Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi, it's me again..

i wanted to make my leo's tail a little chubbier~ i was thinking of giving him a waxworm mixed in with his mealies - but waxworms come in a container of 25 or 50... i don't want to feed him THAT many because i know that he can become addicted to them (other than the fact he'll get REALLY fat)! what is your recommendation of the amount of waxworms fed within a week? what should i do with the left overs in the container? i don't want to find any beetles roaming around my bedroom or the house (hehe)! also, was it the waxworm or the superworm that isn't supposed to be refrigerated? sorry i forgot the answers to these already!

thanks everyone!
[AiMee]
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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

I personally don't think waxworms are the best way to increase weight in an animal...the refusal of other foods afterwards can eliminate an weight gain benefits, or even leave your leo lighter than before.

What I find really works well is to grind up flax seed and include a generous amount of that in your mealworm gutload. It is full of omega three fatty acids and gives the mealworms a nutty flavor, kind of like waxworms, but MUCH healthier for your leos and none of the drawbacks of waxworms. It seems to stimulate appetite and speed growth. Also, if they are adults, to feed live pinkies up to once a week. Varying the diet is also good, toss in some crix and silkworms from time to time.

Also, make sure your warm side temps are at 90°. That helps too. Temperature makes more of a difference than many people realize.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

Low level infestations of neamotodes (worms) can also cause an animal to just not get fat, but you may not notice runny stools if hygeine is good and concentrations are kept low- just that your leo doesn't get fat. A fecal and treatment with panacur if worms are present can put your leo on the right track.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

i keep about 10 - 15 mealies in a bowl which he eats most of the time during the night, leaving about 1 or 2 left and he goes to eat those in the morning/afternoon. he doesn't really get fat, just kinda the same - but he's more active now than he was when i first got him a few weeks ago. recently, his stool had a wet coating that dried up and looked like his dry stool from before. and it's funny how you mentioned fecals because i was just worrying about that recently i plan to do this sometime within the next weekend to the lizard vet off taraval st. in san francisco - i hear she's really good!

THANK YOU very much for your help i really appreciate it
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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

In the Bay Area, the best specialist is

Dr Kenneth A. Harkewicz
C/O Berkely Dog & Cat Hospital
2126 Haste St
Berkely, CA 94704-2019

Good to know if you have a hard to diagnose problem some day.

But for a simple fecal checking for worms Lynn Dustin or Julie Kluxdal at the Bay Area Bird Hospital should be fine I would imagine. I have not gone to them though have spoken on the phone to ...I believe it was Lynn.

Dr. Alex Herman is another one in SF, I spoke to her as well, before I decided to consult with Harcewicz instead if the treatment my other vet prescribed didn't work (but it did).
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

can i find flax seed at any grocery store or do i have to find it at a certain shop? also, i heard that pinkie mice aren't as good because they can have certain parasites that can effect the gecko. can i toss in a super worm? i just wanted to toss in one or two within the next two weeks, but my main problem was left over worms i don't plan to toss them in the garbage because i'm gonna end up with some roaming bugs in my house hehe~

also, i didn't plan to feed it too many because i don't want him to become obese. recently he's gotten pretty active and roams around a lot in the terrarium and climbs the little log i have, both his hides, and the branch-like handle on his food dish (looks like a mini- tree trunk with a branch). he also keeps trying to climb the glass, so if i stick my hand in, he likes to climb it and roam up and down my arms... before he was kinda tired and lazy all the time so i wasn't too worried - but now i think he's burning off a lot of energy that i want him to keep i hear obesity is bad for older geckos (mine is still juvenile). i also want him to have a treat but not 2 become addicted 2 it

the temp in the warm side of the cage is approx 88 - 92 during the day and 82 - 84 during the night.
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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

Superworms are fine if the animal is big enough to handle them. Same with pinkies. I have heard mice colonies can be contaminated with crypto if allowed contact with wild mice (more common in home breeding set ups with wire cages I think- the mice breed through the cage). I have never heard of problems with pinkies from a reputable pet store, nor had problems myself that I can trace to pinkies. I have had to deal with worms from time to time but that is very common, those can come from crix, which I think is more likely.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos