Feeding - Mealies

[SnowSnake]

Hello!

I am tired of paying 10$ per 2 weeks for crikets so I decided to feed my leo only mealies and as treats pinkies and wax worms.

But I need to know how many mealies they eat. I dont like to feed everyday so can I feed them every other day or every 3 days??

thank you!!
SnowSnake

[snakemann87]

hey, i dont own any leopards but i dont know that the word "only" is acceptable when it comes to feeding. All lizards if im correct need variety variety variety. If I were you, I wouldnt get too accustomed to pinkies. Check for some herp shows, or buy online. At my shows, they have 1000 crickets for $5.

[SnowSnake]

I dont plan to feed my leos pinkies very often, only about once a month or so until my female gets gravid, then shell have some more often. I will still buy crikets once in a while but I dont want to keep them all the time, so when I pass near a petstore where they sell some I stop and buy 20 (one feeding).


Can I give a leo super worms? I think I have read that some people give their leos super worms, but they look so big for a leo!

How many mealies do leos eat per feeding?

Can I feed a leo mealies every 2 or 3 days like crix?

thx!
SnowSnake

[peregrinefalcon]

Hey Snowsnake,
When I was raising my leos I tried both mealworms and crickets as staples. I found that the leos grew quicker and fatter on the mealworms then the crickets. I also tried superworms and they are even better then mealworms! Plus the leos get exercise from chasing the supers, they are pretty quick. I now feed my leo mealworms, superworms and pinkies/fuzzies. I think the fat in mice is over exaggerated and they are very healthy for them. If you have lots of leos (or one that eats alot!) then I recommend you breed your own mealworms! Its very easy though it can take awhile to get them started. Anyway, you should let your leo eat as many insects as he wants, every night if he is younger then 9 months or if he is older then every 2-3 days. And just checking, you gut-load your insects right? This is also important for the health of your leo.
Hope this helps you out!
Adam

[SnowSnake]

Do you give your leos as many supers as they want even if they are huge?wont the chitin of the supers harm the leos stomachs?

I have a female who is about 8 months old and a male who is about 5 months old.

How much food should I give them and do you think that super worms are appropriate for leos of that age?

And I would appreciate a number for how many mealies they can eat per night because my male would eat 100 if he could!

bye,
SnowSnake

[peregrinefalcon]

Healthy leos can easily kill an adult superworm, usually they chew them quite good. As long as your leos are healthy then they can easily digest the chitin, if leos can digest mouse bones then they can digest insect chitin :) When one of my big females was gravid I gave her 20+ mealworms a night to eat, so yea let gravid (or soon to be gravid) females chow down. They should be able to handle superworms, and if they can't then they probably won't even go after them. I think 10-15 mealies a night plus a few supers is a healthy amount for growing leos. Now I have a question for you, are these two leos housed together? If so I would seperate them right away, you don't want underage leos breeding, it is very bad on the females.
Adam

[SnowSnake]

They are not together now. When should I put them together?

[peregrinefalcon]

I would wait 3 or 4 months when the female is nice and fat and a year old. The male doesn't really have to be any age or weight, as long as he is healthy. Good luck!

[SnowSnake]

Is feeding mealies and supers to leos a big mistake? because a friend of mine thinks thats its a very bad idea.
What do you think about that?

[Edwin]

I keep a small dish full of mealies and for my leo at all times so he can snack when he is hungry, and he gets crickets, silkworms or waxworms once a week, to give some variety to his diet.

[SnowSnake]

My leos dont go to there calcium dish to lick some. So im affraid that they will not get enough calcium and vits.

[peregrinefalcon]

Why does he think its a big mistake? Has he had problems? I've fed my leos supers a mealies for over a year and they are perfectly healthy. I'd like to hear why he/she thinks that.
Adam

[SnowSnake]

he says that my leos will get a chitin impaction, and that they will have a bad calcium phosphorus ratio.

