Weaning off crickets help
- Thread starter Kudzu
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- Somerville, MA
You could try not feeding them for 3-4 days and then offering mealworms. I think that superworms is a good transition from crickets because of their size and mobility. HOwever, some geckos will just eat what they'll eat and you may be stuck with crickets. you could always try roaches.
Aliza
Aliza
GeckoGathering
GrizLaru
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- 4,323
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- Indiana
Cricket be gone plan....
Just stop the crickets or feed less.
Continue trying the worms.....
If they are not sick/stressed they will eat when hungry.
Take care. HJ
Just stop the crickets or feed less.
Continue trying the worms.....
If they are not sick/stressed they will eat when hungry.
Take care. HJ
Last edited:
Designer Geckos
Contributor
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- Boulder, CO
I am NOT a fan of crickets for many reasons. While high in protein, they also have a rather high bacterial load and can also harbor various pathogenic organisms. Add to this that they stink, are difficult to work with, stressful for the geckos, get loose in your house and chirp, and die easily.
So why do people use them?? One of the most common questions I get via email and at shows, is "why are my geckos so skinny". The first thing I ask is if they are feeding crickets. The vast majority of the time the answer is Yes!
Keep in mind that the biggest breeders in the US, Ron T, Garrick D, and Steve S feed mealies almost exclusively and with outstanding results.
If you buy a gecko that was raised on crickets, it is sometimes very difficult to wean them off crickets and onto mealies. We do the following:
First off, we do not release crickets freely into an enclosure. We remove the jumping legs and one foreleg with forceps and feed the crickets that way in a shallow petri dish. This works very well, though tedious to remove the legs.
After you get the geckos feeding that way, you gradually reduce the number of crickets and add a few mealies in the dish along with the crickets. After a while the geckos get hungry and there aren't enough crickets so they start to eat some of the mealies. Continue that process until all you put into the dish are mealies. This system works great.
If you wish to add in something higher in protein and less fat, dubias are outstanding, though pricey. Crickets are 18% protein while dubias are 36%.
Good luck.
So why do people use them?? One of the most common questions I get via email and at shows, is "why are my geckos so skinny". The first thing I ask is if they are feeding crickets. The vast majority of the time the answer is Yes!
Keep in mind that the biggest breeders in the US, Ron T, Garrick D, and Steve S feed mealies almost exclusively and with outstanding results.
If you buy a gecko that was raised on crickets, it is sometimes very difficult to wean them off crickets and onto mealies. We do the following:
First off, we do not release crickets freely into an enclosure. We remove the jumping legs and one foreleg with forceps and feed the crickets that way in a shallow petri dish. This works very well, though tedious to remove the legs.
After you get the geckos feeding that way, you gradually reduce the number of crickets and add a few mealies in the dish along with the crickets. After a while the geckos get hungry and there aren't enough crickets so they start to eat some of the mealies. Continue that process until all you put into the dish are mealies. This system works great.
If you wish to add in something higher in protein and less fat, dubias are outstanding, though pricey. Crickets are 18% protein while dubias are 36%.
Good luck.
Last edited:
Mich
New Member
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- 172
How long have you been feeding crickets? I find the longer they've been fed crickets the harder it is to get them off. I have a male that is a very picky eater, I've had him for years now, he was my first and like most I fed him a staple of crickets. Now that I have many leos I have switched to worms, mostly supers and mealies that I can breed myself with a few butters thrown in for variety (we can't get roaches here, not even at expos)and they all love them except for the one original male. If it were up to him he'd leave the mealies to pupate in his dish before he tocuhed them lol He will eat the odd small superworm but just loves his crickets. I hate crickets but still buy a dozen here and there for my chameleon and always give my one little leo a few once a week, if he is hungry after that he's gotta eat worms or nothing lol Goodluck
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