How to feed my leopard gecko?

[sachen]

I have a leopard gecko that is 1 year and 5 months old. How many times a week would I feed him? How many insects should I give him at each feeding. I have easy access to crickets, mealworms, superworms, waxworms, hornworms, silkworms and butterworms as I get my food from an exotic reptile shop. The only insects I keep long enough to gutload( I only get him enough silkworms or hornworms to eat for one feeding, and I have never bough waxworms, I bought 6 butterworms once and kept them in my fridge for a week, and I currently have phoenix worms which I got at an expo, which don't need to be fed. I still have some left) are crickets and mealworms. I gutload crickets and mealworms with collard greens, carrots and sometimes cucumber. I kept the mealworms in a gutload made by the reptile shop, which they say has added calcium in it. I don't keep mealworms anymore, I get crickets as his staple as they are healthier. The supplements I have are Zoo Meds Repti-Calcium with D3, Zoo Meds Repti-Calcium without D3, and Zoo Meds Reptivite without D3.

 

[acpart]

I feed my adult leopard geckos on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I estimate about 4 crickets per feeding, but if I put 4 in and they get eaten right away, I'll put in more.

Aliza

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I have a leopard gecko that is 1 year and 5 months old. How many times a week would I feed him? How many insects should I give him at each feeding. I have easy access to crickets, mealworms, superworms, waxworms, hornworms, silkworms and butterworms as I get my food from an exotic reptile shop. The only insects I keep long enough to gutload( I only get him enough silkworms or hornworms to eat for one feeding, and I have never bough waxworms, I bought 6 butterworms once and kept them in my fridge for a week, and I currently have phoenix worms which I got at an expo, which don't need to be fed. I still have some left) are crickets and mealworms. I gutload crickets and mealworms with collard greens, carrots and sometimes cucumber. I kept the mealworms in a gutload made by the reptile shop, which they say has added calcium in it. I don't keep mealworms anymore, I get crickets as his staple as they are healthier. The supplements I have are Zoo Meds Repti-Calcium with D3, Zoo Meds Repti-Calcium without D3, and Zoo Meds Reptivite without D3.

Please share a photo of your leo. If he's doing alright he's probably ready to switch to the schedule on post 126.

The number of crickets (or mealworms) you feed him depends upon his size as well as the length of the crickets. (I think Canadians can't get Blaptica dubia.)

Feed the Phoenix worms 1x per week.

In addition to the high calcium, low phosphorus collard greens, I recommend using a good quality dry staple diet for your crickets.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

#126---Monthly Feeding & Supplement Schedule for leopard geckos 18 months old +

Feed an adult leopard gecko crickets or dubia 2x per week and mealworms 1x per week:
Crickets or dubia>Monday
Crickets or dubia>Thursday
Mealworms>Saturday

• Use Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 1x per week. Lightly dust it on half the crickets or dubia, not every one.
• Use plain (no D3) Zoo Med ReptiVite multivitamins lightly dusted on crickets or dubia every other week or 2x per month. Maybe only half of them.
• Use some plain precipitated calcium carbonate (purer than oyster shell calcium). The NOW brand sold in health foods stores is ideal.

Feed finely ground Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food (or an equivalent high quality dry diet) 24/7 to the insects and worms to cover the basics. Add high calcium, low phosphorus veggies like collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, and pesticide-free dandelion flowers/greens in a dish off to the side for extra calcium and for moisture! Vary your leopard gecko's diet. Crickets, Blaptica dubia, hornworms, Phoenix worms, and silkworms are all good.

Nutritional Comparisons of Insects & Worms

• Click: http://www.geckotime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/table-large.png

Monthly Schedule for Leos 18 months old +​

Week 1:
Crickets or dubia>Monday- D3 Repti Calcium
Crickets or dubia>Thursday- no dusting
Mealworms>Saturday- no dusting

Week 2:
Crickets or dubia>Monday- D3 Repti Calcium
Crickets or dubia>Thursday- plain (no D3) ReptiVite multivitamins
Mealworms>Saturday- no dusting

Week 3:
Crickets or dubia>Monday- D3 Repti Calcium
Crickets or dubia>Thursday- no dusting
Mealworms>Saturday- no dusting

Week 4:
Crickets or dubia>Monday- D3 Repti Calcium
Crickets or dubia>Thursday- plain (no D3) ReptiVite multivitamins
Mealworms>Saturday- no dusting

Week 5:
Continue this every other week schedule.

 

[sachen]

I do want more calcium then that, so can I do this:

Week 1
Monday: Calcium with d3 Thursday: No dust Saturday: Calcium without d3

Week 2
Monday: Calcium with d3 Thursday: No Dust Saturday: Reptivite without d3

Keep repeating

I assume the only insect you would remove the calcium dust are phoenix worms.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I do want more calcium then that, so can I do this:

Week 1
Monday: Calcium with d3 Thursday: No dust Saturday: Calcium without d3

Week 2
Monday: Calcium with d3 Thursday: No Dust Saturday: Reptivite without d3

Keep repeating

I assume the only insect you would remove the calcium dust are phoenix worms.

Yes, Phoenix worms require no dusting.

I spaced Repti-Calcium with D3 and Reptivite without D3 the way I did because supplements stick better to crickets than to mealworms.

My current Zoo Med supplements state:

• Zoo Med Repti-Calcium with D3 also contains 38-43% calcium carbonate
• Zoo Med Reptivite without D3 also contains 24.9-28% calcium carbonate

I'd space the dusting more evenly.

Week 1
Monday: Calcium with d3
Thursday: Calcium without d3

Week 2
Monday: Calcium with d3
Thursday: Reptivite without d3

Keep repeating