[peregrinefalcon]

Well, just use common sense. If a leo can digest bones, which are *harder* then chitin, then they can digest chitin. And if you gut-load your insects with a big variety of foods then the leos will get enough of every vitamin/mineral. Hope this helps! :D

[SnowSnake]

ok thx! The girl at the pet-store told me that i had to crush the super worms head. Is this necessairy? how do i do it?

[Edwin]

I have never heard of people having to crush the heads of their superworms, I think it is just plain silly. If your leo isnt big enough to eat superworms, stick to mealworms for now.

Hope this helps.

[peregrinefalcon]

That probably comes from the myth that meal/superworms can eat out of a leo's stomach after the leo eats them. This is not true. If you watch your leo eat a super worm, they usually go right for the head and crush it several times :) You don't need to crush them, the leos do a good enough job themselves :)
Adam

[SnowSnake]

ok! great!what do you feed your leos? do you have pics of them eating?

[peregrinefalcon]

I feed mine mealworms, superworms and pinkies or fuzzies. (She would kill for a pinky or fuzzy, she loves em! ) And I do have pics, but my computer isn't working right so I can't get them on right now. I might have it fixed by tomorrow so if it is I'll post some pics!
Adam

[SnowSnake]

ok!

[SnowSnake]

I forgot, isn't the hair on the fuzzy hard to digest for a leo?

[peregrinefalcon]

For some reason they don't digest the hair, but they can pass it quite easily though.

[SnowSnake]

If my male is only about 5 months old will he still try to breed with my female?

[peregrinefalcon]

There is a good chance he will. If he is big for his age then there is a chance he will reach sexual maturity quicker. For your female's sake, its better to be safe then sorry. The consequences of a female getting gravid at a young age are egg-binding, which could result in death, or stunted growth.

[SnowSnake]

I wont take any chances and ill wait! When super worms shed what colour do they become?

I will feed my 2 leos tonight, what quantity of super and meal worms should i each give them?

[peregrinefalcon]

That's good that you will wait! When they shed they become pure white, this is a great time to feed them to the leos. As I said before, you should let them have as much as they want, which will probably be around 10 mealworms and 3-5 super worms.

[Youkai]

I'll just add my 0.02$ here...

I feed my leos a staple of superworms, supplementing with roaches, crickets, mealworms and pinkies.
I feed the mealworms and supers in a small dish they can't get out of, and put calcium/vitamin powder in the dish. That way you can put a bunch of mealworms or supers in, and see how many the leos will eat. You can leave extras in, the leos can eat them at will.

[SnowSnake]

Is there a way that I can get my female to eat supers? she isnt interested in them at all!

[Youkai]

Some leos just don't like some foods. You can try mixing them with mealworms in a dish, or you could just continue offering them to her to see if she eventually takes them.

[Clownfishie]

I also feed my leos a staple diet of mealworm, with superworms and crickets as occasional treats. And like Youkai, I also feed them in a dish, which I have calcium in, so they're guaranteed to get some when they eat. I found it nearly impossible to "dust" mealworms as you can with crickets, because the powder just wouldn't stick to the mealies...

I've also found that some of my leos go nuts for the superworms, and some won't even touch them. You can't force her to eat them, but just keep offering them and maybe she'll decide to give one a try one day -- once she does, she'll probably fall in love with them :)

In general, I just fill up the mealie dish and let everyone go for it... if there's any left over, I just leave them in there for the leos to snack on later. If there's any left after a couple of days, I put them back into the mealie container and put fresh ones in the feeding dish, so that they have a chance to get gutloaded again.

[SnowSnake]

I've tried to put the meal and super worms in a small dish where the worms cant get out but she doesnt seem to be attracted to the dish to eat. Any tips?

[Youkai]

If your animals don't like them, they just don't like them...
Try leaving the dish overnight or something. She might just need a little bit of time to get used to it. But don't be too dissappointed if she won't go for them. I have some leos that refuse crickets, some that don't like superworms, and some that don't like pinkies. They won't all eat the same things.

