Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It seems our leo has been preferring meal worms. and occasional crickets have been found in the house now- they jump out, probably, when the kids are playing with him and the screen is off. Honestly--the worms and vit/calcium powder are easier!..Can they have other kinds of worms? Wax worms? I really should get a book.

First of all, I do recommend you to read a good Leopard Gecko Book.
They don´t need to feed on crickets, but a good variety of insects is a healthier choice. I´ve been feeding mine with Mealworms (Tenebrio Molitor), Superworms (Zoophoba Morio), Silkworms (Bombyx Mori) and Lobster Roaches (Naupheta Cinereum). Although I recommend you stay out of roaches (at least this type) since they can climb glass.
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4.7.0 Leopard Geckos
0.2. Homonota Darwinii (Talus & Gracilis)
2.3.3 Tarentola Mauritanica (Pickles)
0.1.0 Cham Caliptratus (Clotilde)
0.0.1 Corn Snake
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Cafu)
1.0.0 Black cat (Felipe)
0.0.x Tenebrio Molitor
0.0.x Zoophoba Mario
0.0.x Lobster Roaches
0.0.6 A. Campestratus
0.0.1 E. Musculosa

They don't have to, but sometimes a little variety is nice. My leos' staple diet is mainly mealworms, but they also get superworms, small crickets, and the occasional waxworm. As far as reading goes, your best bet is to read down through the forum messages (there's a lot of experience on this board!) and pickup a book called the Leopard Gecko Manual. Breeder sites also usually have some basic, but good husbandry advice. Try not to let the kids play with him too much...even tho leos are gentle and cute, reptiles are generally "look no play" pets. Too much handling, glass tapping, cage rearranging may stress him out.

Good luck! :0)

I used to feed my boys crickets, but found the crickets had a fairly high die-off rate and smelled really bad, so for the past couple years I've had them on mealworms, with a pinky mouse as a treat for holidays and such, and they seem to like that just fine.

Are you by chance leaving crickets in your geckos cage after feeding, because..that's not the greatest idea. If the crickets get hungry, they may decide to make a snack of your gecko.

hmm can someone say that there leo has personally had crickets munch on there toes/tail? i dont see how i can happen that much really, it's a reaction in just about every being to kick something away if it starts eating at you...my gecko hates anything touching it unless its doing the touching. if food touches it, it flicks it away striaght away, and from what i've seen with my gecko, there very light sleepers.

if someone's leo has had toes eaten by its food, please put me in my place

As far as cricket damage is concerned I've not seen it happen, but I think if the hide is tall enough with the hole on the top there shouldn't be a problem. JMHO

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

This is not my personal gecko. If you go to Muftin.com that is were I found it. Don't know if the pics worked.

Slim's Story

Slim's story is probably the saddest I have experienced. Slim belonged to the son of a former professor of mine. We'll call him Professor X (heheh). As is wont to happen, his son lost interest, and Slim became the ward of his son's mother. Prof X and his ex-wife had been divorced for some time, so he didn't see her very often. One day, Prof X actually chats with her, and he sees that she has a medical problem she hadn't noticed. Long story short- his ex-wife was terminally ill, and she passed on, despite aggressive medical treatment. During this sad course of events, Slim was completely forgotten.

Prof X went over to her house, to check over her things before their son arrived, and discovered an emaciated Slim. He took him to his lab & did the best he could to try and get him well. Despite all the saddness, he got Slim a heat pad, a hide, water dish, and some crickets. Slim even ate a few.

This is where I come in. I happened to be visiting the lab, and I came across Slim. I heard the story, and it tugged on my heart strings. I left a note offering some tips & advice, since Prof X wasn't in his office at the time. A few days later, I got an email from Prof X asking if I would foster Slim. The Professor was under a lot of stress, and wanted to do right by Slim, but he knew nothing about leopard geckos. I told him to bring him over and that it wasn't a big deal, since I had a bunch of extra leo equipment around.

This is the really sad part. Just a few hours before Slim was picked up to come over to my house, some of the uneaten crickets ate a hole along his spine, in between two of his ribs, and into his coelomic cavity (main body area). Professor X was very upset, since he had just been trying to help. I told him not to worry about it, since he had to go help his son go through his ex-wife's house that very day.

The very next day, Slim and I went to the vet. I couldn't believe he was alive. I did research for hours the night before, to see if there was anything to be done, and there seemed to be a faint light of hope.

To my delight, the vet agreed. She flushed the wound, debrided the dead tissue (luckily, the wound was very recent, so there wasn't much that had to be removed), sutured it closed, gave him a vitamin B shot, and SQ fluids. I had started syringe-feeding him the night before, and she told me to continue, to put him on a regimen of systemic antibiotics, and to keep his wound covered with neosporin, to create a physical barrier.

Slim and I went home with high hopes. He seemed happy in his warm cage, with water and a humid hide and everything. He had a positive effect on the few people he met. Everyone was astounded that he was so alert and inquisitive. His attitude made me hope he might recover.

Just a few hours after I left for work, the same friend of mine who found Bug, came to care for Slim. She found him curled up in his humid hide, peaceful but not alive. This happened on 8/26/06. I decided not to have a necropsy performed, as it's not so much 'what killed him' as 'what didn't kill him.'

I only knew Slim for a few days, but he had a lot of character. I don't regret for an instant providing him vet care. Now I know that, when he passed on, he wasn't thirsty or hungry, and was as comfortable as possible. I also know I did everything I could. He also reaffirmed the dangers of feeding crickets for me. Slim's story is just one example of why leopard geckos do not make appropriate pets for children (or anyone who isn't prepared to accept a 20-year responsibility).

Slim

These pictures were taken after we got back from the vet.

In this picture you can see his sutures.

His belly is swollen with food and fluids.

Though he was very ill, he was a resilient little guy that gave it the best he could.

i know ron tremper raises a lot of his leos on just mealies. a varied diet is ALWAYS better, but you can still just feed one item. you will have a fatter lazier gecko that probally wouln't live as long, but it still will work.