Introducing myself and Gertrude our new leopard gecko. (Cross posted, sorry)

[lindsay1126]

Hello all,
Well I have been an avid fish keeper (salt and fresh) for many years. We are military so after our last move I decided to take a break (until DH retires) and try to find something to fill the void that could come with us on our next move. So we went to the pet store (big box is the only thing we have available here) as a family. We looked at everything and all really liked the leopard gecko (DH really likes tree and dart frogs also). So I talked to associate, knowing most of what she said would be crap. I have dealt with this for years of fish keeping, I had a guy try to sell me an oscar (gets over a foot long) for a 30 gallon tank (and said he would live happily his whole life in it with other fish (he would eat anything smaller than him). So I don't have much faith in sales associates. She tried telling me we needed to get 3 geckos, a 40 gallon breeder, UV lights, red infrared for heat, and sand or walnut for bedding. I smiled and went home found this and a few other forums and did my research. I ordered a few things, picked up a few things (petco was doing their $1 a gallon sale) and setup my 20 gallon long for our 1 new gecko. We went with a UTH, and I did use a rock mat as flooring but, no I may have to upgrade that to slate or tile later. We went to home depot and gathered a bunch of the broken pieces of rock people use outdoors and they just gave them too us, some slate tile DH broke with hammer, and we made our girls new home. We still want to add a foam 3d background but, will add that later. Any other suggestions would be great. She has about 6 hides all together with one being a moist one on the heated side. She loves her home, she is constantly climbing and exploring everything. We did make sure all the rocks are very sturdy, so she won't get hurt climbing or pushing.
We call her a girl bc my 2 daughters are determined that she is a girl and named her Gertrude. I just wanted to thank this forum for all the help they gave without even knowing. So without further ado here is our girl.


To Mod: Sorry, I didn't see this forum specifically for leopard geckos intro before posting in other area. You can delete that one if needed.

 

[kholtme]

Cage looks good! But with the substrate you are using, I dont think its that bad, but would recommend changing to tile! With all the rocks you have set up in there it may be hard to clean, and tile is the best substrate, and easiest to clean.

Glad you did your research and know that pet stores are all BS. How big UTH did you get? What brand?

I see your using analog thermometers... Those arent reliable and are very inaccurate. there is also no way to measure ground temp with it. It is recommend to get a digital thermometer with a probe. (I see white cables, you may have done this already) This way you can tape the probe to the inside of the warm dry hide for best measurements. Ground temp is extremely important for the health of your gecko. Also, infrared temperature guns make for easy fast temp readings for all around ground temps, (mine was only $15, nothing fancy needed). Do you know your ground temps?

How are you creating a moist warm hide with the rocks? I dont think just rocks piled up would hold moisture well, unless you have a container that is hidden?

Be aware that healthy geckos are pretty strong. When she is shedding she may push those rocks around while trying to rub her shed off. Just a heads up for you to know that just because she is climbing on them and they are stable, she may be able to push them around and have one fall on her, which would be horrible.

Looks like there is loose material in the mealworm dish? What is that?

If you use rocks from the outdoors, its best to clean them first before introducing them to your gecko. Easy way to clean rocks are to just boil them in some water.

Other than that, Glad you did your research and she looks like a healthy leopard gecko! Welcome to GU. If you have any other questions we would be happy to help! I love the creativity with your setup.

 

[lindsay1126]

Thanks, yeah I am going to be replacing the substrate soon. I knew it was an iffy product buying it, but it looked so neat. There is a probe in her hide (and a hidden container with wet moss) it is at 95F, is that good? I ordered a thermostat that will be here in a couple of days too. I am using the UTH they sell at petco for now (size large 8x17 I think, it is almost 1/3rd of her tank) but, am planning on changing that to a better brand (that is reusable) later. As for the rocks, we are going to do something to stabilize them, but wanted to research some more to make sure whatever glue I use is safe for her (suggestions would be great). I have done that for many years in my fish tanks and super glue was safe, but wasn't sure if the same was true for reptiles, so we wanted to get it the way we really like it then slowly secure everything. I know about boiling everything (did it with my fish tank decor too) and did even with the rocks (not slate tile) that came from Home depot, thanks though. That is wheat germ in her meal worm dish, I read that it was good for mealies, I also added a carrot since that pic was taken, is all that OK? Thanks for the insight, keep it coming, this is how I love learning about everything.
I have been trying to learn about supplements but, I don't really understand what I need to be doing. I have read about gut loading and dusting, should I be doing both? Any suggestion on what to buy? Thanks.

