My leopard gecko is only eating wax worms :s

[RobertChaudhry]

Hello, ive had my new leo for about a week now and the only food he seems interested in is wax worms :s ive tried giving him crickets and mealworms but he just wont take them and i dont want him to eat too many wax worms as ive heard that they are high in fat, is there anything i can do to get him onto crickets or mealworms?

 

[Yoshi'smom]

Don't offer any more waxworms. They can go for a while without eating. Your leo will eat when it gets hungry enough. Just do everything you would to feed him normally just switch out the waxies for mealies or crix. He'll eat them sooner than you think. I'd also never offer waxworms again. Your Leo may go for another hunger strike to tell you he wants them again.

 

[RobertChaudhry]

Don't offer any more waxworms. They can go for a while without eating. Your leo will eat when it gets hungry enough. Just do everything you would to feed him normally just switch out the waxies for mealies or crix. He'll eat them sooner than you think. I'd also never offer waxworms again. Your Leo may go for another hunger strike to tell you he wants them again.

Thanks for the advice, i will just put a couple of crickets and mealworms in for him, hopefully he will start eating them, i was a bit worried about him starving as he doesnt eat everyday and sometimes he can go a while without any food, but i researched and put it down to stress from moving to a new home,
Thanks again

 

[Yoshi'smom]

If your leo is an adult it doesn't need to eat everyday. My 2 year old male only eats 2-3 times a week. He's huge for a leo. Typically they weigh 80 grams. My boy weighs 102 grams. So, as you can tell they can go without food for a few days and still be healthy.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thanks for the advice, i will just put a couple of crickets and mealworms in for him, hopefully he will start eating them, i was a bit worried about him starving as he doesnt eat everyday and sometimes he can go a while without any food, but i researched and put it down to stress from moving to a new home,
Thanks again

Welcome to Geckos Unlimited!

Excellent call, Robert :yahoo:! Moving to a new home is stressful indeed. That is one of the most stressful things I have ever done as a human .

Here are my leo recommendations: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...pard-gecko-care-recommendations-nutshell.html

 

[Debbie7054]

If he's really keen on worm type things butterworms, silk worms and calciworms can all be bought via the internet and have much better calcium levels and lower fat levels than wax worms.

 

[mikenbeck]

Hello!

Hello folks!

I am new to the forum and so far have been really thankful for the amount of info available here.

By way of intro, I am new to Leo ownership. Our present pet is a male Leo about 6-8 inches in length, and I believe a young adult ( 1- 2 yrs). We purchased him from a very reputable shop that we have used before.We have had him for a month and he seems very happy in his new environ. When we first brought him home I noticed he did not eat, I gave it a few days, chalking it up to stress but still no sign of interest in the crickets or pheonix worms we put out for him. Eventually I felt I had to help him along so i hand fed him some mealworms, gut loaded and dusted with Repashy. This has been the way its been going since,, hand feeding crickets, pheonix worms and meal worms. His tail has gotten thinner, but not atrophied...and then yesterday we fed him one waxworm. He lunged at that thing like a drug addict! We gave him two more. I have read all the warnings about these things and how to use them only as treats. I figured I would just give them once every other week. Does this seem okay?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hello folks!

I am new to the forum and so far have been really thankful for the amount of info available here.

By way of intro, I am new to Leo ownership. Our present pet is a male Leo about 6-8 inches in length, and I believe a young adult ( 1- 2 yrs). We purchased him from a very reputable shop that we have used before.We have had him for a month and he seems very happy in his new environ. When we first brought him home I noticed he did not eat, I gave it a few days, chalking it up to stress but still no sign of interest in the crickets or pheonix worms we put out for him. Eventually I felt I had to help him along so i hand fed him some mealworms, gut loaded and dusted with Repashy. This has been the way its been going since,, hand feeding crickets, pheonix worms and meal worms. His tail has gotten thinner, but not atrophied...and then yesterday we fed him one waxworm. He lunged at that thing like a drug addict! We gave him two more. I have read all the warnings about these things and how to use them only as treats. I figured I would just give them once every other week. Does this seem okay?

Welcome to Geckos Unlimited!

Handfeeding can be stressful. Best to either put the crickets right in the tank or use a feeding dish.

NO, not OK. I believe in never feeding waxworms....way too fatty. Just like you have noticed, waxworms are like gecko crack. For nutritious worms use silkworms, hornworms. Sometimes leos like calciworms (Phoenix worms).

You have posted on an old thread. Please copy and paste your info to a New Thread right here: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/leopard-geckos-other-eublepharis/