Waxworms

[bman123]

Some people I have talked to said my leos tail could be a bit more fat but he doesn't eat much. He's almost 10inches long I'd say I don't know his weight i don't have a scale and he's 4 yrs old.

He has been eating either 3 large crickets or 3 super worms every 3 days. I have been thinking about using wax worms to help beef him up a little but I don't know how many or how often to feed them to him.

Let me know what you think about this and also if you know somewhere I can get a cheap scale from locally like walmart or target or something and how much they cost. I'd like to weigh him so I can keep record of it in case I ever have problems with him eating I can properly monitor his weight records.

 

[Tony C]

You can get a good scale at wal-mart or target for around $20, they're in the kitchen section. Wax worms are fine as a supplement, but I wouldn't worry about your guy, he looks fine. It is not unusual for RAPTORs and Eclipses to be a bit leaner than other morphs.

 

[bman123]

He woke up a little bit ago and I caught him staring at his calcium dish. I figured what the heck I'll try to feed him.
I tried a superworm and he wasn't interested at all. I tried a large cricket and he took it. I said ok let's do another one. He ate two large crickets, untried a third but he wouldn't take it and I tried a super worm again but hendidnt want that either. I only have 1 large cricket left so I need to go to the petstore and get more tomorow.

I have been thinking maybe I should get him another bowl and try some meal worms. I know they are little but maybe he will eat more or more often with the mealies instead. What do you guys think..

 

[ariana]

if you decide to feed him waxworms, id give him one or 2 every week,
but not too often as it could lead to fatty liver disease

 

[ariana]

i leave bowls of mealworms in my geckos aquariums/tubs at all times, and i only put in 20 mealies for full grown, 10 for my hatchling, then i know how much theyre eating besides feeding nights

 

[bman123]

Also how do mealies do life wise? Do I need to leave them out or put them in the fridge and can I gut load them with potatoe and apple like I do the crickets and mealworms? He was raised on mealworms so I am considering feeding him those instead.

I don't know if they have different sizes or how many come in a container or how much the meal worms even cost. Tell me what you guys think. I kept trying to feed him and he eventually walked into his hide so I left him alone. So far from last weds til today he has ate 6 large crickets and 3 mealworms. Do you think this is ok?

Sorry for so many questions, I have neve owned a Leo before so this is all new to me. I have owned reptile in the past so I'm not a total noob.

 

[bman123]

Im gonna try mealies, what kind of container do you put them in? I can put his calcium in a small lid and use his current bowl for mealies as they can't get out. I don't want to cramp up his tank so can I just use a milk jug lid to hold his calcium?

 

[ariana]

i keep my mealworms in my room in a container, but i also breed.
they can be kept in the fridge though

 

[bman123]

So put like 10 mealworms in his bowl and keep gutloading the others? I don't know how many come in a container from the petstore and I don't want to buy a bunch of them in case he doesn't eat them.

He's getting use to his new home so i wonder if he will realize that the bowl has meal worms in it? I don't know if they smell out their food or if it's strictly visual.
The bowl is maybe 3 inches wide by 1 inch deep so he will have to actually look into the bowl to see them. Should I use a different kind if bowl or will that work ok? Sorry for all the questions but you guys give me good info all the time.

 

[ariana]

i would let him watch me drop the mealies into the bowl,
and they normally come in a tub of 50, for $4-5

 

[bman123]

I think my male has bad eyesight so he might not see the mealies. He misses his food alot and sometimes bites me. He didn't miss his food today tho.
What should I gutload them with and where should I keep them out or in the fridge?
I will put them in the bowl infront of him and hopefully he sees them.

 

[bman123]

The mealies are cheap about $1.40 for 50 of them. I'd imagine he'd eat that much in a week. I gotta go tomorrow morning and get some mealies. I'm gonna get 50 meal worms and 6 large crickets plus a set of plastic feeding tongs.

I'm hoping he will learn that it's food time for the crickets and superworms when he sees the tongs come out. Plus maybe when he sees them he will react to them and I will know if he is hungry or not. It would save me and him the stress of me having to put food all in his face lol.

 

[bman123]

Well I went to the pet store here's what I got.
100 mealworms, 12 large crickets, 18 wax worms, plastic feeding tongs and 2 exo Terra medium sized reptile cave hides. He sleeps in plastic rubbermaid containers that I use as hides. They stick out like a sore thumb, I tiled the tank so I want some nice looking stuff lol. The hides are 9x6 and are bigger then his current hides but they will be dark inside and should help him not be stressed out.

I could only get the wax worms 18 at a time so i wonder about their lifespan.
I put oatmeal and carrot slices in withthe crickets, mealworms, super worms and wax worms. Now do I need to keep the wax worms and mealies in the fridge or can I leave them out like i do the crickets and superworms?
I will put potatoe and apple slices in there in a minutes I just needed to get something in there for them to eat.

 

[adam&nikki]

potatoes arent the best for gut loading crickets and mealies if you want to gut load use apples carrots green leaf greens like kale dandilion (store bought) also use fresh fruit


potatoes are full of starch the reason cricket farmers is becuz they are cheap and will keep crickets alive

for your mealworms use a base of wheat bran and place some fresh veg and fruit on top of the wheat bran

 

[bman123]

I mainly keep the potatoe in there for water. They do tear up the potatoe
drinking the water from it. They eat the carrot and apple slices
like nobodys business lol. I am new to gut loading so I'm still learning. I do put them on oats and they eat that also.

I'm just concerned about the life span of the feeders and what else I should be feeding them. I still have all my superworms and crickets alive from last week so I must be doing something right. I don't have a clue tho for the wax worms to stay alive. I'm. Not
gonna give him alot of wax worms at one time that's why inwanna keep them alive.

The price of the feeders don't matter they are cheap it's just my
local petstore is like 20 minutes away and I hate driving plus my car sucks
down gas. I burn more in gas then I spend on feeders each time.

 

[bman123]

Anyone have info on keeping the wax worms alive? should they go in the fridge or stay out and can I feed them like the meal/super worms and crickets? I just don't want em dying really quick..

 

[Tony C]

Anyone have info on keeping the wax worms alive? should they go in the fridge or stay out and can I feed them like the meal/super worms and crickets? I just don't want em dying really quick..

Refrigeration will make them last longer, and feeding is unnecessary.

 

[bman123]

Thanks Tony c, I appreciate it.
The wax worms are like gecko crack, i thought people were just messing around. He snatched those wax worms out of the tongs so fast, like he was a velociraptor not a raptor leopard gecko lol.