ETA: Someone mentioned (in my cross-posted thread) about using Excavator clay as substrate. How would i go about doing that as substrate? Has anyone used this? I wouldn't be using to mold hiding spots, just to go on bottom flat, but don't want it to be sand. Thanks.

 

[kholtme]

Temps:
Warm side ground temps should be between 88-92.
Warm side air temps (measure 4 inches above ground) should be 72-85, I aim for 78.
Cool side air and ground temps should be 68-75.

if you need over head heat, its best to use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) with a 10 inch dome. A lamp dimmer works great at regulating the heat if it gets to warm.
sometimes CHEs are only needed in winter
geckos can see any color light (bright lights are stressful) CHEs dont produce light.
10 inch domes help distribute heat best.


You say you UTH is getting the ground temps to 95, thats a tad warm. A thermostat works great at regulating the temps. I highly recommend a thermostat. Hydrofarm MTPRTC has the best reviews from users on GU. Only $35 online.

UTH with the best reviews on GU are ultratherm (what i use) and fulkers. They are both reusable because you attach them using aluminum heat tape. Zoo meds are not restickable, and have a bad reputation here. With a 20 gallon long tank, the 11x17 inch mat is what you want.

Excavator clay is good, but i only recommend it on the cool end. It conducts heat too well, and shouldnt be used over top a UTH. It can be harder to clean because if it gets wet it will fall apart. You could use it to create a second level on your cool end with the rocks imbedded into the clay, im sure you could use your creativity there if you wanted. If you use excavator clay, i would only use it on the cool side, then have tiles for the warm side. Or you could use all tile and glue the rocks the way you want them. Thats up to you. But if your going to keep it flat, i personally would use tile. So much easier to clean.

Glue,
What Ive been told is safe is aquarium glue that is used to glue aquarium walls together. You can see it on the edges of your 20 gallon long. That is a safe adhesive. I believe hot glue is safe, but i would look into that before using it. Im not 100% sure. I dont know about super glue. Anything that you use needs to air out so all the fumes go away for 24 hours before putting it in the enclosure. I wouldnt glue anything to the tile, would make it harder to clean that way, and if you need to get your gecko out of her tank, it would only happen if she is out of her rock hides.

I had a hard time wrapping my head around supplementing as well, but once you start doing it, its easy. Ill tell you what is recommended to buy. There are a ton of different products, but these are the best (there are facts to back it up, but i wont get into it unless you want to know)

Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3.
Zoo Med Repitivite without D3.

"Lightly dust crickets, Blaptica dubia, and mealworms with Zoo Med's supplements like this:

Monday - lightly dust with Zoo Med's Reptivite multivitamin withOUT D3
Wednesday - lightly dust with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3
Saturday - lightly dust with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3


Use the Reptivite multivitamin sparingly! The directions on both containers suggest dusting according to your gecko's weight.

I recommend feeding crickets, Blaptica dubia, and mealworms Albers' All Purpose Poultry Feed, Purina Layena Sunfresh Crumbles, or Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food all 24/7 with added collard greens and dandelion flowers/greens. If you feed any of the dry diets I recommend above, chances are that you'll be able to reduce the powdered supplement schedule." (Copied from Elizabeth Freer's leopard gecko caresheet --> http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/gecko-care-sheets/55211-leopard-gecko-caresheet-eublepharis-macularius-demo-video-4-jan-2013-update.html )

The food Elizabeth recommends to feed your insects also has facts to back up why, if needed we can getting into it, but Im not going to unless you want to.

