I feed her until he turns food down or should I limit her? The last thing I want to do is make her sick but she seems really happy and healthy. She comes out each night and plays and run around and seems to be doing really well.

 

[roger]

Wow, 12 crickets and 10 mealies in one feeding- thats a lot! Just make sure she doesn't swallow all that food too quickly, otherwise she might regurgitate. My 2 week old hatchlings ate 5 lateralis, 1 silkworm and 3 mealworms last night.

I agree gothra. im a believer to let the leo eat as much as they like.but the key is not too feed her too quick like gothra said.let her eat as much as she wants though.there will be a time when shes gonna go on a hunger strike or brumate during the winter months and then you'll be glad shes carrying the xtra weight.

 

[smsararas2]

All right, Thanks guys. I just wanted to make sure she was not gonna make herself sick, I will let her eat what she wants.

 

[Joao]

Interesting.

I only put in 3-4 crickets a day... Does that mean I'm not feeding enough?

 

[gothra]

Interesting.

I only put in 3-4 crickets a day... Does that mean I'm not feeding enough?

Depends on how old your leo is. A hatchling or juvi will eat more than adults, as they are in the growing stage. Most of my leos (juvi and adults) do know when to stop; but there are also a few that will eat as long as you let it see food. With my 2 hatchlings, MoJo will slow down or walk back to his hide when he is about full; his clutchmate C.MerMer will stand-by his feeding dish, attacking me with those sparkling eyes to get me to feed him more. I'm pretty sure he will eat till he regurgitates; so I limit his eating to just a little bit more than MoJo's. They get about 10 items per night - that is still quite a lot considering their little body size...

 

[gothra]

Joao, are you referring to the gecko in your avatar? Looks like he/she is 1-2 weeks old like mine. Depending on the size of the crickets you're using, I can't say if 3-4 crickets is sufficient. I feed mine lateralis or crickets that are 1.5cm length, and they can eat 8-10 of them easily.

 

[Joao]

I get the small crickets from p'mart i would say they are about 1/4 inch to a little under a 1/2 inch big.

Yeah, thats her in my avatar, but shes about 3 months old now.

 

[gothra]

If the gecko in your avatar is 3 months old, then you are probably not feeding enough. You need to give her more to eat, and make sure you have the proper temps too.

 

[Joao]

Well that sucks. The breeder I bought her from said 3-4 crickets a day. Ill feed her a little more from now on.

BTW. She is a little bigger and has a slightly fatter tail now.