Feeding and Supplement Question

[Sarah727]

Hello, I'm a new Leopard gecko owner (though not new to reptiles in general) and had a few questions about reputable sites I can order live feeders from as it is inconvenient to keep going back and forth to the store so often, and what brands of supplements are best? I'm using Flukers calicum/D3 supplement now.

 

[StickytheGecko]

I buy my feeders from the store, but I have heard that rainbow mealworms is a popular feeder website for worms and crickets.For supplements, I use zoo med calcium without D3, zoo med calcium with D3, and herptivite multivitamin. I would recommend using the d3 calcium every 4th feeding, using the regular calcium at every feeding, and the multivitamin every 5th feeding, along with keeping a little bottle cap of regular calcium in his enclosure at all times so he can get more if he needs it. Good luck!

 

[GeckoFanboy]

I just recently got turned on to RainbowMealworms.com. I placed an order a couple days ago (they are located in California), and they arrived 3 days later (in West Virginia). All of my bugs were alive and healthy.

Here's the link:
Rainbow Mealworms and Crickets

I've been doing tons of reading and talked to lots of gecko people, and here's what I am doing now:

• Crickets - put them in a critter cage and just give them carrots or oranges to sustain on. Skip the water, as long as they have moist fruit or veggies, they'll be okay. Don't ever let the veggies get moldy though (check them every other day). Six hours before my gecko eats them, I take a couple crickets and place them in a cup (w/lid) with Flukers High Calcium cricket food, Flukers Orange Cubes, Flukers Quencher. They pig out on this. Then I dust them right before my gecko eats them. Here's the thing with crickets though...they are very dirty and they stink horribly. They will dirty their critter cage very quickly. NEVER wash the critter cage with soap EVER. Just wash it out with hot water. Soap residual will kill crickets. ALSO, crickets carry parasites that can make your gecko sick. It's very important to keep your cricket cage clean. Don't let it get full of dead crickets and cricket poop. You don't want your gecko sick.

• Dubia roaches - put them in a lid covered container with some cardboard to crawl on. Give them some carrots to sustain themselves. Six hours before my gecko eats them, I take a couple roaches and place them in a cup (w/lid) with Flukers High Calcium cricket food, Flukers Orange Cubes, Flukers Quencher. They pig out on this. You don't need to dust these. They are already rich in calcium.

• Mealworms and superworms - You'd be surprised how a little gecko can eat these big worms. They do! I give these guys some carrots to nibble. Six hours before my gecko eats them, I take a couple worms and place them in a cup (w/lid) with Flukers High Calcium cricket food, Flukers Orange Cubes, Flukers Quencher. They pig out on this. Then I dust them right before my gecko eats them.

• Hornworms - Pretty aqua worms. Just started using these. They actually come with special food in their cup (you can buy more if needed). They grow super fast if they are kept in a warm temp. You have to dust these before feeding them to your gecko.

• Phoenix worms - They come in a cup of dirt. You DO NOT need to feed these bugs AT ALL (pretty cool, huh?). And they do not need to be dusted. They are loaded with calcium naturally. They are kinda small (like a grub). You have to take them out of the cup of dirt they arrive in, before feeding, and let the dirt dry up and fall off them.

All of the above insects that "require" dusting should be dusted with Calcium with D3. That is important. Just dump some in a baggie, put the bug in, and shake the bag. Get yourself some long tweezers next time you go to PetSmart to handle the bugs. You can get them out of the dusting bag easiest with tweezers.

If you decide to put a small dish of calcium in your tank, which some folks do, make sure you buy a different calcium WITHOUT the D3. You don't want your gecko getting too much D3. He should get it only from his dusted insects.

Lastly, if you want your gecko happy, DO NOT leave uneaten bugs in his tank. This will stress him out, and the leftover crickets can bite your pet.

Hope this helps.

 

[Sarah727]

Thank you for your input. I didn’t realize crickets could bite, used to larger reptiles. I’m definitely going to check out rainbow mealworms. I like the sound of the Phoenix worms for my Leo.

 

[GeckoFanboy]

The dubia roaches are really nice too. No smell. Just keep in mind, the Phoenix worms are really small. Much smaller than the mealworms or superworms, so you'd have to feed him alot of them. And you also want to go with a bug that requires "dusting and gut-loading", since your gecko will need these nutrients. I'd definitely go with as much variety as you can. You never know when you might run out of one particular bug. I think RainbowMealworms has a sampler kit too.