This is the schedule i started out with, but I changed my schedule a little bit because i slowed down the amount of food i give my gecko to prevent him from getting over weight. So used your discretion with this schedule, and if you think you need to change it around its not a big deal, but i still use these products.

It is better to give your insects a 24/7 diet so they grow good bodies and are healthy, and not just shells with a little nutrients in their digestive systems.

I would recommend getting the above dry diets for your feeders, because what your meal worms eat is also what your gecko is eating. So if something is good for your meal worms, that doesnt mean it is good for you gecko. Carrots arent the best because the calcium to phosphorus ratios arent the best for your gecko. Collard greens are great! and they are cheap.

PS: I like eco earth better than moss for the warm moist hide. Either will work fine, but eco earth will hold moisture longer. It is also less stringy than moss, so if some gets swallowed it is less likely to cause impaction. I recall reading that one member watched their gecko eat some ecoearth, and it spit it out in disgust, it must not taste good. Im not saying switch to eco earth, im just throwing in 2 cents.

 

[kholtme]

I had a feeling I would need to replace the substrate, I looked it up before buying and didn't really find any thing saying it was a big no no like sand, so I bought it knowing it was iffy. I have a bowl of meal worms for her to eat when she feels like it (should I take them out), but hadn't planned on giving her any crickets until she has been acclimated for a bit longer. I will get on the clay. When DH gets home I will have him take the substrate out and replace with paper towels until we get the clay (I thought they could eat paper towels too though?) Thanks.

I just read your other thread, lets keep everything on this thread now, but I quoted this from the other thread.

Personally, i think your substrate will do fine for the time being until you get tile or excavator clay. Just keep feeding in the bowl. I personally dont leave any food in my geckos cage unattended, but thats only because i enjoy watching him eat, and I regulate his food intake. (and crickets will bite and crawl on your gecko, stressing it out) Some leopard geckos will eat paper towels, which isnt good. It kind of depends on the gecko. Unless your substrate has loose sand or rocks, i would leave it until you get tiles. I would recommend getting crickets as soon as you switch to tile. I say this because right now if your gecko strikes at a cricket and misses, he could pull a rock from the substrate and eat it, but feeding worms in the dish, that would be less likely to happen. Crickets are healthier than mealworms, but variety is best.

 

[lindsay1126]

Thank you, yes I would love to "get into it".
Ok so here is what I am confused aboutsorry in advance if these are dumb questions)
1. Meal worms come in this sawdust looking stuff, I picked them out and put them in the wheat germ, is that what I should be doing with the meal worms in the dry mixture you mentioned? Should I keep them in that mixture with worms in fridge or in cabinet?
2. I get how to dust meal worms, I assume I just sprinkle on worms in bowl before putting in tank, but how in the world do you dust crickets? We have crickets in one of the small cricket containers, with the tubes if that helps in explaining? I also bought some of that complete cricket food (looks like oranges) is that ok? When dusting crickets, would it harm crickets that aren't being fed to be dusted also and just re dust when I use them?
3. You said a 3 day a week rotation for supplements, but I should still be feeding her daily, correct? I have read about feeding adults as much as they can eat in 30 minutes but is that the same for younger ones. I leave the meal worms out all the time, is that ok?
Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate everything.

ETA: I forgot to mention other topics. I checked on temp and it is down to 93F still high but better, the thermostat I ordered was the one you mentioned (I saw it on this forum). I am also ordering a temp gun. The temps for air are in the right areas, so all is well here. When I order my new UTH (probably later this month) I will get 1 of the 2 you mentioned. I will look into eco earth for future purpose, but will make do for now. Thanks for the tip.
Also, I thought about something, I have an infrared thermometer for my kids. It reads body, room and surface temps, it has always been very accurate. I used it in her tank and warm side surface was only 91 and air was at 79, cool side air temp was 72. Does all that sound good? Looks like i need to invest in a better thermometer for her tank.

 

[lbanta]

Sounds like Gertrude has a wonderful caring home! Happy Gecko Days!

