Proper diet?

[Rurso01]

So obviously crickets are the staple of ours Leo's diet but she goes bonkers over mealworms. She just loves them. While I was told by many many people including on forums that mealworms can be substituted as a full meal option, I'm realizing with further research that mealworms are definitely NOT meant as a full meal option. I read that they are just too much to digest.

So my options are what? Crickets, superworms, and roaches? Shes definitely moving out of the juvenile stage as shes about 8 inches long. Are superworms a good alternative to mealworms? We are looking for a secondary option to go along with crickets. Sort of an every other day kind of thing.

Thanks!

 

[Jusselin]

I stopped feeding mine crickets and mealworms because it seemed too difficult to digest...their exo-skeletons were not being digested properly 100% of the time. Soooo when i found out that silks are an amazing source of protein and fat and calcium i started feeding them...also no exo =]

 

[Taquiq]

So obviously crickets are the staple of ours Leo's diet but she goes bonkers over mealworms. She just loves them. While I was told by many many people including on forums that mealworms can be substituted as a full meal option, I'm realizing with further research that mealworms are definitely NOT meant as a full meal option. I read that they are just too much to digest.

Lots of large-scale breeders use mealworms as a staple. They have a lower meat-to-chitin ratio than superworms, so you have to feed more to fulfill the animals dietary needs. Chitin is harder to digest, but mealworms can still make a great feeder.

So my options are what? Crickets, superworms, and roaches? Shes definitely moving out of the juvenile stage as shes about 8 inches long. Are superworms a good alternative to mealworms? We are looking for a secondary option to go along with crickets. Sort of an every other day kind of thing.

Yes, Superworms are a good alternative, I use them as staple with mealworms as the alternative.

 

[cook75]

So obviously crickets are the staple of ours Leo's diet but she goes bonkers over mealworms. She just loves them. While I was told by many many people including on forums that mealworms can be substituted as a full meal option, I'm realizing with further research that mealworms are definitely NOT meant as a full meal option. I read that they are just too much to digest.

So my options are what? Crickets, superworms, and roaches? Shes definitely moving out of the juvenile stage as shes about 8 inches long. Are superworms a good alternative to mealworms? We are looking for a secondary option to go along with crickets. Sort of an every other day kind of thing.

Thanks!

Caviar for geckos:main_yes:
Variety of these low fat and healthy insects is all your gecko needs.

Crickets are not hard to digest but mealworms are. The younger the cricket the less chitin.

http://www.phoenixworm.com/servlet/StoreFront
http://www.silkwormshop.com/benefits.html
http://www.greatlakeshornworm.com/

http://ezinearticles.com/?Feeding-A-...now&id=6287506

 

[Rurso01]

Firstly, thanks everyone for the fast and knowledgeable responses. Secondly, which one of the worms would best fit our leo? Shes not quite as thick as she probably should be due too the low amount of meat in a cricket/mealworm. I am concerned that perhaps the hornworm and silk worm may be too large for her at this time but those seem like the best options by far... The phoenix worm seems like a good size but are they comparable to the silk and horn worms in nutrition? She just seems to be fed up with chasing crickets lol...

 

[grboxa]

Firstly, thanks everyone for the fast and knowledgeable responses. Secondly, which one of the worms would best fit our leo? Shes not quite as thick as she probably should be due too the low amount of meat in a cricket/mealworm. I am concerned that perhaps the hornworm and silk worm may be too large for her at this time but those seem like the best options by far... The phoenix worm seems like a good size but are they comparable to the silk and horn worms in nutrition? She just seems to be fed up with chasing crickets lol...

you can order silkworms and hornworms of any size, :main_thumbsup:, I feed them to my 3 month old to, there soft bodied so digestion is not as big of an issue if there a slight big in relative size for your gecko. phoenix worms are also a great feeder the only feeder to have a perfect balance Ca: p ratio so if you can implement both of them into your leos' diet your golden!. I would personally go with silkworms, there a great feeder and add great weight to your gecko without the fat content, variety is important though!:main_thumbsup: the link to silkwormshop.com for benefits is a great read

 

[cook75]

If you buy silkworms on line which most people have to, it's best to by small so they can last. The phoenix worms are best to buy medium size. Hornworms small also because they grow super fast. Don't take away the crickets though, they are good for mental stimulation and exercise.

 

[grboxa]

To add if you do purchase silkworms keep them away from moisture and bacteria or they will die very fast, extremely poor climbers so you can leave them in a open deep enough container(best way to avoid moisture). If you keep them dry and clean there easy to keep and will last a week with no food(in my experience)...same goes for hornworms. like cook75 said, these suckers can get pretty big lol.

 

[Rurso01]

Would doing crickets and phoenix worms dusting twice a week give the leo all the necessary dietary needs? How does the horn worm workout with that horn on top? Wouldn't it cut the gecko up inside?

 

[grboxa]

Personally I think a diet of phoenix worms and crickets is great, a low fat calcium rich diet along with multivitamins:main_thumbsup:. When you say dusting twice a week do you mean with calcium and d3?. Usually from what I read people will tell you once a week dusting with a multivitamin along with calcium/d3 2-3 times a week depending on the d3 amount. And the horn's on hornworms arent a problem, there not exactly sharp.

