Pinkys

[CHAMpion]

Do people us frozen or live pinkys? If you use frozen how do you present them?

 

[ARiES]

u dont use frozen ones for leos bro..leopard geckos are stimulated by movement..thats why they dont eat veggies or fruits like iguanas and mali uromastyx do..so live pinkies for sure

 

[CHAMpion]

Yeah I know that I've just seen people thaw them move them with a pencil in front of a leo and they eat them. I'm only considering it because it is impossible to find them around me. I know of 2 stores that have them and every time I call they are out of the alive ones. So I've been considering some fozen ones. Because I know my leos would eat them if I fed them with the tongs.

 

[breanna-banana13]

frozen are healthier for the reptile because they have less of a bacteria/ parasite load. we only feed our beardie frozen, just hold it by the tail with some tongs and wiggle it around.

 

[Gregg M]

frozen are healthier for the reptile because they have less of a bacteria/ parasite load.

This is 100% false...

#1 When you freeze food items, the lose a lot of their nutritional substance...

#2 Rodents are not likely to harbor parasites that will infect reptiles and will not carry bacterias that are harmful to reptiles...

It is proven that live or freshly prekilled prey items are much healthier for our reptiles...

With this being said, there is no reason to feed leos rodents live or frozen...

 

[breanna-banana13]

#1- how do they lose anything? they're just being frozen...

#2- I disagree, bacteria is bacteria and will infect anything that it can...the parasites i do agree with you on, but its still a risk.

 

[Gregg M]

#1- how do they lose anything? they're just being frozen...

#2- I disagree, bacteria is bacteria and will infect anything that it can...the parasites i do agree with you on, but its still a risk.

When you freeze meat products there is an average of 19 to 25% loss of vitamins and minerals due to the damage done to cell walls during the freezing process once the meat is thawed out... This is a fact that can be easily researched...

Give me one example of a reptile getting sick or dieing from a bacterial infection from a live or freshly killed prey item... I can not come up with one situation...

I can tell you that there have been numerous cases of reptiles getting sick from frozen prey...

I would go as far as to say that there is virtually no risk when feedin reptiles fresh killed prey items...

I personally have fed off thousands of fresh killed rodents to hundreds of snakes without even one ever dieing as a result...

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Fresh killed is best, but I have never known a leopard gecko to eat anything that wasn't alive and moving. The ONLY time I feed my leopard geckos 'live' pinkies is if they are in dire need to get some food/nutrition/fat quickly. To be honest, I haven't fed a pinky to my geckos in years.

 

[corvettefan]

I'd use live only because they're more nutritional. My female loves these canned worms I get, but I have to get my male something that moves.

My male hasn't been eating for a couple of days, and I tried wiggling a worm in front of him, and he looked interested, but went back into his hide. I did it again, and he finally ate one worm. I guess he doesn't like the canned worms I normally get, so tomarrow I'm getting crickets. Crazy happy!

 

[Baoh]

bacteria is bacteria and will infect anything that it can

No.

Most bacteria are not pathogenic. There is greater diversity in bacteria than every other form of life combined. Bacteria is the plural form, by the way.

When you freeze meat products there is an average of 19 to 25% loss of vitamins and minerals due to the damage done to cell walls during the freezing process once the meat is thawed out...

I am sure you mean cell membranes, not cell walls.

 

[thibeau89]

How old or large does a Leo have to be to eat a Pinky ?

 

[cat_named_noodles]

IMO a leo should be full grown before feeding pinkies. And then maybe once a month max.

 

[Ga_herps]

I feed live and frozen thawed with no problems. I use them for a little boost during breeding season. Most of mine will eat the dead ones without any coaxing. Just lay it in front of them and they reach down and crunch it up. Also I have to go with Gregg on the frozen thawed. The only way a thawed pinky would remotely have the same nutritional value as a freshly killed one would be to add supplements to it. Freezing is a degrading process unless we can reach absolute zero which I don't really see anytime soon.

 

[Holly12]

Yeah leos love thier food to be moving my girls will not take any food if it is not moving they will turn thier heads the other way lol.