[Clownfishie]

Give her time...

This might sound cruel, but try not feeding her for a few days up to a week, and then try again... if she won't, then feed her whatever she will eat, and then give the enforced hunger strike thing another try.

You also might try using feeding tongs to "hand feed" the mealies to her -- sometimes seeing the things wiggling enticingly right in front of their face will do the trick :)

Some leos take to them right away, others take a little while... and others never seem to take to them. Give her a couple of weeks at least before you decide she's not going to take them though....

As for the dish, try getting a slightly deeper one... should be ok for the mealies, but I find that the supers always seem to manage to get out... they're quick, and they're good climbers....

[Edwin]

Clownfishie knows what she is talking about, I recently got a leopard gecko that was strictly raised on crickets. After starving him for almost a week, he finally relented and started eating the mealies I left out for him. Since then, feeding him is a breeze.

[Samba]

SnowSnake:

First off, I feel it important to comment on your first impression you give us readers. Leopards can do very well without daily feedings, and many won't eat everyday, but it's still important that you offer them food everyday. The impression I got from you was that you were tired/lazy/bored with your leos, but, after reading all your questions I realize you are very interested in learning more about them. You knew when you bought them (assuming they weren't just an impulse) what they eat, and the general expenses, (if you didn't know then let this be a lesson in researching your new interests' requirements before purchasing). Leo owners who truely love and appreciate their pets aren't going to cut corners on their pets' care or gripe about expenses. If you want to give your leos the best that they deserve invest your time and your wallet freely. As for the diet debate: There are many food choices now then there were a few years ago for reptile keepers so take time to explore what your geckos like and don't like, and the best way to offer a well-rounded diet. Feeding only mealworms is probably uninteresting to leos for one and they can also suffer dietary consequences such as MBD. (I've posted a pic in another thread in this forum of an unfortunate Leopard gecko with MBD, which has crippling effects.) Crickets should be the mainstay of the diet (with them taking up an estimated 60% ) with the other 40% consisting of mealworms, waxworms, silkworms, and superworms. Pinkies should not be fed regularly (mine get one apiece about once a month) the only exception being for cycling, gravid and soon-to-be-gravid females (at this time I'd offer a pinkie at least every two weeks or so). The reason for that being pinkies help build up fat reserves and provide extra calcium that facilitates shell production. (If females don't get extra calcium their body will withdrawl calcium from their bones which will increase the likelihood of MBD, and other serious, fatal diseases.) Non-gravid, mature and healthy females will produce eggs regularly regardless if a male is present or not, so it is still important to see that she is well supplimented during these times. Now, about mealworm impactation... Your friend is right that it does occasionally occur, but keep in mind that it occurs because of thoughtless owners. If your leos are healthy and kept warm enough they will be able to digest the chitin without problems. Keep in mind your leos can just as easily impact on crickets and other food sources if improperly cared for. My opinion on superworms, since they are so large, is that they can be fed to any gecko willing to take them on, and is generally around 20+ grams or so in weight. Killing them not only ruins the hunt for the leopard geckos but is also unnescessary and an unpleseant task to say the least! As far as the calcium-phosphorous ratio, offer growing leos calcium at every-other feeding (dusted on their insects, of course), and provide a *shallow* container (such as a butter-bowl lid) filled with Rep-Cal or a similar product. I prefer Rep-Cal because it is phospherous-free (always check the labels). Even if your geckos seem uninterested in it, keep it in there anyways! They may consume it when you're not around! My geckos prefer to 'eat' the calcium out of their lid, and if you still have difficulty making sure they get enough you can mix some calcium suppliment with a little baby-food (organic, mine like fruit flavors such as banana and pears or you can offer chicken flavored baby food-also a big hit). Use in moderation (as an occasional treat) and they should be fine. If you are still in doubt, your herp-vet (you do have one, right?) can give them a calcium injection, but this is extreme and the above methods should suffice. I hope I've been helpful, but if you still have questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail me at: SambasReptileRescue@Hotmail.Com

Good Luck!

