Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How do i stop the leos from eating the vermiculite. Is it because they arent getting enough calcium, but vermic isnt calcium. Also I have some leos who wont eat the mealies, is there a way to get them on mealies. Crickets are ok, but mealworms are so much easier.

I have also put 4 juvies in their own sterlite boxes. Each box has a humid hide, water bowl and food dish. But they wont eat mealies, so im going to get crickets tonight. Is this ok for them until they are bigger.

Thanks to all of you for your help.

Jeff

My leos didn`t either eat the mealworms in the beginning, but i handfed them, and put someone infront of them. Now they eat them of the bowl each day.

jeff i assume you are using vermiculite in the lay box / humid hide. if that is the case, i would switch to spagnum moss... impaction can occur from eating vermiculite i do not know any other way to deture them other than switching. as far as the mealies, some will eat mealies and some wont.. be patient.. when i first start switching over i will leave the mealies in there a day or so (trust me they will get hungry) if they happen to not switch or are only eating a few every third or so day give em a few crickets so ya know they are getting the nutrients they need... if they absolutely refuse after trying this a couple of weeks, you might just be stuck with a cricket eater.. growth is slower but they have all the nutrients they need, as long as you gut load or dust with vitamins, for a staple food item.
-----
-robin day
Geckoheads And Geeks

Jeff,
I have 2 girls and a guy who love vermiculite for some reason or another. There really isn't any way to wean them off of it. Its really too dangerous to try. If your seeing shiny feces get them on moss soon. I have also found from experience that hatchlings/juveniles show little/no interest in mealies. Adults learn that food is food and learn to love them just the same. Young ones need their food to move a whole lot and give a good chase. Just keep trying.

Good Luck!
-----
Joshua Fast
Gecko Gecko -tokaygeckos.com-
info@tokaygeckos.com

Thanks for the help. I am going to switch to sphagum moss in their humid hide/laying dishes. I will keep mealies in there, and I will add crickets avery couple of days. I have some adults that eat all of their meallie, others dont touch them. Thanks for the info on the hatchlings. I didnt know that. I bought some mini crickets and adults crickets today, I will feed them to my troops after a little gutload.

Again

Thanks for the help

Jeff