SoCo's gonna be a fatty!! Are you sure I can't overfeed??

[theturvs]

So, at feeding time today, SoCo decided it was Thanksgiving dinner. He had 3 crickets and 9 mealworms. yes...9. And it wasnt like I was force feeding. He was stalking and hunting said mealworms and seemed to thouroughly enjoy them. As long as I'm not hurting him, I'm not going to hold back, but I need someone to ensure I'm not facilitating an obese gecko.
Somebody let me know before feeding time tomorrow...I may need to do some more shopping for feed!!!

 

[Irathe]

All my juvie geckos eat upwards of 20+ food items a day (mealworms crickets phoenix worms ect) so its quite normal.

 

[Holly12]

Well just make sure you don't feed the mealworms all the time like maybe 4 mealworms only 2 times a week cuz mealworms and waxworms and superworms are fatty so I think it is okay cuz i feed my girl mealworms and sometimes waxworms but only 2 times a week the rest are crikets cuz yeah they can become obese if you feed to many mealworms and waxworms.

 

[Irathe]

Mealworms are a proven staple and several breeders use them exclusively in place of crickets. As for a leopard gecko getting obese is a very rare case... usually they have an underlying health cause that causes that like fatty liver disease(Alee knows all about that).

 

[cat_named_noodles]

I keep a dish of mealworms in my enclosures all the time. Athena is my little pig, and she'll eat 10 mealworms and 10 crickets a night, minimum! Then Neko, my baby, will eat as many just smaller in size. You really can't overfeed a juvenile gecko.

 

[theturvs]

Thanks for the reassurance, guys!! I'm going shopping for more feed for the little chunker! Im just glad hes eating healthy.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Mealworms are a proven staple and several breeders use them exclusively in place of crickets. As for a leopard gecko getting obese is a very rare case... usually they have an underlying health cause that causes that like fatty liver disease(Alee knows all about that).

Just because people do it doesn't make it ok! Mealworms are fine as a part of a varied diet of prey items. But are proven to not be a healthy complete source of food. Perhaps give this article a read:
The Pro?s and Con?s of Mealworms as a food for reptiles

 

[inuit_jay]

I don't think there is any perfect staple diet for leopard gecko, it is best to mix them up.

 

[theturvs]

I've been varying. I fed him all crickets the day before yesterday, so i was just going to do meal worms yesterday. Then he kept eating, so i tried to mix it up in the end. I'm going to get a few waxworms today so i can mix it up a bit more. I know not to feed too many of those, but I figured he could have one or two of those today with some crickets and meal worms.

 

[Irathe]

Try getting some phoenix worms for him (also known as calci-worms and soldier fly larvae). They have much the same appeal as waxworms but are much healthier and very high in calcium. There is always roaches too but you normally have to breed them yourself to get any sustainable number...

 

[Allee Toler]

Mealworms are a proven staple and several breeders use them exclusively in place of crickets. As for a leopard gecko getting obese is a very rare case... usually they have an underlying health cause that causes that like fatty liver disease(Alee knows all about that).

Yes... That pain in the rear FLD. She gets fat so easily. The hardest thing is maintaining her weight, she's a yo-yo throughout the week!
---------
I don't believe a leo should get only one or two items to feed upon. Varieties are a known way to insure that you're giving them the best diet. If two feeders is all you can afford, just make sure you properly gut load them with added nutrition.

 

[theturvs]

Its not really a matter of affordability, its more a matter of availability. I'm working on it, though. I've only had him for three days, and so far hes had a variety of crickets and mealworms. I managed to get some waxworms today and figured I'd give him one or two of those tonight...dont worry, I know more than 2-4 a week while hes growing and 2 a week when hes an adult. Im working on acquiring other things, but thats as far as I've got thus far.