[SnowSnake]

--Update--

hi!

My male is taking the meal and super worms very well! But my female refuses to eat them.

I left a bowl with 10 mealies and 1 super in it for the night and today the super worm is gone but I still count 10 mealies. I think that the super worm escaped during the night. I will keep offering her mealies and I think she will get used to them.

I decided to feed more mealies instead of crikets was because she wasnt eating the crickets any more. When I had some mealies on hand I would feed them to her but now she ges close to them, licks them and backs off.

I want to feed my leos every other day or every 3 days because several people told me that it wasnt good for reptiles to be always digesting, so by feeding every 2 or 3 days their system has some time to "relax" before they eat again.

I use Rep-cal as a calcium supplement and reptivite as a vit. supplement.

How many leos do you have Samba? Do you breed them?

cya! :)
SnowSnake

[Samba]

Well, I'm glad to hear your male is relishing the mealies and supers. It may take the female a while to get adjusted... she's slightly older than the male and more set in her ways (has she ever eaten food other than crickets before?) Sometimes it seems like they don't know it's food. My leos eat from my hands so the tend to take whatever I offer, and if they like it, they'll eat it. On Thanksgiving I found out my male, Darwin, loves turkey! (Girl however spit it out). As far as 'resting' and feeding the Leos every three days: I don't agree that the leos need resting. Many reptiles I believe would eat daily if given the chance. Mine do, and as a result they are extremely tame and very active. I guess it depends on their activity requirements (and since mine run around and dig, and are handled daily they probably need more energy to burn then most). I still recommend OFFERING them food DAILY and VARYING their diet as much as possible. You can't hurt them that way, but feeding them every 3 days can make them lethargic (meaning they'll only want to be active when it's needed, and not so much into enjoying life as a gecko). In the end, you make the decision on what is best for your geckos, so I hope maybe you'll dedicate a little more time and thought into their care. Rep-Cal and Reptivite are both highly desirable suppliments not only for leos, but for most reptiles. I am pleased to see that you are at least making sure they get enough vitamins and minerals. (One word of caution though: make sure the Reptivite does not have phosphorous, as it will disrupt the calcium-phosphorous ratio.)

A little about me: I'm 23 years old and I founded and began running Samba's Reptile Rescue when I was 17. Many of the Leos I have I rescued, and Darwin and Girl are the only completely healthy geckos I would like to breed at this time. The status of leos in the pet trade is becoming similar to that of dogs and cats: too many being produced to find good homes for them all. Last year I rescued two leo brothers (Baby Leo and Spot) who both had Metabolic Bone Disease. The parents were fine and healthy, but the owner of all four geckos neglected the babies after the newness wore off. After helping them fight for almost a year, both Baby Leo and Spot succumbed to the MBD. I won't go into the details of their battles but I will say this: prevention is definately the key. I guess that's why I'm so adament about dietary issues; because I watched them suffer and struggle needlessly. As always if you have any more questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail me (SambasReptileRescue@Hotmail.Com)

Good Luck with your Leos!

[peregrinefalcon]

Samba,
I do not agree with you that leos should be offered food every day(as long as they are not young or gravid). I did try this awhile ago and my leos became obese and inactive and always just sat around. Now I feed mine randomly every 1-4 days and she is very active and always exploring her terrarium. I also feed her pinky mice alot, as I said before I think the fat is over-exagerrated in mice and they are actually very good and nutritious for them. Of course it is good to add a bit of variety too so i give her mealworms and superworms too. I also do not agree with dusting the food with vitamins and minerals every other feeding, this could lead to over supplementation and could be dangerous to the leos health. I dust my leos food a few times a month but I do keep a dish of it in her enclosure as well.
Just offering my opinions,
Adam

