How often do you feed your gecko?

[Nishi621]

A woman today told me once per week she throws 12 crickets into the tank with her gecko and that is it. She even said there have been times when she skipped a week! She says she has had the gecko for about 4 years now and she is very healthy.

i have been feeding my guy every day. Is this what most people do/ And, if so, how much do you feed them? Please elaborate as to whether you feed your gecko worms or crickets or both.

 

[lifeshighways]

I guess that's a matter of "to each their own"... however, I wouldnt want to go a week or sometimes two without eating therefore I cant see waiting that long to feed my lil ones.. they are eating crickets and worms for petes sake *LOL* it's not a big fat juicy mouse or something *LOL*

Okay enough of my silliness:

I feed my geckos daily... usually 4 to 8 crickets each. Now I have hatchlings, juvi's and adults... Here's my daily ritual:
itty bitty crickets to the hatchlings, they usually eat 4 or 6 each and will try very hard to take down a 7th or 8th one on occasion.
2 week old to 4 week old crickets to my juvis - they usually get about 4 down before they start moving slower and looking for a warm rock to digest on!
Large - pre-winged crickets to the adults and they take out 8 to 10 of them easily...

As for worms, I usually feed the hatchlings 1 or 2 a week (Phoenix Worms are their favorite) the Juvis get about 3 or 4 a week and the adults 5 or 6 but I do not give them worms and crickets on the same day.
Sometimes they'll eat a bunch for two or three days then wont even mess with them on the 4th day... it all just depends - it's like a kid, you can tell when their cute lil tummys are full!

I hope that was helpful!

 

[acpart]

The adults get mostly crickets every third day on the off season and every other day during breeding season. Most of them eat only crickets, one eats only mealworms and a few eat both. The mealworm eaters have a bowl full at all times. I put a handfull of crickets in for the hunters, probably about 3-4 per gecko. Two geckos seem to need to be handed their crickets. They get personally prepared individually dusted crickets until they lose interest which can be anywhere from 1-7 crickets.

The babies and juvies (just got my first hatchlings of the season in the past 2 days) get their mealworm bowls re-loaded every day.

Aliza

 

[fickle]

i feed my little baby about 1 month old 5-6 little crickets daily with calcium

for my adults they eat 6-8 BIG crickets every other day with calcium every other feeding

 

[Nishi621]

Wow-everybody has very different styles-i guess I just need to sort of find my own way! Now-do I have to dust everything with calcium even if there is a capful of calcium in his tank at all times?

 

[lifeshighways]

from what I understand (from reading on the net) you cant give them too much calcium. I personally lightly dust all my crickets when I get them and then again right before giving them to the wee ones...I leave a small dish in their tank and if they need more they'll go get it *LOL*

Good luck and keep asking questions! Not only do you learn from it, but the rest of us learn something too!

Thanks!

 

[fickle]

they could get too much calcium they could get poisoned by it but its not bad to keep a dish with calcium in it in case they want a little sumtin sumtin

 

[Kazska]

I feed my geckos at least 8 mealies a day! And I wouldn't leave crickets in with them all the time as I read that they can nibble the geckos toes while they sleep :S

xxxXXX

 

[MattL]

My juvi gets 20 mealworms every other day. My adult gets fed whenever, maybe any where from 1-2 times a week, if that. A healthy, fat adult can easily last a week or two without food.

Matt

 

[geckko]

Hi
i feed my geckos every second or third day,
every third feed i dust the crickets,
for me every day to feed is not necessary because
they are in an enclousure where they can move a lot
so they become really fast fat,
regards
Sebi

0,0,1 Nephrurus amyae
1,1 Pachydactylus bibronii
1,1 Stenodactylus sthenodactylus

 

[Nishi621]

those of you who feed mealies-how do you do it? Do you hand feed the gecko the mealie or does he/she actually take them out of a bowl? Because my guy seems to have no interest in taking the mealies out of a bowl!

 

[Royal-City-Reptiles]

once a month, if that...

just kidding,
It's more like every other day I fill up a bowl with mealies, occasional crix, and soon, they will be raised on a roach and worm diet... I hate crickets, I haven't used them as feeders for like 2 months, and I still hear them... Bastards..


-Nate

 

[L19L91L]

Hmm.. my gecko is very young but when I spoke with the guy where I purchased it he said they would only get one cricket a day. Were they not feeding it enough?

 

[sheenaschlytter]

while i feed my geckos meal worms and crickets and roaches with ocassional waxies I feed everyday to every other day but I like to watch them eat so i give them as much as they want and it is usually 5 to 6 cickets 10 mealworms or 2 roaches

 

[Royal-City-Reptiles]

Hmm.. my gecko is very young but when I spoke with the guy where I purchased it he said they would only get one cricket a day. Were they not feeding it enough?

no they were not feeding it enough, offer it 5-6 appropriately sized food items. feed it daily, or every other day, it's up to you.

-Nate

 

[Nishi621]

My guy seems to do better on a every other day diet-so, I am going to go with it. he also seems to like me feeding him the mealies by hand-LOL!

I can't believe some of you feed roaches-ooh, gross! LOL

 

[Royal-City-Reptiles]

I can't believe some of you feed roaches-ooh, gross! LOL

I felt the same way, until I bought em and got em home, they are actually kinda cute. I almost feel bad for feeding em off...almost...


-Nate

 

[lifeshighways]

ewww gross.. i have a hard time tossing in crickets because they look like roaches to me *LOL* but revenge for their gross-ness is the wiggly lil tail of my baby mac just before he POUNCES it!

 

[Royal-City-Reptiles]

ewww gross.. i have a hard time tossing in crickets because they look like roaches to me *LOL* but revenge for their gross-ness is the wiggly lil tail of my baby mac just before he POUNCES it!

lol, you haven't seen a happy gecko you see a leo chasing down a roach!!! I have never seen a feeding response, like I do with roaches. even silkies are pale in comparison...

I Hate crickets, everything from the care to the smell and definitely the damn noise. The amount of effort you put into crickets is ridiculous, roaches take minimal effort, don't smell and they really can't climb smooth surfaces. I had to take sand paper to the bottom of theit bin because they couldn't move!!

not to mention the amount of money you save, I was spending up to $360 a month on crickets alone!!(and that is wholesale prices!!)


-Nate

 

[Nishi621]

I just, I don't know.. I live in NYC, roaches are something you kill and don't want in your apartment at any costs-I couldn't imagine bringing them in on purpose!