One question, though. I bought mealworms today and the pet shop woman (who seems to halfway know what shes talking about and said she had a leo that lived for 20yrs) said no more than a few mealworms a week because of their hard shell. She said the mealworms dont have a lot of meat on them and leos have a hard time digesting them because of their hard shell. She said to go primarily crickets, with both mealworms and waxworms as an occasional treat. Now, I was under the impression that mealworms could be fed as often as crickets? SoCo had 3 crickets and 9 mealworms last night and took his first poo in the corner of the tank just fine today. Should I not be doing so many mealworms?

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Its not really a matter of affordability, its more a matter of availability. I'm working on it, though. I've only had him for three days, and so far hes had a variety of crickets and mealworms. I managed to get some waxworms today and figured I'd give him one or two of those tonight...dont worry, I know more than 2-4 a week while hes growing and 2 a week when hes an adult. Im working on acquiring other things, but thats as far as I've got thus far.

One question, though. I bought mealworms today and the pet shop woman (who seems to halfway know what shes talking about and said she had a leo that lived for 20yrs) said no more than a few mealworms a week because of their hard shell. She said the mealworms dont have a lot of meat on them and leos have a hard time digesting them because of their hard shell. She said to go primarily crickets, with both mealworms and waxworms as an occasional treat. Now, I was under the impression that mealworms could be fed as often as crickets? SoCo had 3 crickets and 9 mealworms last night and took his first poo in the corner of the tank just fine today. Should I not be doing so many mealworms?

Obviously you didn't read the article that I posted earlier in the thread. I'll post it here again and perhaps you'll take the time to check it out. It should answer most of the questions you just asked. Here's the article (again):
The Pro?s and Con?s of Mealworms as a food for reptiles

 

[cat_named_noodles]

Remember to always gutload your feeders too, and like was said before, the more vaired the better. I also feed roaches, and will be getting silk worms soon. I know many people have had leos not even touch Phoenix worms, but if Soco will eat them, do it! And def read the article Ethan posted-it's very good.
And I always take what lps ppl say w/a grain of salt. It's best to do the research yourself.

 

[Allee Toler]

Lol, if I listened to my lps I'd have a dead gecko.

"they don't need UTH's, only heat lamps, they need to be on sand, they don't need vitamins if they're getting food, feed only crickets and waxworms" haha. I rolled my eyes and walked out.

 

[cat_named_noodles]

Lol, if I listened to my lps I'd have a dead gecko.

"they don't need UTH's, only heat lamps, they need to be on sand, they don't need vitamins if they're getting food, feed only crickets and waxworms" haha. I rolled my eyes and walked out.

Right! I had one lady tell me she had once had some sort of "Green Goblin Morph" leopard gecko. I had a HARD time not laughing..hehe
I have helped the lps my neighbor manages make their leo enclosures better-uth's, no sand, humid hides were all added after I said something.

 

[Allee Toler]

Yeah, I asked LLL Reptile what babies I'd get out of Liam and GiGi. They told me 50% SS and 50% LVPA. LOL.

I'm thinking 50% MS het LVPA and 50% Normal het MS & LVPA. It seems more reasonable. But I still don't know, honestly.

 

[theturvs]

i started to read the article, didnt understand most of the beginning, and gave up before. I skimmed past what I didnt understand this time and read the bettom, and found that a lot of that agreed with the lady at the lps. You've got to understand, this isnt a petco or petsmart, either. This is a local breeder owned shop, so i listen a little more to what they have to say. Thank you, though. I think I will reconsider giving SoCo so many mealworms, and dig for the whiter ones when I do.

 

[Allee Toler]

That's the reason they have the UTH. The UTH helps break down the shell during digestion. Crickets have the same exoskeleton material.

 

[cat_named_noodles]

Yeah, I asked LLL Reptile what babies I'd get out of Liam and GiGi. They told me 50% SS and 50% LVPA. LOL.

I'm thinking 50% MS het LVPA and 50% Normal het MS & LVPA. It seems more reasonable. But I still don't know, honestly.

50% MS het LVPA and 50% normal het LVPA (can't be a MS het)