Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi everyone...

i finally got a cup of waxies from the pet store to give as a treat to my leo once every other week. i was wondering if these need to be gutloaded, even though they're already fatty? if they do, what should i gutload them with? thanks all

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 keep them in wheat bran and just glaze it with honey. The honey sinks to the bottom so you don't have to stir it up. It's not really a gutload, but it just makes them last longer.
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chickabowwow

3.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 3 eggs a' cookin'

Vitamins, Oatmeal (it's got vitamins added), regular things you gutload crix with work for waxies, too.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame

I read that waxies have entered a stage of their lives where they no longer eat, they live off their fat reserves. (I read it on an insect-seller's "insect care sheets" section) This means they'll get thinner the longer you have them. This matches my experience with them. I've noticed they don't seem to do anything in the gutload mixture except get thinner.
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0.3.0 leos, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
0.0.5 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton & Olivia Newton John
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

If they actually did, they might be more nutritious for your leos. Waxworms are found naturally in beehives and live off of beeswax. So trying to fill them up on chicken mash or whatever gutload you use isn't going to work, because that's not what they eat.

It's not uncommon to find adult insects that don't eat and don't even have the mouthparts to eat. But insect larvae, particularly the ones that go through metamorphosis, have to eat, because that's the point in their lives when they're building up their fat reserves.

My waxworms gravitate towards the honey and then grow fatter.
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chickabowwow

3.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 3 eggs a' cookin'

Thank you. That's new, helpful information for me.
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0.3.0 leos, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
0.0.5 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton & Olivia Newton John
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

My pleasure. I like to talk about these things.
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chickabowwow

3.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 3 eggs a' cookin'