 

[kholtme]

there are no dumb questions

1. Yes, pick the mealworms out of the sawdust stuff (probably aspen). Get a container (if it has a lid, make sure it is ventilated) and have a lot of dry food for them to crawl in. You should have to dig around to find them, that way they are not cramped on top of eachother. Then, add something for moisture (collard greens are great). Meal worms will grow faster if its warmer. Some people keeps their meal worms in the fridge to keep them longer. thats up to you, it kind of depends on how many you buy at a time. But, they wont move around much, and they wont eat much. So if you keep them in the fridge, you need to gut load them. Just take out the amount you plan to feed, and put them in a separate container with the dry diet and collard greens, and let them warm up to room temp. Do this 48 hours prior to feeding. (its sounds like a pain, but once you get into a rotation its easy.) I feed every 3 days, my main feeder is dubia roaches, If you heat dubia roaches up to about 80-85 degrees they eat like crazy, otherwise they arent very active. Same with meal worms, in the fridge they arent active, but at room temps they will be. So when i feed my gecko his roach, i then put a new roach in the warmer container, i come back three days later and the roach will have grown a lot in those three days, so i know the body is healthier and has better nutrients. (48 hours is recommends, i go 3 days because of my feeding schedule.)

2. Dusting can be done by putting your worms into a bowl and swirling them around into the supplements. What i do is use zip lock bags with supplements in there and put your insect(s) in there and shake them around a little bit. You dont want the insects to look like ghost, it should be a light dust. Over supplementing is just as harmful as under supplementing. Im not familiar with the complete cricket food, but i think some people use it. I recommend using the dry diet and collard greens, its healthier for your gecko, and we will get into the facts of why.
3. This is why i said to use your own discretion, because it's kind of all about the age of the gecko and there isnt one set way that is the best for everyone. If she is a juvenile, then I recommend feeding her everyday, for as much as she can eat in 10-15 minutes. Once she becomes an adult (around 1 year old) then i recommend slowing down the food intake. My gecko is 1 year 3 months old (approx.) and i feed him every 3 days, and only one roach, (keep in mind i have him on a diet.) I also slowed down the amount of supplements he gets (compared to the schedule given above). The amount you feed is something that you have to decide and watch. It is very common for geckos to become over weight because people feed them too much. Its important to feed them a lot while growing, but when they are done growing, they dont need as much food. I have a kitchen scale that i use to weigh my gecko to watch how big he is getting. They dont eat as much as humans because they are cold blooded, (warm blooded animals use about 90% of their food to create heat, cold blooded animals dont create heat). So even though you think she may be starving, that tail of hers is full of nutrients that she can use to go for weeks without food, like they do in the wild. So when they see food, they eat it to save for later, even though they dont need the food. Many inexperienced keepers have over weight geckos because they feed to much. A fat tail doesnt mean over weight, its more about the belly. Do you know the age of your gecko? You can leave the meal worms in the enclosure all the time, but i dont. Its more fun to watch them eat, and they will think of you as the food bringer and wont be as scared of you. You will see your gecko more if your around while they eat, and you can watch how much food they eat. Its up to you though.



Okay, lets get into it. To forewarn you, Im not the most knowledgeable about this stuff, but I get the idea.

The two zoo med supplements i recommended above are the best because we want to provide our geckos with the ratio of 1.5-2 calcium to every 1 phosphorus as possible (i will refer to this ratio as our goal). These supplements are the best at letting us obtain that goal. the Repti calcium has 0 phosphorus in it, and insects are full of phosphorus. So if you provide an insect with a lot of phosphorus, and a supplement with phosphorus, its going to be hard to reach the goal ratio with the small amount of food geckos eat, because it is also important you dont over supplement. Its also important that your gecko gets vitamin A to aid in the proper health. Lack of vitamin A is common, and there are many things than can go wrong because of it. This link goes into detail about vitamin A --> Vitamin A deficiency in Insectivorous Geckos - Gecko Time - Gecko Time D3 is necessary for the proper digestion of calcium. If your gecko isnt getting d3, you might as well not give it calcium either, but keep in mind, too much d3 can be harmful. This is why you should lightly dust, and not cover your insects with supplements. This is also why it is recommend not to keep any supplements in the cage. 1, you cant maintain how much your gecko licks the calcium. 2, for the proper digestion of calcium and D3, the supplements need to be swallowed with food.

