Regarding Supers and Pinkies

[Desdemona]

So, I have not feed my Leos either of the above because I am use to being cautious about them due to having the Bearded Dragon. I did give my dragon Superworms for a short time (she is only 14" long) and it seemed to slow down her poop and of course there were undigested shell bits, she does not get them anymore. I do give her the occasional pinkie but some swear pinkies will mess them up as well (other sites say they are fine).

So, are Leopard Geckos better at digesting food than dragons? Do they easily become impacted by food or not? I wouldn't mind giving mine an occasional pinkie treat and would rather feed supers over mealies if it was completely fine for them. Mine are all over a year and one is a full grown adult though I will have some younger ones in a week and a half or so (one 9 months one 3). Is it age/size related?

 

[acpart]

Most of my leopard geckos eat superworms as their staple diet and I've fed superworms to geckos as small as 11 grams with no problems. I don't feed pinkies because I'm worried about what I'll do if they don't like them and I don't think I or they are missing anything.

Aliza

 

[4mb3r]

Personally I would never feed pinkies.. They have no nutrition value and ive heard leos will refuse to eat anything else lol.

 

[im faster]

I disagree they are packed full of calcium and protein..
I do have a few that i feed pinkies to occasionally and they still eat other foods..

 

[sunshinegeckos]

I have been feeding my juvies and adults appropriately sized superworms with no problem.

 

[4mb3r]

Really? Ive heard they are just fatty and hold no nutrition? I gotta look this up now lol

Not that id ever do it anyways. I cant stand the fact of feeding baby mice or rats. this is why ill never own a snake

 

[sunshinegeckos]

some breeders feed their females pinky mice before breeding season because of the nutrition and fat content. They aren't good as a regular diet but every once in a while is fine.

 

[4mb3r]

Ahh ok

 

[fl_orchidslave]

I offer fresh pinkies to females after they lay eggs if they've been drained during season. Maybe twice if their weight has dropped more than 10 grams. Very little fat in fresh pinks and packed with nutrition. They're on a superworm staple diet, 2-4 times a week, one worm, to maintain a good weight. During breeding I'll offer one a day but they don't necessarily take it. If they're piggies, on a diet they go.

A bearded dragon that has trouble with the shells will appreciate freshly shed worms. They don't have a problem digesting these. My worms seem to shed mostly in the late afternoon and into the evening. Having a quantity of them insures there are always some freshly shed ones available. These are also easier for my enigma (full blown syndrome pet only) to grab a hold of.

 

[Desdemona]

When I had supers I would give the dragon shed ones as I found them. I never bought them in large quantities though.

So are different size supers different ages? Ie if I buy the smaller ones they will last longer (if in bulk) than the larger ones?

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[fl_orchidslave]

Yes, you can buy a quantity of smaller sized supers from greatlakeshornworm.com and other online sources. This place has baby and up sizes, great quality. There may be places near you that breed feeders.

 

[reps4life]

So, I have not feed my Leos either of the above because I am use to being cautious about them due to having the Bearded Dragon. I did give my dragon Superworms for a short time (she is only 14" long) and it seemed to slow down her poop and of course there were undigested shell bits, she does not get them anymore. I do give her the occasional pinkie but some swear pinkies will mess them up as well (other sites say they are fine).

So, are Leopard Geckos better at digesting food than dragons? Do they easily become impacted by food or not? I wouldn't mind giving mine an occasional pinkie treat and would rather feed supers over mealies if it was completely fine for them. Mine are all over a year and one is a full grown adult though I will have some younger ones in a week and a half or so (one 9 months one 3). Is it age/size related?

I do not feed superworms or pinky mice but for those who feed pinkies it might be a good idea to dust with a bit of calcium because their bones are just starting to develop and therefore have not fully formed calcified bones making pinkies low in calcium.

 

[Desdemona]

I wonder if there is any offical site with the "actual" word on pinkie nutrition. There are so many different claims out there. One pro-pinkie site I read said they where high in nutrition because they were newly born. Made me think of the "eggs are a superfood" group. In theory eggs are high in nutrition for humans but of course that is given that the chickens are feed properly. Could be the same for pinkies IF the moms are feed well, but that might not apply to a lot of petstore pinkies.

It would be nice to find out for sure. In the case of the dragon the pinkies are a once every 3 month treat (or whenever I visit a store that sells them live). She LOVES them, they are the food she goes the craziest for. I always tell them I want the smallest ones they have too "just in case" for impaction reasons. So far... so good. Maybe I'll get one for my biggest girl the next time I'm at the reptile store and see how she does. If she doesn't like it my dragon will be happy to take it, hehe.

 

[reps4life]

I wonder if there is any offical site with the "actual" word on pinkie nutrition. There are so many different claims out there. One pro-pinkie site I read said they where high in nutrition because they were newly born. Made me think of the "eggs are a superfood" group. In theory eggs are high in nutrition for humans but of course that is given that the chickens are feed properly. Could be the same for pinkies IF the moms are feed well, but that might not apply to a lot of petstore pinkies.

