Recomended Time To Give Leo Pinkies?

[PDDM]

Well me being 14 and the pinky(big pet center) store being 4 towns away mymom brought me...i wanted a pinky since my leo is gonna lay soon an supposedly the pinky has alot of calcium(bones) but the guy said my leo shouldnt have pinkies till its a year of age,now this guy also recomended cali sand to my mom. And He also recomended me buying crix and then when i protested that i dont feed my leo crix since its on sand he said the leo can digest the sand...ugh idiot money-makers...Anyways my leos 21 cms and i wanna make sure my this guys giving correct info on the pinky oh and note i wouldve gotten one smaller then my leos head.

[Matt.B]

Never

[Tim and Julie B]

Pinkies are a poor source of anything. They are too high in proteins and fat to feed to leos. I would suggest never giving your leo any. If you really insist on it, just be sure it's not too big(as you've said) and only once or twice a year as a treat. If she is a breeding female just stick with the calcium in a dish and dust her mealies too. Remember though, it is possible for them to get too much calcium/D3.

Julie

[PDDM]

Tim n Julie...you said on another of my topics i shouldnt have calcium and UV light at the same time...is it really bad to have the 2 together?

[Tim and Julie B]

Yes, it is very bad. You could overdose the D3. It can very easily result in a dead gecko. All you need to do is provide a regular bulb because leos are nocturnal. This way they will have a normal day and night cycle.

Julie

[PDDM]

Ok...well exactly whats the difference between the UVA and UVB rays?also...after my leo lays can i use the light instead of calcium vit d3???And after instead use a supplement without vit d3 can they still OD on calcium And UV but the calcium has no vit d3???

[Tim and Julie B]

There is no point in using a UV light because leos are nocturnal. This means they only come out at night, or most often come out at night. They do not bask in sunlight (which the UV light simulates) so they are useless with them. If you want lots of info on the UVA and UVB stuff go through Yahoo. You'll find tons of info that way:D

Julie

[PDDM]

Well i mean i have the moonlight purple bulbs from exo terra---and oops waot i feel dumb now no where does it say it gives off Uv oops lol hehe...well i use that bulb for night viewing ok sry lol no more UV...oh yeah and on that topic my leo has stopped eating alot now...laying time is soon that means!Yay...did you check my thread seeing her stomach yet?

[Reptile Kings]

Back to the pinkie question. I feed my female breeders pinkies about one pinky after each clutch of eggs for 5 yrs now, and absolutely no problems have come out of it. I find they are absolutely great in putting the weight back on the breeding female after laying a clutch. I receive more clutches in the season compared to breeding females that weren't fed pinkies.
If the mice colony's enclosure is kept clean and disinfected regularly the chance of parasites and pathogens will be greatly reduced.
Many breeders feed pinkies to their female breeders while some don't. Up to your personal preference really.
Regards,
-Sam

[Ixidor]

"i wanted a pinky since my leo is gonna lay soon an "
then you say
"[/QUOTE] "but the guy said my leo shouldnt have pinkies till its a year of age"

You are breeding leos under a year ? I'm pretty sure that it can be harmful to their health if there under a year

[DragnDrop]

Pinkies are excellent food IN MODERATION. They're not meant as a staple diet, but there's a time and place for them in an adult leo's diet. Adult females benefit from a pinky once in a while when breeding. Even reputable 'big name' breeders will feed them to their breeding females. Like Reptile Kings, I feed a small pinky to my females after each clutch of eggs. They don't get any the rest of the year. Males don't get any, their part of the reproductive process isn't too demanding on their bodies.

Julie, what do you mean by
Pinkies are a poor source of anything.

Poor source of nutrition? Pinkies are packed with good stuff for the size of the 'meal'. They can be excessively fatty if fed too often, that's why there's always a warning of moderation when feeding them to geckos, but as far as being a source of various important nutrients, they are excellent.