For feeder insects,
this all plays a part in the kind of insect you feed your gecko. The vitamin A link above also talks about this. But it is important to feed your insects proper food so that way they gecko gets healthy food. For instance, if you use this link --> Foods List and search carrots (carrots, raw. on link), their calcium is 33 and their phosphorus is 35. Its not close to our goal. Search collard greens (collards, raw. on link) their calcium is 232 and phosphorus is 25. A lot better in comparison, especially because insects contain a higher amount of phosphorus than calcium. But it is also important to feed a variety of different insects to your gecko, because every insect uses what it eats in different manners. Insects have different levels of vitamins and minerals just like the foods we eat, so if you always feed one insect, your gecko could be missing an important vitamin or mineral that another insect would offer. Kind of the same as if you only ate bread all your life, do you think that would be healthy for you? No, we need a variety of food to get all the nutrients that we need to stay alive. Your gecko is the same.


I hope all that made sense. Its kind of a lot to grasp.

 

[lindsay1126]

Thanks that helped a lot! I understand more clearly now, what the goal is. So for now I will dust the meal worms 3 days a week (I need to get a the multi vitamin, I bought the calcium & d3 from store already). I decided to take the meal worms out until tonight. I will pick up some collards at the store tomorrow( I assume organic would be best). i will pick up other stuff for the feeding the insects too. I think I will use the complete cricket food along with what you said until its gone than not buy it again. One thing I am concerned about is I can't imagine the worms eating a lot of collards, and I only cook them occasionally, so I don't want to have to buy them all the time and throw them out. Any suggestions? Are there any other veggies like collards that are low in phosphorus? I will try looking that up too. Thanks.

 

[kholtme]

I havent looked into other veggies that are good, you can use that link and research. I can get a lot of collard greens at walmart for a little over $1. I keep them in the high humidity veggie drawer in my fridge. they last a couple weeks. I dont ever eat them, so i end up throwing some out when they go bad, but i wish i didnt have too. My roaches love the stems, so i try to put stem and leaf in my insects container, they dry out after being in the containers after a few days, so you will have to replace them from going bad more often than getting eaten.

dandelion greens are pretty good too, but not as good as collard greens.

You could get some crickets to help eat your collard greens your gecko would probably like them too. Crickets offer better nutrients than mealworms, and dubia roaches are even better than crickets, but variety is key.

 

[lindsay1126]

I did a little research on it, and yeah collards seem to be the best, spinach is pretty good at 125/15 and we keep that here for smoothies so I may use that instead, but will check on collards at our local store. Do they need to be organic, i would imagine so? Oh my, the thought of keeping roaches in my house gives me the heebie jeebies. DH might have to keep that in the garage. I haven't checked but do they sell those in normal pet stores?
I have the crickets, I have been feeding them for a few days with that complete cricket food. I haven't gave them to Gerty bc I didn't want to stress her in her new home, and now I can't until I get the substrate switched out, DH said he would try to do it this weekend, but he has an event for work on Sat, so we will see. I added 2 pieces of high quality dog food to cricket enclosure (it happens to be low phosphorus bc I have a large breed dog, and they require same calc/phos levels for growing their bones properly) and i just added some spinach.
I added some oatmeal, one of those cricket cubes and spinach to the meal worms and took them out of the fridge so they can eat. How long will they live if I feed them and keep wet spinach in the container?

