What is the best food for leos?

E

Emma's Lizzy

New member
Okay so I have yet another feeding question. Right now we are feeding crickets with occasional meal worms. I bought wax worms then read this is not recommended. I guess the next frog or snake my daughter catches will get these. My question is what's best, roaches other types of worms or crickets? I suppose variety is good but I would like to know if anyone has a list of the good and the bad and where to find other food sources besides crickets. I know online is an option by can anyone recommend a good vendor and those to stay away from?
 
lisaowens

lisaowens

New member
variety is best i do crickets and meal worms now and then and will be getting phoenix worms which are supposed to be better than crickets
 
E

Emma's Lizzy

New member
I was just reading about dubia roaches and am considering trying these. I thought about breeding crickets but we only have one leo so it doesn't seem practical. Besides they stink. I figure I can still buy crickets but not make these the main source they are now?
 
lisaowens

lisaowens

New member
yeah you can do that that is what i am going to do with toby i am going to try the phoenix worms see how he likes them and use cricket to but not as main food
 
badkelpie

badkelpie

New member
Dubias are excellent. Mine eat dubias, mealworms, and crickets. And I just fed them superworms today to see if they'd eat them (tried a while back with Echo, but he wouldn't touch them). Echo still won't, but Clementine and Freddie sure liked them. Pixel is too small still.
 
E

Emma's Lizzy

New member
How big are dubia's compared to crickets? I want to make sure she is big enough to eat them. I suppose I will have to order also?
 
badkelpie

badkelpie

New member
With dubias, you don't feed the adults. You feed the babies. The babies range in size from 1/8th inch to a little more than an inch. Breeding them is super easy, they just need a rubbermaid bin with holes in the lid, a heat source (under tank heater, don't worry, it won't melt the plastic), and food. I had not even enough roaches to feed my 2 geckos in November, by march, I gave a bunch to the pet store, and still have too many.

Where in Washington are you? I could send you some (I'm in central WA) for shipping costs, so you can see if you and your geckos like them before ordering a bunch. People sell on craigslist too.
 
whackett

whackett

New member
I just got an order of mixed nymph roaches and feed the babies to my Leo and he snaps them up quicker then the crickets. Now once they finish their molt I will have both male and females and my colony will be started. Try The Roach Ranch Ian is real good on prices. Besides the roaches have more meat in them then crickets, they don't fly,,or smell,and if they get out of the container they will die as they are tropical. Check you tube for raising them.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
Continue feeding at least a few crickets a week along with roaches, ect. I wish they did not smell as well, but the truth is they are higher in Vit E and C when compared to some of the roaches studied. One insect cannot replace the other. Variety is the key to good health.
 
N

nickexotics

New member
cricket4u said:
Continue feeding at least a few crickets a week along with roaches, ect. I wish they did not smell as well, but the truth is they are higher in Vit E and C when compared to some of the roaches studied. One insect cannot replace the other. Variety is the key to good health.
Click to expand...

Yep, I second this. Roaches are a poor source of fatty acids and vit E. So they won't pass down them down to your gecko and they wil convert fat. What I do is feed both equally like 5 crickets and 5 roaches. They sure need many types of insects. Silkworms are even more awesome.
 
Riverside Reptiles

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
If you're going to breed something, breed roaches. They're easy to breed and don't stink like crickets. They're aslo far superior to crickets in many other ways. Lateralis roaches (turkistan, red racers, etc) are most like what leos eat in the wild. But dubia and lobsters also work well.
 
E

Emma's Lizzy

New member
Thanks for the input. I ordered crickets and was disappointed to get these little black crickets. Most have died in a few days and Lizzy isn't that interested in them. I don't know if I am doing something wrong or what? They have food, water and I even added oranges for a food and water source. I guess I will look for a roach source and just mix it up. Where is a good online source since I am not finding them locally?
 
F

FG12

New member
I live in FL and found Georgia Crickets online and ordered phoenix worms and they arriving today along with wax worms. Wax worms I only feed my gecko once in a while as a treat since they are very fatty, it is like crack for the gecko.., they can't get enough. Phoenix worms are from the soldier fly which is native in every state in the USA, They look similar to mud daubers (black wasp), but differ in the thorax and abdomen. cricket4u is correct variety is the key to good healthy and longevity of your leo, along with dusting 2 to 3 times a week with calcium with D3 and one week with multi vitamins.
Don't ever feed pinkies to your leopard gecko or any lizard/gecko. They can't digest bone at all, they can choke and get impact in a wrong way.
Pinkies and rodents are for snakes period. Even my vet said the same thing.
 
Riverside Reptiles

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
I'm not sure why people insist on giving their leos wax worms for "treats"??? My dog loves chocolate, but it's toxic to him, so I certainly wouldn't give it to him as a treat. Leos don't need "treats". And then people wonder why their leos stop eating the healthy feeders?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top