What to feed juvenile Leo/ how to feed.

[NinnJinn]

When I purchased my daughter's Leo, pet shop said that they feed them crickets. they powder them with "Fluker's calcium with vitamin D3" then put about 10 of them in the cage once a week. Ok, so we bought 10 crickets and the Fluker's, when we got home we powdered them and dumped them in.

I have no clue if Spot has eaten any of them or not. The majority of them committed suicide, (drowned in the water dish.) when I cleaned the cage today, I did find 3 dead ones on the floor. When we first got him (3 days ago) I weighed him and he was 19.5g I didn't write down 19.5xxx weight, sorry... I weighed him today while cleaning the cage and he weighs 19.52g So would he actually be eating or no? he isn't very active the times that I have checked on him during the night, except for moving from cool hide to warm hide.

The girls want to see him actually chase down a cricket and eat it. How do I do this? Do I basically make him starve or what? If I have to make him be starving, I guess they will never see him chase down his food. IMO, that is wrong.

Also, I have read the cricket, mealies, etc debate on what to feed them. It doesn't matter to me what he eats, as long as he eats them. I do know, he is not getting waxed worms. Heard those are like candy and addicting.

If you folks suggest I keep him on crickets, what do I need to get to keep them alive for a week or so, so I don't have to go to the pet shop multiple times a week? they are only 10cents a piece, but losing 15-20 a week equals $78-$104 lost a year, or is this something I shouldn't worry about and it is just part of owning a Leopard Gecko?

The nearest big box chain stores are about 50 miles away, so I am going to a mom and pop shop that has been around for over 30yrs. but yet they seem to be rather pricey. The 2oz of flukers for example was $6.99 and after I bought it, I found it at walmart for $2.99 Spot, that was labeled as a Hypo High Yellow Juvenile was $89.99 I found them online at the big box stores for $30-$40

Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

 

[PDDM]

10 Crickets a week? I believe a juvenile should be eating a lot more than 10 crickets a week. Personally, I don't like to feed crickets.. I'd prefer feeding mealworms. Which you would put in a dish and whenever the gecko is hungry he'd go get some there. Of course if you do that you won't really get to see him chase the crickets. Also remember to gutload any insects you feed to the gecko at least a couple hours before you feed them to your gecko to increase the nutritional value. I'd also add a decent vitamin powder supplement to the mix as well (e.g.:Herptivite).

As for wondering wether or not hes eating... the first few days he may not.. and thats normal. He's in a new enviroment and acclimating sometimes this can take a couple of days. As for the weight.. 19.5 to 19.52... We're talking about .02 of a gram lol.. You may have weighed him after he drank water or something. Like any leaving creature they are going to have small fluctuations in weight throughout the day. If you want to do weigh ins do them on a weekly to bi-weekly basis.

EDIT: I forgot to mention.. If you want to feed crickets Id recommend feeding about 5 crickets every second day to your Gecko (about 20-25 crickets per week) and as it gets older maybe cut it down to 3 times a week depending on what your plans are (breeding or just keeping as a pet)

 

[OnlineGeckos]

First of all, the gecko when being rehomed will usually not eat for a few days, sometimes up to a week. So you dumping 10 crickets into his tank right after you rehomed him didn't help, all it did was to stress him out more. Plus crickets are never to be left inside a gecko's tank for more than 10-15mins. Any crickets not eaten need to be taken out, as crickets are known to bite and gnaw on gecko's soft spots. They can cause a lot of stress to your gecko, which does not help with the acclimation. They can also eat gecko feces, and in return drop some of their own, making your gecko's tank filthy. A filthy environment is recipe for a sick gecko.

So in the future if you wish to feed your gecko crickets, only drop them in 1 or 2 at a time, and observe to see if your gecko eats them. If the gecko does not chase down the crickets and eat them, then take the crickets out. Crickets are to be kept in a separate critter tote. You could also use a tall sterilite container, it must be tall enough so crickets can't jump out. The crickets are to be fed veggies, cereal, fruit, etc.. so they can stay alive and get gut-loaded. Healthy feeders means healthier geckos.

You need to dust the crickets with a multivitamin powder, such as Repashy Calcium Plus or Zoo Med Reptivite with D3. Pet stores like to recommend calcium powder, but calcium supplement alone is not enough. The two I mentioned are all-in-one formula, they contain calcium, safe levels of D3, and other vitamins. So just get one of those 2 products and dust your feeders with them, you'll have nothing else to worry about.

Juvies need to eat every day pretty much. So you will want to feed your gecko every day. If physically attending to your gecko every day is too much, then get yourself a mealworm escape-proof dish, get a batch of mealworms, and leave the dish full of 10 mealworms. Your gecko can free feed from it. There is no debate about mealworms vs crickets, all you have to keep in mind is to give your gecko a variety, to gut-load your feeders, and to dust them properly with multivitamins. So if you choose to use mealworms (and your gecko will take to them), make sure to offer crickets, dubia roaches, silkworms, hormworms, phoenix worms, etc.. every 2-3 weeks as variety. Variety makes for healthier geckos, and they in turn will be less picky about what they eat.

Hope this helps. Now's a good time to forget everything pet store employees tell you, and do some thorough research online. There are many good resources out there that'll teach you everything you need to know about caring for a leopard gecko. You can also check out my website for care guides and tank setup to see how you should properly setup your gecko's environment. The terrarium setup is important, it'll determine whether your gecko feels safe, is stress free, eats well, gets proper belly heat for digestion, and stay healthy.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I believe crickets are demonspawn. They sing, they hop, they chew on your leo, they carry worms, I stay away from them except as an occasional treat when I am in a good mood and at a reptile show. Mealworms are easiest and cheaper. You can pick up 500 or so for around $10 online and start a small breeding colony that, after about 6 months of care, can easily feed one leo year round.

I would agree with others that you should give your new pet a few days to settle in and then try feeding. In general the smaller the gecko is the more skittish it will be. Bright lights and noise will add to the gecko's unwillingness to venture out. Leave a few mealworms in a small bowl in the cage so the gecko can eat them at night when it feels safer and less exposed. Once it starts to eat and grow and healthy gecko will eat everything in sight until about 30g or so when they start to slow down a bit.

Good luck and let us know how he does!