 

[Kristi23]

I've used them this year for a few of my breeding females after they've laid. They only get them once a month or every other month. I used frozen/thawed with no problems. I don't give them to any of the other leopard geckos, just the few that needed the extra weight put back on quickly.

 

[GeckoHut]

There are plenty of reasons to give a leo pinkies. For one NOTHING contains more calcium than a pinky. Two they would eat them in the wild so why not offer them?? I have never had any deaths from pinkie parasites, impaction or the like. It's like a steak dinner to them, leos like blood and guts just as you like red meat. As for fresh killed, why kill it before feeding it to your leo? It kinda defeats the purpose of buying them live. Pinkies are too small as well as eat no solid food stuffs that rot in their stomach. THAT is why reptiles die from frozen feeders. A frozen mouse or rat was eating food right before they were euthinized so, when you warm it back up the bacterium in the gut begin to multiply thus causing the problem. Also Snakes take MUCH longer to digest food allowing for a bacteria overload where a leo digests at a much faster rate. They DO however need to be given in moderation, none of my leos get more than 10-12 a year. Usually amping up to and durring breeding season. I never feed them over the colder months as you can run into problems with their slowed metabolism.

 

[Magic112]

Mine never ate the frozen one. I didn't try after that.

 

[Gregg M]

There are plenty of reasons to give a leo pinkies. For one NOTHING contains more calcium than a pinky.

Actually nothing has more calcium than the calcium dish you should provide daily!

Two they would eat them in the wild so why not offer them??

Well I can tell you that leos are primarily insect eaters and would rarely come across pinkies in the wild... If a wild leo was large enough they may take a pinky if they came across one... I can also tell you that I have seen the preserved stomach contents of hundreds of wild leos and have never seen any trace of mammalian prey...

I have never had any deaths from pinkie parasites, impaction or the like.

And you never will but what could happen is that your leo can die as a result of liver failure...

As for fresh killed, why kill it before feeding it to your leo? It kinda defeats the purpose of buying them live.

So what is the purpose of feeding live??? Feeding freshly killed rodents to anything is usually better than feeding live for many reasons...

Pinkies are too small as well as eat no solid food stuffs that rot in their stomach.

No but they do have lactic acid in their stomach which is known to cause problems in certain reptiles that do not regularly feed on mammalian prey... This would include leopard geckos...

THAT is why reptiles die from frozen feeders. A frozen mouse or rat was eating food right before they were euthinized so, when you warm it back up the bacterium in the gut begin to multiply thus causing the problem. Also Snakes take MUCH longer to digest food allowing for a bacteria overload where a leo digests at a much faster rate.

So basically what you are saying is that it is better for insectivorous reptiles to eat rodent prey than it is for reptiles like snakes, who evolved over millions of years to eat rodent prey??? LOL

I never feed them over the colder months as you can run into problems with their slowed metabolism.

If you properly maintain your leos, their metabolism does not slow down...

 

[GeckoHut]

No what I stated was, that it is the rotten stomach contents of frozen feeders that causes snakes to get sick. Snakes haven't evolved to eat FROZEN food no matter what you say. Furthermore, I HAVE SEEN wild leos eat live prey. I served my country IN Afghan where they run wild, thus the reason for buying one. Watching a leo eat a baby chick(some kinda bird idk) and other geckos is more than enough proof that they will and do eat live prey items. Liver failure would occur from poisoning of the liver which again does not happen with pinkies. To cap it off, if you cool your leos(like I do) then yes their metabolism should slow if the temps aren't as warm. Just because you don't cool yours does not mean i am doing anything improperly. I have not lost a single one of my 50+ leos in over 6 years so i'm doing something right? The proof is in the pudding friend LOL!

 

[GeckoHut]

Actually nothing has more calcium than the calcium dish you should provide daily!

True but not all leos eat calcium from a dish especially males. To elaborate further, that calcium powder you feed your leos is the MOST unatural substance they will ever eat. Leos do not eat marine life(ie. oyster shells) which is where 90% of the calcium powder comes from anyway. But that is better than a wholesome ALL NATURAL source? Again I think the answer is no. In the future don't poke fun when you are clearly wrong it makes for a bad show guvnna'