 

[Jusselin]

Listen to grboxa

 

[cook75]

Yep, of course if you can throw in a few silkworms a month it will be a plus. The healthier the gecko will be without the excess fat and armpit bubbles. If you are able to vary these 3 items you will only need to add a small pinch of vitamins once a week. Calcium with D (only once a week) Plain calcium 2 times a week. Don't use calcium on the phoenix worms, they are already balanced.

 

[Rurso01]

We use just the rapashy leo dust which claims to have multivitamins and calcium with d3. Is there a multivitamin supplement I should be adding? If so, I'm glad you guys mentioned it.. I've asked whats required before and never once heard about MV's.

 

[cook75]

Would doing crickets and phoenix worms dusting twice a week give the leo all the necessary dietary needs? How does the horn worm workout with that horn on top? Wouldn't it cut the gecko up inside?

We use just the rapashy leo dust which claims to have multivitamins and calcium with d3. Is there a multivitamin supplement I should be adding? If so, I'm glad you guys mentioned it.. I've asked whats required before and never once heard about MV's.

I don't like my stuff mixed. I use Repcal, but other people use repashy. I guess you can just use the repashy once a week and plain calcium 2 times a week.

 

[grboxa]

I don't like my stuff mixed. I use Repcal, but other people use repashy. I guess you can just use the repashy once a week and plain calcium 2 times a week.

Im assuming hes talking about the repashy calicum plus, I used that before aswell but I also had a multivitamin on the side. I dont think the repashy plus is a full blend of multivitamins im pretty sure you would need to buy seperate. My advice would be like yours and get seperate, I dont like mixing either. Bit of plain calcium in tank, multi once a week, and d3 twice a week I think would be appropriate:main_thumbsup:, correct me if im off.

 

[cook75]

Im assuming hes talking about the repashy calicum plus, I used that before aswell but I also had a multivitamin on the side. I dont think the repashy plus is a full blend of multivitamins im pretty sure you would need to buy seperate. My advice would be like yours and get seperate, I dont like mixing either. Bit of plain calcium in tank, multi once a week, and d3 twice a week I think would be appropriate:main_thumbsup:, correct me if im off.

Oh, I though he meant Calcium Plus ICB which has the MV's in it. Only once a week of Calcium w/D because he is feeding crickets which the gutload already has VIT D.

 

[Rurso01]

Yeah its just the repashy calcium plus vitamin mineral supplement. the other issue that has arised over the last 2 feeding attempts is a whole other issue that I would just like a few answers on if you guys dont mind... She totally is disinterested in eating ANYTHING. Last night, crickets were uninteresting to her when normally she is chasing them around. She normally goes crazy over meal worms and we struggled to get her to even eat a few and that was after several attempts. She stays confined to her "herp hotel" which isn't totally out of the ordinary but she just wont eat. Tonight, same story only she wont eat anything at all. I'm hoping that the phoenix worms I ordered last night will cure this problem but my question in short is: Do your leos just sometimes not have an appetite like humans would? I mean I'm sure they're entitled to just not feeling up to eating. She did just shed to our knowledge so that could have lessened her appetite.

Things to note:
Shes in a new tank, designed more or less the same as the previous just increased from 10g to 20g long.

Also the temperatures/humidity levels are all fine and recently have added the much needed humid hide to the warm side.

 

[Rurso01]

Just a side note: she has been pooping fine. She pooped again between this post and the previous one. The last one seemed a little more runny than usual but nothing that looked like diarrhea to my gf and I. I would assume shes not impacted because she has been pooping regularly. She stays on her warm side in that herp hotel 90% of the time which isn't abnormal really.

The only things I can think of really are 3 possibilities:

1. Nothing is wrong and we're just paranoid as usual.

2. She could be gravid (they would be infertile, no mate in tank) but based on what we've read, its inconclusive.

3. She could potentially have parasites but again, inconclusive.

There are no definitive signs for any one cause so we're scratching our heads. PLEASE HELP!!!!

Thanks..

 

[cook75]

Just a side note: she has been pooping fine. She pooped again between this post and the previous one. The last one seemed a little more runny than usual but nothing that looked like diarrhea to my gf and I. I would assume shes not impacted because she has been pooping regularly. She stays on her warm side in that herp hotel 90% of the time which isn't abnormal really.

The only things I can think of really are 3 possibilities:

1. Nothing is wrong and we're just paranoid as usual.

2. She could be gravid (they would be infertile, no mate in tank) but based on what we've read, its inconclusive.

3. She could potentially have parasites but again, inconclusive.

There are no definitive signs for any one cause so we're scratching our heads. PLEASE HELP!!!!

Thanks..

You mentioned you switched her over to another tank? That could be why. Some get a little stressed with change. Just keep offering food daily, but I don't think it's nothing to worry about.

 

[Rurso01]

Thanks for your response. We're quite anxious over here... It's not uncommon for her to not want to eat? I mean from the day we got her she ate like a champ but I guess every situation could be different huh? She did come out to explore tonight which has been the case obviously at night... So atleast there is some normal behavior going on.