arg!

[snakehunter]

i am really interested in getting a leo. the only prob. is is that my mom will not let me own a herp that eats bugs (i have 2 bps, and breed mice.........wtf) anywho, i saw that zoo med has that can 'o' bugs line, and i was wondering if you guys like/dislike this product. any info would be great thanx
-Jacob

[Neo]

leos will usually only go for food that moves.. isnt can 'o' bugs a can of dead bugs?

[J-Man]

talk to your mom about meal worms maybe? Though i'm not sure if they're a good staple diet. Explain to her about silkworms too....

[Pixie]

I have heard that some have been able to convert their leos to dead bugs from a can. You can't count on this happening though, so you have to be able to provide some live food.

I feed all my leos a diet consisting of a variety of worms. None of them has even seen a cricket while in my care and all are very healthy. I use mealworms as a staple but supplement with other worms often like: silkworms, butterworms and waxworms. Those who take a pinky mouse will have one every few weeks.

Good luck,
Pixie

[HeatherRose]

You can get those vibrating dishes that make the food look alive :P I'm not sure if they work though ;)

[Clownfishie]

I wouldn't count on your leo taking those freeze dried bugs... they generally only take food that's moving. However mealworms (etc) are a great alternative to crickets as a staple diet -- they don't escape, they don't make noise, and they don't stink. LOL... My leos are all fed a diet of mealworms as a staple, with a few other types of worms & the occasional cricket as a treat.

Good luck with your mom! Hopefully you can convince her that mealworms are ok :)
Jen

[Neo]

it's a risk if your only feeder option is a mealie though cause leos can go on random hunger strikes and demand variety.. talk it over w/ your mom.. i have an almost fool proofed way of getting crickets from a bag to a container to the dusting to the cage w/o chance of escape.. be inventive :P

[Mr. Gray]

yeah, i'm with neo on this one. basically come up with a good method that is virtually foolproof. I keep my crickets in the garage, and when i need to feed my geckos, i put them in a small plastic container with a lid and breathign holes, and take them upstairs to and dump the things in. Works like a charm. Or you could try to hide the crickets, lol but that would be bad if she found out.

[striko_69]

i used to feed mine on a staple diet of white mealworms, but try to feed them when they are white

[wyz]

You can feed them frozen criquets... buy live ones and freeze them.. I bought one of my adult females from a guy who was feeding her that way, she was healthy.

You can also, feed it frozen pinkies, I ve heard of some people feeding their leos only with pinky without getting them to be too fat lke everybody says.

Its worth a try..

WYZ

[Linds]

Don't count on your leo taking to dead prey. It can be difficult to say the least, as most only respond to motion. Maybe try to explain to your mom about worms? They don't carry the escape or noise factor that the crickets and such do. I hate crickets and rarely ever feed them to my leos. They get a staple of superworms and are given mealies, silkies, and waxies from time to time.

Originally posted by wyz

You can also, feed it frozen pinkies, I ve heard of some people feeding their leos only with pinky without getting them to be too fat lke everybody says.


No no no. They may not be fat on the outside, but they can and most likely will develop fat around their organs, and can get certain conditions such as fatty liver disease. Symptoms may not show for years, by then it may be too late. Pinkies should only be a very occassional treat. Their systems are not designed for such a high fat diet, they need a lot more roughage.

[eyespy]

I agree with Linds on that one. Fatty liver disease is the leading medical cause of death in captive leos, and is usually quite preventable. Too rich a diet and not enough fiber is the primary cause. Inbreeding can also lead to fatty liver disease but those animals seldom live past 2 years old. Most of the time the disease is totally preventable.

Mealworms are also a prime culprit in fatty liver disease. The proteins in mealworms are mainly hardened by melanin and tough to digest so most of the nutrition that leos actually extract is fat. That helps them grow and develop muscles more quickly and lots of folks get fooled into thinking their leos are thriving on mealworms but longerm a mealworm-heavy diet often leads to a premature death.

[RepTylE]

Wow, your mom has no problem with you having snakes but having a lizard that eats bugs is a no no??? That's a first. lol.
I haven't tried that can 'o' bugs stuff.
I feed crix and mealies to my leos and frogeyes and they won't eat aything that isn't moving at least from all I've seen.

[damzookeeper]

My leos diet is pretty much the same as pixie's leos diet. But mine get crickets a couple times a month and not butterworms, just cuz they are hard to get around here and more expensive than silkies for the size.
Tell your mom mealies aren't that bad. I didn't like them at first, now I can scoup up hand fulls without scwerming. lol