Veggies for leos????

[Rainy Dayz]

I was searching the internet on stuff about leo geckos and I read someone gave veggies and raspberries to there leo??? Does anyone else do this???

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Nope. Leopard geckos are insectivores.

 

[Rainy Dayz]

I guess there is a bunch of misinformation on the internet. Crock pots!

 

[nnoossss]

yea they also tell you too give them that stuff in the petco and petsmart guides.

 

[reps4life]

I was searching the internet on stuff about leo geckos and I read someone gave veggies and raspberries to there leo??? Does anyone else do this???

I do not recommend it, but I once left a piece of blueberry and a piece of apple for the crickets for an hour in my leo's tank and when I look in I saw my leo eating the fruit.

 

[grboxa]

I do not recommend it, but I once left a piece of blueberry and a piece of apple for the crickets for an hour in my leo's tank and when I look in I saw my leo eating the fruit.

is it bad for them?. i hear other people say its not recommended either.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I don't think an occasional veggie would hurt... after all, I do have baby food squash included in my slurry recipe as a carbohydrate and intestinal binder. We need to remember that a leopard gecko's GI system is not designed to break down cellulose material. Fruits and veggies are simply not a natural diet for them.

 

[gecko4245]

I don't think an occasional veggie would hurt... after all, I do have baby food squash included in my slurry recipe as a carbohydrate and intestinal binder. We need to remember that a leopard gecko's GI system is not designed to break down cellulose material. Fruits and veggies are simply not a natural diet for them.

Please everyone reading do not let what I am about to write mislead you to think it's ok. Just because some will accept them does not mean it's ideal. My question is for Marcia. You have way more experience than I so I thought you can shed some light about this topic. I have tried to find info but there is very little. I have seen this quoted in a few places:

"Apparently some studies have shown that leopard geckos will eat small amounts of fruit in the wild. According to Dr Roger Klingenberg (author of Understanding Reptile Parasites, and co-author of the Leopard Gecko Manual) and Dr Frederick Frye (a world renowned reptile pathologist) leopard geckos will eat fruit and vegetation in the wild, not just insects and worms. Dr Frye is quoted as saying “Also, don’t forget that fruit nectar, scraped soft papaya, mango, peach, nectarine, apricot etc."

I know some fruit are too acidic and we must consider the calcium and phosphorus ratio as well. Do you have any reliable source of information regarding digestion in leopard geckos? I am just curious to know why people believe they cannot digest fruit?

I am not lazy and have tried to research this but with no success

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

The quote above was posted by me several years ago. Both Dr. Klingenberg and Dr. Frye recommended feeding fruit occasionally to leopard geckos. However, with the limited field research we have, mostly from US Troops in the native habitat of leopard geckos, is quite clear that there is no edible vegetation there. I did have a male leo that I suspected was eating eggs from the laybox, and I tested him with a grape... which he ate without hesitation. I guess the thing that concerns me the most about feeding fruit to a leopard gecko is the natural sugars (fructose) they contain and how an insectivore reptile would process it.

 

[gecko4245]

The quote above was posted by me several years ago. Both Dr. Klingenberg and Dr. Frye recommended feeding fruit occasionally to leopard geckos. However, with the limited field research we have, mostly from US Troops in the native habitat of leopard geckos, is quite clear that there is no edible vegetation there. I did have a male leo that I suspected was eating eggs from the laybox, and I tested him with a grape... which he ate without hesitation. I guess the thing that concerns me the most about feeding fruit to a leopard gecko is the natural sugars (fructose) they contain and how an insectivore reptile would process it.

I ask end up posting and asking the person who actually wrote it:banana:

So I get it. There is just not enough research so it's better to be safe than sorry!

Thank You

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Many, if not most, reptiles are opportunistic eaters in the wild. The won't walk away from something edible, although not ideal, because they don't know when they will eat again. In captivity, we choose what they eat based on a number of factors. Just as table foods are not ideal for domesticated pets, nor recommended, we still give it. Ferel dogs and cats are opportunistic eaters. Leopard geckos are insectivores, and an insect diet is what's been recommended for many years.