Leo eating phoenix worms. But small problem??

[mcarthon]

He has been eating them find at like 5-10 a day and i add in a coupl mealworms an 2 wax worms a week. I have only had him for about a week and a half now.
He seems very healthy and active and poops well, but he will sumtimes poop a whole phoenix worm it has happen 3 times i think but he has digested all the others but there is always one he poops out whole. Is this something i should be worried abbout. Seems pretty weird that he can digest all but one phoenix worm. Help appreciated.

thanks

 

[MissCookie]

Whats your temps at ?

 

[mcarthon]

temps are all find as soon as he eats he hits the hot spot an poops shortly afterwards. 90-95 on hot side gradually drops to about 80 on cool side. And i have a digital thermometer so i checked each area of the tank. I mean he eats like 10 phoenix worms a few mealies but boom theres one whole phoenix worm in his poop area.

 

[cat_named_noodles]

Are you sure he's pooping out the worms? Sounds like he's vomiting to me. There are a few reasons why a leo would throw up, the simplest is that he's eating too much, or the worms are too big. He may have parasites or some other internal problems. Maybe cut back on his food by 1 worm a night, or try smaller worms, and if he's still having the problem consider taking him to a vet to get checked out for parasites and for a general health check up.

 

[IggysMomma16]

My geckos did the exact same thing with the phoenix worms and after a while I said enough.They couldn't digest them properly and so I decided to stop using them.They never really liked them anyway. I have heard of several peoples geckos experiencing the same thing, after I stopped using them I never saw another undigested worm again. I knew mine weren't vomitting as there was always a white urate with the worm so obviously it was being passed,just not digested.Hope this helps.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I tried phoenix worms but none of my geckos (leos or otherwise) would even touch them. So I can't speak from personal experience. But I've heard of others with the same issue of them not being digested. If you search these forums for "phoenix worms" you'll likely find the threads.

 

[mcarthon]

yea there's a small urate on top so I kno it's pooped out but he eats like 8-10 a night an digests then fine and poops the rest out in one normal looking poop. Why would they have trouble digesting them when they much softer bodies compared to mealworms??

 

[hyposhawn]

I think he's not digesting the food well enough. It is strange because your temps are perfect. Try switching to mealworms and see if he does the same thing. Maybe he doesn't like phoenix worms but eats them because he's hungry. Oh yeah, and don't feed waxworms because they are highly fattening. So switch to mealworms or maybe evenn crickets which are healthier but harder to raise and harder for your Leopard gecko to catch.

 

[mcarthon]

i only feed wax worms as a treat 1 or 2 at most per week is that too much. I put phoenix worms and mealies in his dish an he eats em all

 

[Holly12]

Yeah like the cat named noodles said cut back on how much you are giving your leo and see if that helps cuz I think that you are giving your leo a little bit to much I use to have a collard lizard and I would do the samething what you are doing and he got sick or he could not digest it the right way so I try cuting back.

 

[Palor]

I feed alot of different gecko species Phoenix worms, including Leos, and I have never had that problem. I would reduce the amount you are feeding and introduce more feeder bugs. My Geckos only get Phoenix Worms 2x a week. The rest of the time it is roaches and crickets with a few superworms.

 

[hyposhawn]

I would not feed waworms. You see they Leopard geckos can get highly and I mean so highly addicted to waxworms they will not exept any other food. This is extremely bad because waxworms are very very fattening and could cause FLD (fatty liver disease) where the fat will go to the body and not the tail. This can be expensive with the vet so I would reccomend to stop feeding wax worms.

 

[cat_named_noodles]

I would not feed waworms. You see they Leopard geckos can get highly and I mean so highly addicted to waxworms they will not exept any other food. This is extremely bad because waxworms are very very fattening and could cause FLD (fatty liver disease) where the fat will go to the body and not the tail. This can be expensive with the vet so I would reccomend to stop feeding wax worms.

It was mentioned that the leo was only getting waxworms once a week. That will NOT cause FLD! Waxworms are a great treat when fed sparingly and help put weight on growing, skinny and sick leos. There's absolutely nothing wrong with feeding waxworms 1x or even 2x a week. I do and have yet to see ANY of my leos refuse to eat anything but waxworms. They eat mealworms, crickets, roaches, and waxworms.

 

[mcarthon]

on those 1X or 2X how many wax worms do u feed him or do just feed 1 or 2 total per week??

 

[cat_named_noodles]

on those 1X or 2X how many wax worms do u feed him or do just feed 1 or 2 total per week??

I feed smaller sized waxworms so I feed each leo anywhere from 2-4 per week, when I even get them. But all of mine are still juvies and growing, so I don't feel I am harming them in anyway. Plus I only buy waxworms maybe once a month, and not many (as 1/2 from the lps are dead when I get them cuz they keep them in the fridge). Don't keep your waxworms in the fridge, they will die! It is way to cold for them in there. But anyway, that's how many I feed. Some weeks they don't even get waxworms.

 

[hyposhawn]

It was mentioned that the leo was only getting waxworms once a week. That will NOT cause FLD! Waxworms are a great treat when fed sparingly and help put weight on growing, skinny and sick leos. There's absolutely nothing wrong with feeding waxworms 1x or even 2x a week. I do and have yet to see ANY of my leos refuse to eat anything but waxworms. They eat mealworms, crickets, roaches, and waxworms.

I have never did waxworms so I was just inferring because I heard about them but I guess i was wrong. Can you feed Leos waxworms leading up to breeding. Thanks for correcting me. I didn't want to give false imformation. I might start feeding 1 or 2 waxworms a week. I want my leos to be a little more fatter. Anyway thanks for correcting me and giving an idea.

 

[ColdBlooded]

I would not feed waworms. You see they Leopard geckos can get highly and I mean so highly addicted to waxworms they will not exept any other food. This is extremely bad because waxworms are very very fattening and could cause FLD (fatty liver disease) where the fat will go to the body and not the tail. This can be expensive with the vet so I would reccomend to stop feeding wax worms.

Also, Leos are going to store fat in their bodies to some degree, it isn't just limited to the tail. FLD is more likely to be brought on by starvation (due to the fat in the tail being mobilized into the bloodstream) rather than being fed a slightly fatty diet. Waxworms are never a good staple diet but are fine for treats, as Noodles said. I've never had any of my leos get addicted to them either, though they sure do love them.

 

[mcarthon]

yea my leo is doing much better digesting his food i think his body just had to get accustomed to a different diet of food. Today i gave him 8 phoenix worms and 2 small waxworms so i may give him a slighter bigger one tomorrow as well. I also gave him 4 mealies after he finished those. So hes doing great still a little scared of me but will let me hold him occasionally.

 

[mcarthon]

now hes passed out...hahaha.

 

[steven97]

Its very common with chameleons. One soloution is to poke a hole in the worm.

I dont know how this works with leos, but it does with chams! I hope this helped,

Steve