Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've seen several "leopard gecko food" products on sale, and was wondering how to feed the geckos with them... since lgs will only eat moving food (generally), how does one "train" them to start eating these commercial foods? also, are these foods good for long-term use? i would really appreciate any info on this. thanks.

Typically leopard geckos, and most insectivorous reptiles will not eat 'inanimate' insects. You also need to be careful with commercial made foods, because to much Vitamin A can be bad for your leo.

There are many benefits to feeding them these kinds of foods though. They have many essential vitamins and calcium that is required for good immune system, bones etc. There is a product that I believe either zoo-med, or exo-terra makes (correct me if I'm wrong on the company) that kind of vibrates the insects. It is like a feeder dish with a little device underneath the dish that shakes the dish gently. This worked for me with some of my geckos while they weren't eating. It makes the bugs 'move' more and attracts the gecko's to it. Although I haven't tried it with 'dried' food, I'm sure it would help out more than just dropping the food in their habitat.

Hope this helps.

I've tried the worms in a can, and my leos did eat them. But I wouldn't use them long-term. The guaranteed analyses on the labels aren't very accurate, so they're not something I would rely upon for a staple. Fresh, live insects are always going to be healthier for your leos. Plus, live feeders are more cost effective in the long run. I guess it's kind of ironic that dead insects would cost more.
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chickabowwow

3.2.3 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)

my only thought to freeze dried or frozen or whatever food is that they won't carry the parasites that are a definite risk when using live foods. Most leos won't eat dead food though unless you can make it move...a situation in which one of those vibrating dishes would help.