[damzookeeper]

ok, I'm finding this post real late. lol, but just wanted to add my 2cents as well. I used to feed my leos a staple of crickets with mealies, supers, and waxies as treats. Now, for over 6 months I have been using a staple of mealies with supers, crickets, and silkies as treats. Haven't tried the pinkies yet (i'm too paraniod but think I'm gonna try. lol) My leos seem to prefer the mealies as a staple and eat anytime they want as the dish is provided full of mealies around the clock everyday. My adults range from 55-75 grams. 1.5-4 years old. They are very active and even though I don't handle them as much as I'd like they are quite friendly and content to be handled. They will also take food right from my fingers, when they don't miss. lol.
I have a friend that has been breeding for umpteen years and he has always used a staple of mealies with other insects and mice on occasion. He is the one that got me to try the mealies. I find my geckos have really fattened up since the mealies and seem to be happier, if that is possible. :)
I had a couple that didn't like mealies at first but now they are the first ones to the dish when I refill it. Also I don't crush the heads on the supers when I feed them to them, but I do do it when I feed them to my juvie beardies because I have one adult bearded dragons that is afraid of supers after he got bitten on the tongue by one. OUCH!! man did he spit that out fast and ever since it takes him a few tries before he grabbs the super and then he munches it up so fast. It's kind of funny to watch but I feel sorry for the poor boy. So I crush the heads of the supers, not so that they don't eat there way out of the dragon( myth) but so that they don't bite them back. lol My leos don't seem to have a problem they bite head frist. Beardies get so excited they take mouth fulls instead of one at a time and end up with a tail in the mouth first instead of a head enabling the super to turn and bite back. I also do it for my sub adult skink because a friend had his skink get bit by a super worm on the side of the mouth and his mouth was swollen for a couple days. :( I don't like to take any chances with my babies.
Lol, sorry for the book. Hope you all didn't get board reading this. Just wanted to leave my 2 cents.

[damzookeeper]

Oh, and just to clearify something that I said, "my leos have really fattened up". I got 3 rescues about a year ago that were housed together. 1.2 the male was about 40 grams and the females were 30-33 grams. They are about 4 years old and the females (especially one in particular) looked skinny when I first got them. Now the females are 60-65 grams and the male is 75 (The biggest male I have) They are all healthy, not obese just huge with beautiful tails according to the vet. I'm so happy with them. They may not be the prettiest leos but they are sweet and have never bitten and produce some nice looking aberrant babies.

[Samba]

Adam,

Well that's what this forum is for! It doesn't matter to me whether or not people agree with me; I know what's best for my Leos. If you took the time to read my post, you may have noticed I stated, "I guess it depends on their activity requirements..." I wanted Snowsnake to take this into consideration when deciding how often to feed his/her leopards. I suggested dusting the insects every-other feeding because of the geckos' young ages; (which, we all know the younger the gecko, the more often they should be 'allowed' to eat). Obviously if an animal was appearing obese it's diet/excercise routine should be altered accordingly. I have never had an obese gecko, despite the fact that I feed them once a day. I think if daily feedings made your leopard geckos obese they must not have much of a life (or have eaten way too many pinkies!). Mine are constantly running around inside and out under supervision, of course, and I believe it makes them happier. In the wild they'd be getting near daily excercise to burn off their meals. (And might I suggest if they were left to their own devices they'd probably eat more than once every 4 days?) I try to duplicate their (wild) activity levels as much as possible, and not everyone is going to agree on certain aspects of their husbandry. I think the animals should have more of a life then just sitting around in their cages waiting for their owners to provide stimulation or food. As for the mealworm debate, I really have nothing against it. I breed my own and I use them as enrichment tools for my geckos, but I do not use them as a primary food source. I believe crickets provide a less chitiness diet, as well as provide more excercise and stimulation for my leopards. I go the extra mile for my pets, do you?

[Samba]

Damzookeeper... good work with the rescues! I know from experience how difficult it can be! I think obeseity is a fast-growing epidemic in part because people don't have time to make sure their pets get proper excercise, and diet is a secondary factor. Well keep up the good work!

