Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am new to Leopard Geckos and was wondering about feeding. I have large crickets and am wondering how many I should feed an adult. Also, I am feeding the crickets an apple and Monster Hi-Cal Cricket Diet. I intended to dust the crickets with Rep-Cal Calcium with vit.D, but how often, if at all, should I do this? Are there any other supplements I should give it?

you should be fine, just feed him every other day. It really dosent matter though. I feed mine when ever. Put no more than he will eat in there with him, and make sure he/she dosent get too fat.

Will do I'm getting her from a friend, tomorrow. She told me she has mainly been eating mealworms, but I'm hoping to just use those as an occasional treat and feed her crickets, mainly. Will try to find some wax worms and whatnot to add some variety.

Oh! Forgot to ask this. I have also read to keep calcium (without vitamin D) in the aquarium at all times, in a little bowl. I was told I could use crushed up Tums. Is this true?

I would not do this. I do now you can give them to cats and dogs but I don't think it is ok with reptiles. Also you should keep a dish of calcium With D3 in the tank. They need the d3 so that they can absorb the calcium. the calcium is is of no use if they can't absorb it.

I got her actual calcium. The extra ingredients made me wonder.

Her crickets are given food with D3 in it. Didn't want to overdo it. It can be toxic to them, if they have too much. I've heard adding D3 twice a week is good, but the rest, just regular calcium, but that's just what I've heard.

Went to get some Rep-cal multivitamins (store associate told me she didn't need it, as she isn't a vegetarian), but they were out. I have heard more people say geckos need it for the trace minerals. Lots of conflicting info out there.

Ron Trempers book The Herpetoculture of leopard geckos say to have a dish of calcium with d3 and in my opinion He is the leopard gecko god whatever he says is what I think should be done so that is what i recomend

Hrm..Ok...The reason I hesitated is I had a green anole die from a "tumor" on it's neck with fluid in it. When it was drained, the results came back that it was excess Calcium. I figured it was because we gave her too much Calcium with D3.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there.

I don't go by what books say or what others say......

I go by experience and what has worked for me. I've been working with leos for over a decade and have found my nutrient/vitamin mix perfect(for me).

I buy a container of RepCal Calcium Enriched with D3(Phosphorus Free) and I buy a container of RepCal Herptivite Multivitamins........one should have a pink label and the other should be blue.

I then create a 50:50 mix of the two supplements....if both containers are newly purchased and unopened, then there is no need to measure, I just dump the two containers into one large container or baggie.

I then dust every cricket that enters the geckos' enclosures with that mix.

I have never had an issue with Hypercalcemia, Hypocalcemia, vit def. , or what have you......just healthy geckos that breed for me.
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1.0.0 Lampropeltis getula holbrooki
0.1.0 Lampropeltis getula californae
0.0.1 Lampropeltis getula nigra
1.0.0 Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri
2.3.0 Eublapharis macularius macularius
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus
0.1.0 Gerrhosaurus major major

Alrighty I have the kind with the pink label, but everybody is out of the multivitamin. I'm having to use another brand, for now.
Since I have gotten her, she has put on a bit of weight, her colors are much darker, and she actually hunts the crickets, instead of just staring at them.
Thanks for all the help, everyone