TREATS for Leo's

[Spitfire15]

The gecko I have now is the third leo I have owned and it is an EXTREMELY happy gecko! Loves being handled, always very active, but I was wondering if there were some 'treats' I could give her or anything creative to put in her tank that she would love.

I've heard of giving them sugar-water or honey-water... A long time ago I read in one place (before reading the opposite somewhere else) that they would eat small pieces of soft fruit, so I peeled the outer skin off a slice of an orange - they didn't eat it but one of them would lick it, I guess he liked it.

Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[lindsaydo]

Honey acts as a stool loosener, and will probably give your gecko diarrhoea. Fruit is not good either.
A good treat would be a waxworm, once or twice a week. They are quite fattening and can prove to be addictive. I leave them to turn to moths and feed my gecko's the moths, they love them. As for something nice in the tank... I duno, a nice new hide? Mine have this - Exo Terra : Products : Reptile Den and they love it

 

[Spitfire15]

Honey acts as a stool loosener, and will probably give your gecko diarrhoea. Fruit is not good either.
A good treat would be a waxworm, once or twice a week. They are quite fattening and can prove to be addictive. I leave them to turn to moths and feed my gecko's the moths, they love them. As for something nice in the tank... I duno, a nice new hide? Mine have this - Exo Terra : Products : Reptile Den and they love it

Thanks Lindsay That den is great!! I might have to get one!

No waxworms for me though :roll: one of mine got addicted to them after 2 or 3, no lie, she wouldn't eat anything for over a month... she would walk up to mealworms and lick them to see if maybe they were waxworms before losing interest. And you know they aren't the smartest animals and don't have the best vision but as soon as a waxworm touched that sand she new, and went crazy to get to it... then her eyes would be wide open for about 2 hours looking for more. Crazy.

 

[lindsaydo]

Yup they do that I always get "the look" when mine are hungry. For me, moths are the way to go. You can try locusts as a change. Or a pinky mouse once a month
That Den is brilliant. I have it in a tank with two females, and I got the big one, and they both love it. I use the bottom shelf as a damp hide, stuffing a big of moss in, and the top shelf is a dark hide. I put half of it on the heat mat too, so it doubles up

 

[Spitfire15]

Very nice.

I'll wait until I get some new geckos and move up to the 20 gallon long tank. I'm going to put sand on one side, just enough for easy poop cleanup and I'll put the water dish in the other corner of it so the sand absorbs spills... through the rest I am probably going with slate rock with sand in the cracks, or maybe just repti-carpet if I can't find good slate. I have one female now, going to add 2 more females, do you think I could fit 4 geckos in a 20-gallon long?? Because I found one guy who has buy-two-get-one-free, so I might add 3 geckos if they will all fit comfortably.

 

[OffshoreMetal]

I dont know if you can put 4 geckos in one thank , But i dont think its bad if they are all females. You might have fights and have to separate them but you might not have any fights at all. You will have to make sure they all eat good because they will simply try to eat all the food for themself.
The reptile den is Awesome , I have the medium one and she loves it. I got it before getting my Leo and she still go sleep in it ! Its been like 9-10 months i have her and everyday ( exept when whe shed ) she will sleep in this hide. I putted it on the Hot side.
She also like the cocohut i added a week ago ( was for my hermit crabs before they died ) and she like it too. When she wake up she will go in the cocohut and sit there

 

[Spitfire15]

Haha sounds good metal...

I just got off the phone with a breeder who seems to know geckos very well, he said they females can be very stand-offish once they are introduced to a male because their focus turns to breeding, they just want to have babies and protect their eggs and aren't interesting in being "fun"... which makes total sense to me because my first 2 geckos were male and female, and the male was a great gecko, but the female was very grumpy all the time, and would NOT be handled. This new female that I have had for about a year is the happiest gecko I've ever seen. So I think I will probably buy 2 more females - I really don't think they will be cramped in a 20G-long, but 4 might be too much.

Sounds like males make the best pets, but are best by themselves since they can bully females sometimes and you can't house two together.

 

[Allee Toler]

Geckos don't need "treats", but you can vary their feeder for interest. When I get some extra income I buy butterworms and give them out as "treats", though they're just a good healthy feeder.

My favorite is waxworm moths. Keeping the waxworms about 80F until they cocoon, then moving them into a critter keeper. I give out the moths as soon as they emerge. I get the same "waxworm?!?!?!" face without the addiction. Plus it's adorable to watch the hatchlings chase them with their tails wagging.

 

[Spitfire15]

Geckos don't need "treats", but you can vary their feeder for interest. When I get some extra income I buy butterworms and give them out as "treats", though they're just a good healthy feeder.

My favorite is waxworm moths. Keeping the waxworms about 80F until they cocoon, then moving them into a critter keeper. I give out the moths as soon as they emerge. I get the same "waxworm?!?!?!" face without the addiction. Plus it's adorable to watch the hatchlings chase them with their tails wagging.

That sounds great. I haven't seen any butterworms, but I gave one gecko two waxworms once and that was it, she was hooked and I never gave them anymore... night try the moth thing, thanks.