 

[kholtme]

Im not sure how long meal worms live, ive never feed them. the veggies are just for moisture, so you will need the dry food as well. But the dry food needs to remain dry or it will mold. You may be able to get by with spinach. Some people say 10 6x6 tiles will fit in a 20 gallon long without needing to cut them, so you could try that and if they dont fit take them back and most home stores will cut tile for you for a small fee if you bought them there. I bought my tile and had it cut twice and it was only $12. and i have a 40 gallon breeder so i need more tiles than you. Maybe you could do it yourself since they might not need to be cut. Make sure your tiles have no adhesive on the bottom, and isnt plastic fake tile, those release smells that can be harmful to your gecko. Lowes or home depot have good selections of tile, you can pick out some that look nice. Make sure your tile has a rough surface so that your geckos nails can catch onto it while walking. Smooth tile will be slippery and make walking hard, like ice. Dog food, fish food, and oatmeal are not recommended. Whole Grain TOTAL General Mills dry cereal can be used in a pinch. If you have some that it would be better than oatmeal and dog food. But i would recommend using Albers' All Purpose Poultry Feed, Purina Layena Sunfresh Crumbles, or Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food all 24/7 with added collard greens over anything else.

If your giving your meal worms good food and moisture, they shouldnt die, they will turn to pupa (stage between changing from worm to beetle.

 

[lindsay1126]

I called Home depot and they said they could rent us a tile saw but, they did not cut for a fee. We don't a have a lowes nearby (we live in a very rural area). I will go and see if they have the 6x6 though.
I was just telling you what I am using/used until I can get to the store. I had to use what I had on hand just until tomorrow. I will check into the collards when I go to the store. I plan to go to feed store tomorrow too, to get the chicken feed you recommended. So hopefully it will be ok till then. I can't feed the crickets to Gerty yet so I still have a chance to change their diet before doing so.
I didn't realize that about oatmeal though, I had read that was a good feed for the meal worms on another gecko site when I googled it, to see if I had any other items on hand, as I don't have chickens or bearded dragons and can't get to the store today.
So just for today the meal worms are in a mixture of oatmeal, wheat germ, and a bit of strawberry and spinach. I should be set tomorrow once I get the feed though. I didn't give the meal worms any dog food, I just dropped 2 pieces in for the crickets, I won't give them any more as I have the cricket cubes in there with spinach so that should be ok until I get the feed.
Thanks again for all the help I really appreciate it.

I am looking into ordering another thermometer with probe as I don't think the one I got is very accurate. Any suggestions on what brand is best? Thanks.

 

[kholtme]

I dont know which thermometers are the best, i have an infrared temperature gun and it makes checking ground temps easy. Just point and shoot.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thanks that helped a lot! I understand more clearly now, what the goal is. So for now I will dust the meal worms 3 days a week (I need to get a the multi vitamin, I bought the calcium & d3 from store already). I decided to take the meal worms out until tonight. I will pick up some collards at the store tomorrow( I assume organic would be best). i will pick up other stuff for the feeding the insects too. I think I will use the complete cricket food along with what you said until its gone than not buy it again. One thing I am concerned about is I can't imagine the worms eating a lot of collards, and I only cook them occasionally, so I don't want to have to buy them all the time and throw them out. Any suggestions? Are there any other veggies like collards that are low in phosphorus? I will try looking that up too. Thanks.

Hi ~

A warm welcome to Geckos Unlimited.

May I ask what type calcium with D3 that you bought? All have differing levels of D3. More is not better.

This link might help you sex your new leo: http://www.reptilecare.com/leopardgender.htm

Like kholtme recommends above, many of us like and use the Zoo Med brand. Since you have calcium with D3, I suggest getting Zoo Med's plain (no D3) Reptivite. If you have to order it online, please do.

Pesticide-free dandelion flowers/dandelion greens also contain high calcium and low phosphorus. Click this USDA link: Foods List Chopped uncooked collard greens are good for providing mealworms moisture and calcium.

I have heard that spinach is a calcium binder. Please Google. I'd stick with collards or dandelion greens/flowers.

Let me quote what acpart/Aliza shares about keeping and feeding mealworms:
#99---Superworm & Mealworm Tips......acpart (October 2014)
acpart/Aliza: superworms & mealworm tips

1. Keep the superworms and the mealworms at normal room temperatures. The refrigerator is too cool for them.

2. I keep both my mealworms and superworms in ground up grain bedding. I buy my ground up stuff from a USA supplier. In Europe you could do one of the following:

• get a variety of grain and cereal and put it in the blender (they can eat whole grains but it will be much easier for you to get them out of the bedding if the grain is ground up)
• OR buy some chicken feed

You can also feed superworms and mealworms vegetable pieces that you would normally throw away: potato peels, Bell pepper cores, eggplant peels, carrot ends, sweet potato ends, broccoli stalks. They completely demolish them!

