Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok i have two leo's about 5 months old.. right now im just putting a bunch of crickets in at a time and about 50 mealworms when ever the container has a few left. I like to leave the mealies in there so they always have somehtign to eat How mnay worms should i be putting in and how many small crickets? and how often should i feed them And is it ok to have their diet mostly on crickets and crickets every now and then or should their main meal be crickets? Mealies are better to care for they are cheaper they dont stink and they aren't a pain like crickets. But i do dust the crickets and put calcium in with the mealies. So if i could just ahve their main emal on mealies how often should i feed them crickets? They eat the mealies pretty good so there's nothing wrong there. Thanks.
-----
Matt Smith
0.2 Columbian Red Tails
0.0.2 Leopard Geckos (1 Albino)
RedGhostKingApril

I am fairly new at this myself but I have done countless hours of research on the internet...now I would suggest that if you dont want the hassle of live crickets there are crickets that you can buy in a can. (my leos tend to prefer them) mealie worms are ok as a main diet but they should be dusted because they are not a very good source of calcium as crickets are. where your geckos are juvies you can pretty much continue what you are doing as far as the mealies are concerned, but for the crickets (live) I wouldnt go too crazy because they can tend to stress out your leo during the daytime sleeping sessions. (nipping at the tails) these are the things I have read in my research. hope it helps.

Do NOT use can o' anything as a main diet, please. If you'll do some research on this very forum about it, you'll find MANY examples where people have had their leos suffer greatly from it.

The leos don't need 50 mealies at a time, either - especially if they're only 5 months old (i believe that's what you said...).

You should dust ALL food for the leos with calcium before giving it to them. For the crickets, put them in a tall medicine bottle (like prescription bottles) with some calcium, put the lid on, and "SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!!! Shake Your BOTTLE!!!" You can "pour" the crickets into the tanks.

But definitely do NOT leave the crickets in with the leos, unless you leave cricket food/water cubes in there. Otherwise, when the leos aren't trying to eat the crickets, the hungry crickets'll try to eat the leos. So after the leos settle down & look like they're finished eating, put any remaining crickets back into the cricket tank.

~~Dusty Windom
-----
So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
@
~~The Gecko Barn~~

ok now I am confused.....I was told by several ppl that can o crickets was an excellent source of nutrition, also I suppose that poses a problem because my geckos like it better than the live ones (so now what?) besides they do not eat the mealies at all...hmmmm. misswindom, can you read my thread a couple lines down and tell me what you think in regards to my moist hide issue. I wasnt trying to misinform anyone... I was just told that info by sooooo many ppl. sorry for any confusion.

Try mealies once in a while...mine use to not even look at them and now he eat just that he dont like crickets anymore. I must say that i'm a bit relieve because crickets are such a pain...they stinks...they die fast...they poop everywhere in the gecko enclosure...and they dont want to be eaten by my gecko...(but i guess this one is kind of very normal,lol)
-----
Mizar 21
1.0 Collared lizard (Ganymede)
1.0 Leopard Gecko (Gethsemani)
1.0 Nerodia Fasciata (Serpentard)
1.2 Cats

s

So can their main meal be mealworms or what?
-----
Matt Smith
0.2 Columbian Red Tails
0.0.2 Leopard Geckos (1 Albino)
RedGhostKingApril

Yeppers. My babies get a main diet of mealworms. Sometimes, if I run out while waiting for more, I'll run to my pet store (I call it "my" because I trust them there) and pick up some crickets - but I hate having to handle them.

You can also supplement their diet with waxworms and pinkies every other week. I have supplement in italics because I've seen people claim that they use those last 2 as a MAIN diet for leopard geckos - but they're way too high in fat content to be eaten regularly. It'd be like you or me eating cake 24/7.

~~Dusty Windom
-----
So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
@
~~The Gecko Barn~~