Varying diet

[MartinW]

I was wondering why is it so important to vary a leo's diet. Is it to get them healthier? In that case, wouldn't it be more effective to vary the gut loading instead of the type of insect?

Martin

[Bartman]

varying both is just better..they get a wide variety of the different nutrients and vitamis they need to grow even more healthy. Its also just for the fact that i doubt anyone here would wanna eat the same food everyday over and over and over again. Giving them a variety is good for there physical and mental state.

[Neo]

different insects have different 'properties'. mealworms are very high in some nutritional value but very low in others while butter worms are extremely high in calcium, fat and moisture. and yeah, like bartman said sometimes they just get stubborn..

[Tim and Julie B]

Every feeder insect has different nutritional value. Also, each gut loads differently too. Some are fattier, some have more protein and some have more minerals. So, in order to keep your leos healthy you need to vary things just like the diet of many other reptiles.

Julie

[MartinW]

I'm hoping to get away from crickets. Would mealies with some waxworms once in a while be good?

Martin

[Colonel SB]

Yes but there is nothing wrong with crickets with properly gut loaded. Variety is the spice of like as they say...So offer your geckos as many different types of food that you can!

Mine get Crickets, Meal Worms (giant & small), Wax Worms, Butter Worms, Silk Worms...Plus they also get some other inscets that my father breeds.

[Samba]

Think about it this way, Martin: In the wild leopard geckos don't just eat one type of food... they eat many. These items are always gut-loaded with whatever the insect has been eating, making them better for the leo. Feeding a starved cricket or mealworm to your leo isn't going to be very helpful in maintaining your leo's health. Vary the diet, gut-load the insects, and suppliment with vitamins and calcium. The leos will be better off for it.

On another note, as Bartman mentioned above, YOU wouldn't want to eat the same things day in and day out. My leo, Girl, will get 'bored' with her food if I offer too much of the same thing. She will get so tired of it that she will refuse to eat until a different item has been offered.

If you want to get away from crickets, (you didn't mention WHY), but I suspect maybe you don't like handling them, try this: Before offering to your gecko, put the bag into the freezer for approximately 20 seconds. This 'puts the crickets to sleep' temporarily. While they are 'asleep', pour them into a clean butter bowl or critter keeper and add suppliments. Shake them lightly, then pour them into your leo's bowl. The crickets will begin waking up shortly after, then your leo will probably notice them and begin eating. This is the way I deal with them, I'm not very fond of crickets myself. Hope this helps!

[Alicewave]

Ack I could go on and on about why I don't like crickets, they're hard to catch, they smell, they die really fast, etc etc. But that's a great suggestion about the freezer. I may have to try that.

[Icefire]

well I dislike cricket myself...
will all the cuty I got, I buy 1000 cricket once each 3-4 weeks
about 20-30% die even with losta hide, water and food

worms like wax worms would be a better solution at my oppinion..
I know they are suposed to be fatier, but I'm sure it would be better to give wax once a week than mice evey week (for female to gain weight for breeding etc.) I dust all feeding lightly with reptivive, and I'm planning to get some Silkworms to breed (if I can get my damn order soon lol)

if anyone ever breeded Silkwork could give me some advice (food etc..) would be appreciated

about cost.. 1000 cricket I get them at 33$cdn, 1000 wax I could get them at about 22$ cdn if I order great quantity, silks are about 100$cdn for 1000 (0.5inch)

mealies... I only gave that once to my gecko, they probably cost less than all those crawlers but I'm sure their in not big food in that

wax can be keeps for months in the fridge,
I kept 25 mealies in a criper keeper in my room with no food no water for 1 month with 2 death ( THATS hardy lol)

so anyone have toughts about getting a good diet that wont cost me as much as silk and that could keep me far from crickets?

(they smell, I dont like bugs much and once they are in the house.. hard to get your hand on them :P)

[Alicewave]

I'm not sure if I totally understood your post but mealies can be kept in the fridge so they last longer. To gutlaod them just throw some wheatgerm, or bran and some fish food in with them and carrot slices for moisture. make sure to take them out of the fridge for one day a week so they can eat.

[Big AL]

Well lets see.....first Silkworms eat mullberry leaves so if you dont have a mullberry tree dont bother trying to breed them. Some breeders will sell you a silkworm food but the cost involved isnt worth it. But, silkworms are probably the best food you could feed your herps....just too expensive! Second many people feed their Leos meal worms or superworms as their main staple diet. Wax worms are too fatty and should only be an occasional treat. Mealworms can be kept in the fridge like Alicewave said. Superworms are kept at room temperature like crickets would be. I would still offer crickets a couple times a week for variety plus it gives them a reason to be active. They are good little hunters! Also if you are having that many cricket deaths you may want to change the way you keep them. I go through that many with maybe 10 deaths out of my 1000. Are you buying full size? You should get 1/2 or 3/4 size so they last longer. They only live about 8 weeks and the full size ones are about 6 weeks old when you get them.