3. I feed superworms by dropping 1 at a time in front of the gecko. For a very reluctant gecko, I hold the gecko and gently poke the superworm at the mouth until it bites the worm. I have a gecko that rarely eats in the winter and a few years ago he was losing a lot of weight. I used a hypodermic needle to poke the superworm, got some of the guts on the end of the needle and poked it (gently) into the gecko's mouth. He didn't get much, but it did some good and he eventually started eating again. He's about to go into his annual winter fast, but he weighs 90 grams right now.

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An example:

Zoo Med's digital thermometer with a probe costs $10. It's yellow. That's good for measuring air temperatures as well as confirming your thermostat's setting. I keep the digital's probe taped to my Hydrofarm thermostat's probe right underneath the warm dry hide 24/7.

Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...-feeding-issues/68574-cricket-guidelines.html

 

[JIMI]

I've read that spinach contains high levels of oxalate which binds to calcium and makes it unavailable for absorption. Kale tends to make most of the calcium unavailable for absorption as well, but not to the same extent as spinach. If there is too much oxalate in a diet and not enough calcium for the oxalate to bind to, it can lead to the formation of kidney stones. I believe that it can even worsen the symptoms of or even cause gout, but this I am not sure of. Overall, if the diet is lacking calcium then there is also an increased risk of MBD. It's best to give feeders a diet higher in calcium and lower in phosphorus prior to feeding because the insects themselves are naturally high in phosphorus (which was already explained above). Better calcium and vitamin rich greens are mustard, collard, turnip, and dandelion greens. I also throw in some of the veggies mentioned above for variety once in awhile. I heard that organic is better because the residual pesticides may still affect the insects and possibly even the leo as well. Just some extra tips. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Welcome to GU! Also love the natural style of your enclosure!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

i would recommend using Albers' All Purpose Poultry Feed, Purina Layena Sunfresh Crumbles, or Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food all 24/7 with added collard greens over anything else.

I do not recommend other brands of poultry food, if you cannot find Albers or Purina Layena Sunfresh Crumbles.

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Diatomaceous Earth Alert: Some poultry/chicken feeds contain diatomaceous earth. Both Albers All Purpose Poultry Feed and Purina Layena Sunfresh Crumbles do NOT contain diatomaceous earth.

"Some chicken laying feeds contain diatomaceous earth as a natural antiparasitic for bird flocks. If ingested by insects, diatomaceous earth is fatal. The microscopic diatoms cut up their insides and cause a nasty death. It is also used topically for insect infestations as it will cut through exoskeletons or soft bodied worms and cause "bleed out." I have not read of anyone accidentally using a chicken feed with it in there and what effects it had on a colony of roaches/crickets/mealworms, et cetera, but I believe better safe than sorry and to warn people of it in case someone wants to use a different brand."

(Quoted from hmarie186 -- 1 February 2015)

 

[lindsay1126]

Thanks everyone, I am pretty sure I can find the albers or purina as i said we live in a pretty rural area with multiple feed stores that sell lots of chickens. I will check tomorrow. I will defiantly get the collards too. She wouldn't even touch the meal worms I put in there tonight so I did leave them. I will see if they are gone in the morning, if not I will take them out. Thanks for all the input and any other info I will gladly take. This is the best way for me to learn.

 

[lindsay1126]

Oh i forgot to mention, I am using flukers calcium/ d3 for now, I bought it before i started this thread. I will make sure to get the zoo med kind once its gone. It is phosphorus free also.

 

[lindsay1126]

This link might help you sex your new leo: Sexing Leopard Geckos

By her pictures would you say she is old enough to sex? I looked last night and did not see the dark row of pores or noticeable bulge. I will try to snap a pic later to see what you more experienced than me say. Thanks.