[SnowSnake]

--Another Update--

I have just fed my leos and took some decsions.

#1: My female just started to accept mealies, she took 13!! but didnt touch the super worm that I offered.

#2: When I feed my leos meal worms I place them in different places in the aquarium so they have to move to get them.

#3: I will feed meal worms every night and once a week 10 crickets, with occasionnal pinkies, wax worms and super worms so they get a balanced diet.

#4: I'm giving my C.V. to different places to get a job a.s.a.p. and buy a bigger terrarium for both my leos.


Thats about it, if you have any comments or suggestions plz tell me and i'll be glade to take in consideration what you tell me!

cya,
SnowSnake

[peregrinefalcon]

Samba,
Of course that is what the forum is for :D I totally agree, thats how I learned to take care of my geckos, by listening to people's different opinions then forming my own (and of course watching my own leos). And I would like to point out that I didn't start feeding my leos lots of pinkies when I was still feeding them everyday, I started after I noticed them becoming inactive and lazy. While I agree that young leos should be supplemented more then the adults I still don't think it should be every second feeding, more like once a week. I know my leos are not stupid and will go to the vitamin dish when they are lacking something in their diet. I also feed the insects varied nutritious foods, which I believe is very important in keeping leos. What do you gut-load your insects with (or do you at all)? What do you mean by my leos must have not much of a life if they got obese by daily feedings? They have the same life every other leo has: eating, hiding, coming out to be handled, breeding etc. And one more thing, my leos get *way* more food then any wild leo would ever get! Wild leos do not have hands that make sure the superworms don't crawl under rocks, they don't have a completely safe environment where they can come out to eat and they don't have food in the winter!
Adam
ps. Yes, I go the extra mile for my leos.

[peregrinefalcon]

Sounds like your doing a great job SnowSnake! Keep up the good work :D

[Alicewave]

Wow, I really got to this forum late. I didn't read every word of every post but I'll just say I feed my leos exclusively mealworms that i have hand raised and gutloaded. (Once in a while I get them waxies) I prefer to gutload with Wheatgerm and fishfood because it is long lasting (doesn't mold quickly) and contains tons of the good stuff Leos need to be healthy. Chitin is not really a problem with feeding mealies as long as you have under tank heating to warm their bellies and aid digestion. I have also experiences faster growing, fatter leos with mealies than with Crickets. I don't think it's necessesary to offer food every day. In fact, i have found that can be stressful on a Leo that is on a winter fast and purposely not eating.
That's just my two cents.

Anyway, welcome to Samba. Great to have another Leo rescuer. I have rescued 4 leos myself and it's the most rewarding experience i have ever had with reptiles.

[depressor86]

ive heard stories of superworms chewing through a leos stomach after being eaten, so ya just to be safe maybe you should crush the heads

[SnowSnake]

depressor86,

This is only a myth, neither super or meal worms can chew through a leos stomach :)

[Samba]