[PDDM]

You are breeding leos under a year ? I'm pretty sure that it can be harmful to their health if there under a year [/B][/QUOTE]

Remember Ixidor i never said i was breeding her and i never said her eggs were fertile...so far as of now im 99.9% sure there unfertile shes just laying unfertile eggs...also i think i might buy her a 1 inch long half and inch wide pinky when she lays...

On the topic how do they kill pinkies...ive wondered...im only 14 so i dont know too much :rolleyes: but how do they do it???Im asking because i did try to feed her a pinky two months back...i used metal tweezers to hold it. My leo went for it...it had it in its mouth for a few seconds then dropped it....the mouse bled...alot for a little thing...i cleaned the cage after that and i threw the pinky out....this time around i wont use tweezers though.

[little_dragon_]

How about giving her a nice fat silkie dusted with calcium, I just feed my leo's some...very good protein!! pinkies are good too they squirm a lot which attracts the leo's. Wiggle it with your fingers if it's dead your leo will most likely eat it. (My Leos don't accept pinkies they rip them a part but won't eat them.) make sure it's room temperature, complettly defrosted!! Goodluck.

I'd recommend silk worms though

[PDDM]

lil dragon yeah mine does the same the first time i gaver one she bit on it but then dropped it...silk worms yeah they look huge bigger then pinkies...can anyone gimme the nutritional value of these ugly sticking on to everything things?yeah ill probably use sikies...but how much is too much?

[Matt.B]

Silkies are the best feeder on the market right now high protien high calcium but expensive to feed.
Matt

[PDDM]

hmm i get 1 for a dollar here ver very easy too get too...i just hate how they stick...too everything!oh well my leo like silkies anyway around when i first got her i left a big 2.5 incher in her mealie plate...gone not a a crumb left :D so i think ill buy 2 asap....also like i said how much....is too much?

[Matt.B]

They cost a dollar each? holly **** you have a over pricing pet store!!!!! I can get them at a pet store for 25 cents and from a breeder for 12 cents!!!
Matt

[PDDM]

yes but unfotunately its the only one that has good stuff in quebec everything is overpriced and nothing is a-quality normal trwempers here are 160 blizzards are 130 leutistics are 130 oh and hatchling are same price as adults!yeah also 12 crix for 2.50$ thats why i use acolong of mealies

[Reptile Kings]

Pet stores here charge .80centsCAN for silkies, you can buy them online for much cheaper.
Check out www.canadianfeeders.com I'm pretty sure he ships out your way.
In regards to the pinkies, just put one in your geckos enclosure, it'll wiggle around, which'll attract your gecko, she'll bite down on it, and eventually gobble it up. The pinky has to be smaller than the geckos head.
They have a lot of goodies within them that are beneficial to geckos. However as Hilde mentioned feed in moderation.
I don't feed my males any either. They're already HUGE being fed mealies.
-Sam

[Tim and Julie B]

I did say only once or twice a year:D which is certainly moderation.

Perhaps I should rephrase "Pinkies are a poor source of anything." and simply say that they are a poor source of balanced nutrition and are uneccessary in a leos diet as they are too high in protiens and fat, which makes them harder to digest than many other valuable food sources.

I too used to feed them to my breeding females, so don't count me out as having experience in the matter:D. It really isn't a biased opinion or anything either. And yes, the females certainly kept their weight up, but I have had even better results with a combination of silkies, butters and kings or supers. I think (IMO) that I would rather have my females maintain an optimum weight year round using a varied diet than to try to add extra weight when breeding. Not to say it's right or wrong either way. I never experienced any problems with the pinkies either.

Anyways, I'd just like to say I don't think anyone was right or wrong in their opinions, myself included. I'm glad to see some differing opinions in this forum, usually it's so passive in here! LOL

Julie

[PDDM]

Well im going to the store tomorrow to get 1 pinky and 2 silk worms...maybe more i really want my leo not to be skinny after she lays....also how grams do your females lose after laying?