PS - I see you're from Maryland (my old stomping grounds). Did you get a chance to attend the Repticon, in Timonium, on the January 20th? That's where I bought my new leo.

 

[Sarah727]

I checked out the sampler kit that they have and I'm going to order that soon, once she starts eating normally. As I mentioned I just got her a few days ago so she's not really eating yet. She has eaten 2 mealworms as of last night. Unfortunately I didn't get to go to Repticon, perhaps next time

 

[Sarah727]

Out of curiosity, how soon did your Leo start eating regularly after you got him?

 

[GeckoFanboy]

I think all leos are different when it comes to eating (my experience). My new juvenile male, that I just bought lastweek, started eating immediately, which I thought was really odd because he was so stressed after the Repticon show and driving him 1-1/2 hours in the car. To me, he looked underfed (happens with traveling vendors). He is a voracious eater though, and can consume lots of bugs every night so far. I am amazed at his appetite. Check him out:

I think the reason alot of leos don't eat when they are with new owners, is because they get way too much attention right off the bat with a new owner (and rightly so, we're excited we have a new pet, so we want to interact with it and fawn over it). Leos are very skittish though, and they need time in a new tank (environment) to adapt. Sometimes all the stress of being with a new owner will cause the leo to abstain from eating...some leos appetites are strongly affected by stress.

If I were you, as a new owner, just visit her tank occasionally through the day to check her tank temps, and then when you feed her. Don't pick her up AT ALL. And just for the first month, leave her be, but offer her food daily. Also, she might not like the food you are offering her at all. My last gecko would not eat any kind of worms AT ALL. He only ate crickets and occasionally a waxworm, which has no nutritional value at all (they're pure fat - gecko junkfood). They like to eat when the light is switching from dark to light, or light to dark (as that is when they come out to feed in the wild - sunrise/sunset). But you need to start experimenting with the feeder insect. You might have a picky gecko that only eats certain bugs.

Also, she's a female, and they are a bit different when it comes to ovulating and stuff...which can affect their appetites as well. Here is a great website with lots of indepth info. Check it out:
https://www.onlinegeckos.com

 

[GeckoFanboy]

How will you know when your leo is ready to interact with you comfortably?

Eventually, as you go in to check on the temps and feed her, she will start coming out of her hide and checking you out while you're moving around the room. She'll get to a point where she will no longer quickly run into her hide when she sees you. She'll just casually sit their and watch you without being so jumpy. At this point, you can start laying your hand in the tank, right in front of her, holding your palm very still. Eventually, she'll come over to it and lick it...eventually, she might even walk onto your hand. But it's gonna take some time. Be patient.

Because I was so use to my super friendly, ex-gecko, I kinda expected my new juvenile to be nice to me. NOT! I tried to scoot him away from an area of the tank that I was working on and he got crazy! Arched his back, whipped his tail up in the air, and tried to bite me several times. LOL, totally freaked me out. I was not ready for that. He'll come around though. Lastnight, I sat in front of his tank (quietly/staring) and he came out and walked around slowly, looking at me. I made no sudden moves until he went back in his hide. I want him to know I'm not a threat. You have to earn their trust.

 

[Sarah727]

Thank you, I figured it would take her some time to acclimate which is why she’s in my room since it’s quieter. I’ll be patient and definitely get a variety of food. Scooby is gorgeous !

 

[GeckoFanboy]

She'll love the quiet room, as they sleep half the day or more. My gecko is in a spare bedroom (storage room), so he never gets bothered until I go in to feed him, mess with his tank. He stays in his hide ALL day long. But after only one week, he now knows when I enter that room at night, it's feeding time, and he darts out of his hide now and paces the tank until his bugs get dropped in. He gobbles them up and immediately heads back into the hide again. They love sleeping on the UTH heated tile right after they eat...makes the food digest quickly.

 

[Sarah727]

I just wanted to post a quick update: my Leo Sunshine has settled in great and she’s eating. She ate 8 mealworms tonight

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Yay! Good for Sunshine. And tonight's the first night my Scooby isn't interested in food, LOL. I think he's gonna shed soon. He's looking kinda "frosty" now. They say they don't eat much when a shed is coming on (they have to eat their own skin).