It would be nice to find out for sure. In the case of the dragon the pinkies are a once every 3 month treat (or whenever I visit a store that sells them live). She LOVES them, they are the food she goes the craziest for. I always tell them I want the smallest ones they have too "just in case" for impaction reasons. So far... so good. Maybe I'll get one for my biggest girl the next time I'm at the reptile store and see how she does. If she doesn't like it my dragon will be happy to take it, hehe.

There is you just have to dig deep and keep in mind nutrition value will differ according to the diet fed. I know I have this info in my massive collection of notes and books but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack and will take a lot of time. My boyfriend calls my computer room "my library" and complains it's way too much and calls me a book nerd:main_laugh: If I happen to find it I will post it for you.
However, I would never feed a Omnivorous reptile a mammal. The protein recommended is 11-12% making a pinky too high in protein which can eventually lead to health problems ex: hyperuricemia
So for the benefit of your reptiles health I recommend reading as much as possible regarding feeders nutritional content.

 

[Desdemona]

Maybe that is where the disconnect is with dragons and pinkies. When young they need more protein than they do when grown. Though I don't know the exact ratios. The disagreement is why she does not get them on a regular basis. That and the idea of thawing frozen dead rodents grosses me out, for some reason. I don't live close to a good petstore that sells live rodent feeders.

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[reps4life]

Maybe that is where the disconnect is with dragons and pinkies. When young they need more protein than they do when grown. Though I don't know the exact ratios. The disagreement is why she does not get them on a regular basis. That and the idea of thawing frozen dead rodents grosses me out, for some reason. I don't live close to a good petstore that sells live rodent feeders.

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Why do you want to feed rodents?

I will give you my opinion based on what I have personally witnessed and read. Small sized reptiles do best on a variety of small insects, preferably soft bodied if possible for easier digestion. There are several websites and insects to feed.

 

[Desdemona]

If its not harmful, why not? It adds something new and a nutrition profile they don't get from bugs. I wouldn't replace bugs and use them as a main feeder, but as a treat or a protein booster pre-clutch then sure. I do give my reptiles a wide variety of bugs. They get roaches, hornworms, mealies (geckos only), supers (again geckos only... I got a free sample of supers after I made this post which was kind of ironic), calci worms, butterworms, and the occasional wax worm. Oh, silk worms as well. The dragon gets various healthy leaves as well, which I very too. I am not going to eliminate a possible good source of nutrition because it might turn into something cute and fuzzy or because humans have a special distaste towards bugs. In the wild they eat pretty much anything that moves, to include other lizards that are smaller than them. Though I don't plan on putting other lizards on the menu, I would worry about impaction though I have heard of some giving Dragons failed gecko hatchlings that are still alive.



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[reps4life]

If its not harmful, why not? It adds something new and a nutrition profile they don't get from bugs. I wouldn't replace bugs and use them as a main feeder, but as a treat or a protein booster pre-clutch then sure. I do give my reptiles a wide variety of bugs. They get roaches, hornworms, mealies (geckos only), supers (again geckos only... I got a free sample of supers after I made this post which was kind of ironic), calci worms, butterworms, and the occasional wax worm. Oh, silk worms as well. The dragon gets various healthy leaves as well, which I very too. I am not going to eliminate a possible good source of nutrition because it might turn into something cute and fuzzy or because humans have a special distaste towards bugs. In the wild they eat pretty much anything that moves, to include other lizards that are smaller than them. Though I don't plan on putting other lizards on the menu, I would worry about impaction though I have heard of some giving Dragons failed gecko hatchlings that are still alive.



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Well, what I was trying to say it can be harmful in the long run due to the high protein and fat content. The consequences of feeding prey that is over their protein intake requirements does not show overnight. It causes internal problems which goes undiagnosed and will shorten their life span.
I feel it's unnecessary when you can get the same nutrition from insects. I have no problems with feeding rodents with large reptiles like a nile monitor who has a higher protein requirement. I will never tell a person what to do with their reptiles. I only gave my thoughts based on nutritional requirements.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

If we didn't breed mice for snake feeders, I wouldn't have fresh pinkies to offer. This is when they're at their peak of nutrition for geckos to consume. I use them maybe two to three times during breeding season for additional nutrition for those geckos that need a little extra boost. Stores are highly unlikely to carry pinks that are just a few hours old. There was a good thread about this very topic a while back but I'm too lazy to look it up to link it here.

 

[Wowoklol]

Bearded Dragons? Omnivorous. Not Herbivorous. God this thread is making my head explode. You people should really be a little more careful with your "advice". Especially if you are going to pass it off as fact.

http://www.rodentpro.com/qpage_articles_03.asp