Baby leo food help?!

[Beginner gecko]

So my gecko is going to be here in the morning and tomorrow im going to pick up crickets and mealworms. So here are all of my questions.

1. With a baby (4 month old) gecko how much crickets/mealworms should I buy to last a month? Can they (bugs) even last that long before getting to big for my leo?

2. Any other recommended feeders I should pick up? I might get dubias If I can find them but the parentals arent quite fond with the idea of roaches in the house.

3. I have found a lot of controversy here. WHAT SHOULD BE THE STAPLE? MEALWORMS OR CRICKETS!? I know about all the phospher to calcuim and al that business but there are several people that use mealworms as a staple and say no to crickets yet there are people who swear that crickets are the better staple. I’m leaning toward the mealworms due to easy breedablility and lack of much smell/sound and thats a gigantic pro for me however if this phospher calcium stuff is really that important do I need to use crickets? Can someone give me a definitive answer please?

4. I should have written this down as I’ve forgotten what I was going to ask now.... *sigh

Thanks in advance to all the people who respond!

 

[acpart]

As you have noticed, there is a lot of opinion difference about what to feed leos. I can only tell you what I have done:
I bred leopard geckos for 13 years. I raised the juveniles on mealworms because I felt it was easier for them to hunt them. Also, since a lot of my caging was in divided enclosures, it was easy for the crickets to get through the dividers and I didn't want to be in a situation where the crickets were escaping from one compartment and the babies in there weren't getting any. I also chose mealworms because I know that some people who buy geckos from me didn't want to deal with crickets.
The geckos brought up on mealworms for the most part did well and were very healthy. I got a lot of positive comments about how big and nice looking my geckos were for their ages.
The geckos that I held back and kept into adulthood tended to get bored with mealworms. My adults are fed on crickets and super worms with occasional feedings of hornworms and silkworms.
Crickets only live 9 weeks and the death rate is often high, so the chance that you can buy crickets once and have them last a month is not good (I get 3000 crickets every other week and sometimes am stretching to make them last, but I obviously have more than 1 gecko).
In my opinion, your best bet is to get about 100 mealworms and see how long they last, or, if you have the funds, go online and get 500 small or medium mealworms. They are much cheaper in bulk and if you get the small ones, they will grow in the course of the month. Many people keep their mealworms in the fridge to slow down growth rate. I have found that it really matters exactly where in the fridge you keep them because the temp varies. I didn't keep my mealworms in the fridge. If you use mealworms as a staple to start with, maybe you can get crickets on occasion for variety. You will hear many opinions about this. I wouldn't trust any opinion about this that includes the words "never" and "always", but others may differ.

Aliza

 

[Beginner gecko]

As you have noticed, there is a lot of opinion difference about what to feed leos. I can only tell you what I have done:
I bred leopard geckos for 13 years. I raised the juveniles on mealworms because I felt it was easier for them to hunt them. Also, since a lot of my caging was in divided enclosures, it was easy for the crickets to get through the dividers and I didn't want to be in a situation where the crickets were escaping from one compartment and the babies in there weren't getting any. I also chose mealworms because I know that some people who buy geckos from me didn't want to deal with crickets.
The geckos brought up on mealworms for the most part did well and were very healthy. I got a lot of positive comments about how big and nice looking my geckos were for their ages.
The geckos that I held back and kept into adulthood tended to get bored with mealworms. My adults are fed on crickets and super worms with occasional feedings of hornworms and silkworms.
Crickets only live 9 weeks and the death rate is often high, so the chance that you can buy crickets once and have them last a month is not good (I get 3000 crickets every other week and sometimes am stretching to make them last, but I obviously have more than 1 gecko).
In my opinion, your best bet is to get about 100 mealworms and see how long they last, or, if you have the funds, go online and get 500 small or medium mealworms. They are much cheaper in bulk and if you get the small ones, they will grow in the course of the month. Many people keep their mealworms in the fridge to slow down growth rate. I have found that it really matters exactly where in the fridge you keep them because the temp varies. I didn't keep my mealworms in the fridge. If you use mealworms as a staple to start with, maybe you can get crickets on occasion for variety. You will hear many opinions about this. I wouldn't trust any opinion about this that includes the words "never" and "always", but others may differ.

Aliza

To start, THANK YOU! I thought bobody was going to respond and thats actually helpful. Now sorry to bother you further but maybe this can help not put another thread out. Yesterday i realized my gecko,Lucy, does not like cricktets. Everytime they jump they scare her. Even the teeny little nymphs of which i enen put on in tongs so it couldnt jump and she just isnt interested. Im fine feeding mealworms for now but would it be in my interest to work over to crickets and mealworms or cahould i just stay mealworms? And If i get her on a cricket, mealworms diet how do I get there? Any tips on getting her interested in crickets?

 

[Beginner gecko]

Also for now do I need to put her on a different supplement schedule since shes on only mealworms at the moment?

 

[acpart]

In my opinion, the supplement schedule doesn't have to change. I think it makes sense to feed her what she likes and then in a few weeks try a cricket. Don't bother with the tiny ones; they're too hard to catch. You can always hold the cricket by one leg so it can't hop away and see if that encourages her to catch it. Some geckos just don't like crickets. You can also try super worms.

Aliza

 

[~D~]

4 months old is young, but not exactly a baby. If it's moving and the right size to eat, it shouldn't be a problem.

As for crickets, just throw one in there and see what happens. Young leos like to chase, especially if it's hungry. Maybe feed just a few mealworms the night before, and don't leave them overnight, just to make sure.

 

[lizardmom]

I have a 30g Leo ( I have no idea on age but he was 14g when I got him Dec 28th) who really doesn't care for crickets. I am to the point where I am about to just quit offering them. He will eat one, maybe 2, then they just run around his cage. He scarfs up meal worms however.

 

[~D~]

That makes sense. He should start liking bigger food more as he grows. As long as he is eating, and getting vitamins and calcium, it doesn't matter as much what it is when they are growing. Mine is 80g now, still growing a little, and prefers dubia, crickets, superworms, mealworms in that order. He likes waxworms but they seem to mess with his appetite for other things, although the last time he wasn't that interested and picked at them like he does mealworms and other various worms I've tried. He does like hornworms a LOT, but the only time I get smaller ones is at expos, ones in pet stores are way too big, and they grow fast. At this point I'm having to cut back food because he is getting a little chubby, I think from too many superworms.