Dear Adam,

Well at least we agree on one thing! Just kidding, in all seriousness I believe if any animal in captivity becomes obese it does so for one or two reasons: 1.) They eat too much and doesn't get enough excercise or 2.) They eat too much and don't get enough excercise. Humans, and the companions of humans, are the only creatures on earth that suffer obesity and there is a reason for that: They eat too much and they don't get enough excercise! Now that I've stressed that point, there is also the Diet Debate to contend with. Like I said before, not everyone is going to agree with certain beliefs in husbandry... Yes, wild geckos hibernate (they also don't live as long, and captive geckos don't usually hibernate), and yes, they may not eat daily, but I do believe, as stated before, that if left to their own devices, they would choose to eat more than once every four days. It's our job as the caretakers of these creatures to see that they get the very best care, and in my opinion, feeding once every four days is not what the gecko would like, but what the owner is willing to compromise. I think if you are creating a debate over how often to feed them, it is simply a matter of how often you FEEL like feeding them. We seem to agree on varying the diets, and making sure additional supplimentation is available, and I'm pleased to see you gut load your insects. I use a variety of natural foods (salads and protein based- usually 3 days to a week before feeding) and Cricket "Nummies". As for your comment: "What do you mean by my leos must have not much of a life if they got obese by daily feedings?" you clearly misunderstood what I said; read again this exerpt: "Obviously if an animal was appearing obese it's diet/excercise routine should be altered accordingly. I have never had an obese gecko, despite the fact that I feed them once a day. I think if daily feedings made your leopard geckos obese they must not have much of a life (or have eaten way too many pinkies!). Mine are constantly running around inside and out under supervision, of course, and I believe it makes them happier. In the wild they'd be getting near daily excercise to burn off their meals. " I was refering to the amount of excercise your leos get. They would not get obese if they got enough excercise. And no, your leos don't have them same life as other leos: wild ones, well that's self explanitory, and mine for example have much more interaction and excercise. I also practice 'enrichment'. My careful planning ensures my geckos will not get obese. I could never neglect them by letting them rot inside a tank all day. Yes, our Leos get way more food and pampering than wild leos, but wild leos probably have a more interesting life. As for the comment on them having hands, I have personally observed leos digging to get their dinner, so I guess it's safe to assume they could also do this in the wild. (After all, they aren't completely helpless... they've survived for years apon years in the wild without our help!)

[scott hough]

we've been feeding our leos superworms for a while. i've never crushed their heads, but i also only feed full sized supers to my big adult leos.
if your leos are big enough for pinkies, they'll do just fine with supers.

[GECKOMAN]

i THIK YOU FEED THE SAME AS CRICKETS AND i GET THEM A LOT CHEEPER TRY ANOTHER STORE

[GECKOMAN]

i AGREE WITH SAMBA

[krrc]

First off I just want to say very good topic.
Samba: I really like all your veiws on things as a matter of fact most of them are simmaler to my own. Just for the sake of dicution: you said "...but I do believe, as stated before, that if left to their own devices, they would choose to eat more than once every four days.." yes they would but you must also rember depending on the time of year and location the leo in the wild may only find 1-2 food items a night therefor if you feed 10 every 4 days it may not mimic the distubution of food thoughout 4 days but it very well may replicate the amont of food. that said you could also give 2-4 prey items a night every day with the same effect. (just for something to talk about cuz I really dont have anything to add :))

as far as the type of prey I think anything that works for you works for the leo (as far as crix and mealies and such) I started my leo on crix and swiched to mealies and now back to crix with some mealies and I have one helthly looking gecko! although I cant say i saw a change in growth rate or anything. since bugs are realy acting a pack of gutload really, I think it's more inportant what you put in the insects then what insects you put in your leo. but thats just my $0.02. :)

[depressor86]

;p no matter what i do my leopard wont eat mealworms, this is especially frustrating because i already have an established colony!

[krrc]

lol it seems to work like that doesnt it.

try wiggleing them by hand or other tool if you need to. Or try the dont feed for a week and only offer mealies thing should work I would think.

[Alicewave]

That's a bummer depressor! If your leos have nice fat healthy tails you could try not feeding crix for a week or two to see if they get hungry enough to start eating mealies.

[Pixie]

My leo took to mealies right away and then a couple of weeks later didn't want anything to do with them! I fed other items and then tried again, still nothing.

So, I made her wait out a few days and sure enough around the 5th or 6th day, she gobbled up a whole bunch of mealies and has been eating them since.

Strange, I don't know why she stopped in the first place. Maybe they were her least favorite of the food I was offering and she was waiting me out until I broke and gave her something else than mealies. Whatever it was, she's eating them again :)

Pixie

[dm101081]

All I have to say is that a human will survive by only eating every two or three days, as long as there is a supply of fresh water. Now I'm not saying that humans and reptiles have similar care needs. Only that just because something can survive with only a small amount of food, it does not mean that it is the optimal condition. Animals should be fed as much as possible without them geting obese. This means that the animal is making the most effective use of food and energy.