Peach baby food

[shimbathesnake]

As anyone else here ever given thier Leo's Fruit Baby foods?

It's something I have never considered until i read it in a Gecko keeping book. It suggested using it as a monthly treat and a way of given them there Vit's

The one thing I do know now after trying it is that THEY LOVE IT!

I've given them it maybe 6 times in the last 24 months, just a tea spoon full each.

The book said that they would come across fallen fruits in the wild so it is a natural part of their Diet.

My Leos are over 8 years old and all looking good

What are your veiws??

Clem

[silke]

I tried different kinds of bb food and all they did was walk through it and make a huge mess
apricot, strawberry/banana, and ...some others

[shimbathesnake]

mine got spoon fed it, one Gecko tried to eat the Spoon!

[Sean_.E.]

I never knew you could give them baby food. Thats cool!

[Scotty Allen]

What book is it that reccomends fruit baby food for leopard geckos. Have I missed something?

[Linds]

I have never heard of this either. I would be hesitant to use it since their bodies are designed to process protein (meat), not carbs (fruit and veggies). There are many other geckos such as cresties, goldens, skunks, etc that enjoy fruit baby food as part of their diet, combined with insects as well, but their natural diet also includes some fruits and/or nectars, whereas leopards are insectivores/carnivores.

Originally posted by FlatwoundScotty
What book is it that reccomends fruit baby food for leopard geckos. Have I missed something?

I was asking myself the same thing...lol

[shimbathesnake]

I'll Find out the name of the Book that said about it. But I do clearly remember reading that Fruit is a natural (IF SMALL) part of their Diet.

I'm not saying that it should be a large part of thier weekly intake.

All it said was from time to time they come across fruit that has fallen and ripened in the wilds.

[Youkai]

I've read in a few publications (I'd have to do some digging to find them!) that leos, being opportunistic feeders, will consume fallen fruit they may come across in the wild. This happens only once in a great while.
I give mine some of the fruit mix I make for my cresteds MAYBE once every 4-6 weeks. They go absolutely insane for it.
Shimbathesnake was not implying it should be a huge part of their diet, or that everyone shout try it. Merely, that they do eat it when given the chance in the wild, and many also will in captivity.

[Scotty Allen]

Originally posted by Youkai

Shimbathesnake was not implying it should be a huge part of their diet, or that everyone shout try it. Merely, that they do eat it when given the chance in the wild, and many also will in captivity.

I don't think anyone thought that any implication was made. I myself am just curious to know the reference. Knowing that leopard geckos are found in rather arid, rocky areas, I don't see them happening upon much fallen fruit. Anything is possible though, He*l, I saw a garter snake eat a grape once.

[Youkai]

Perhaps not, but the way some people reacted it almost seemed like it was deemed a poison to their systems.

I'm going to search, and maybe ask the Gekkota listserve. I may have gotten something off of there from someone before.

[shimbathesnake]

It's ok Youkai, I did ask for views!

Remember not everone is well read, Its easy for me to read these things because I'm lucky enougth to have one of the largest collection of reptile book in the UK in my house.

I look after them for the South Western Herp soceity.

I Do know for a fact that there is a lot of nonsense in some of the books, Methods of hepetoculture is changing all the time. that's why things are living longer and breeding a lot more then they did a few years ago.

I read in a snake book "to feed a snake place a live rodent in it's cage last thing at night. We all now that Cr*p.

another book said ALL SNAKES under 3 feet should be force fed earth worms!

That's why peoples views NOW TODAY are important.

Clem

[silke]

FYI - Scotty Allen has the largest collection of herp books I have ever seen and has actually read them so the comment about "not everyone is well read" certainly does not apply to him.
I recommend you be more careful with your innuendos

[shimbathesnake]

No innuendos intended!

[DragnDrop]

Leos do find fruit in their natural habitat, but not 'fruit' as we think of it - apples and oranges. They find seed pods from succlents as an example (on this side of the pond it would be opuntia and the like). Then there's dates and figs that occur in their natural ranges, along with whatever fruit the humans living there eat. Nectar type fruits, as well as juicy seed pods (like opuntia) are one of the best treats going by the reactions of my leos. Opuntia slices as a treat works wonders to win their vote. Mine even go bonkers over yogurt (live culture). About once every 3-4 weeks I give the adults a yogurt or fruit treat and they love me forever.

Young leos are attracted to the maggots in rotting fruit. I use fruit fly maggots for premature or undersized hatchlings, they eat the worms and the fruit.

However, I wouldn't go so far as to imitate the natural diet too much - they are known to eat scorpions - I draw the line there

[Linds]

Originally posted by silke
I recommend you be more careful with your innuendos

My sentiments exactly...




I'm sure several people in here found the "not everyone is well read" remark to be somewhat insulting and condescending on one level or another...

I for one, have read alot. When reading you must keep in the back of your mind, however, that that book is one persons opinion. There is alot of BS out there, just because it is in a book is not to say it is the truth. There are still books out there saying iguanas need to eat gravel to digest their food

Are they opportunistic feeders? Yes. Ive even met someone who routinely fed their leopard gecko apples and grapes. Iguanas are vegetarians but will live (for how long?) on a meat-based diet. Opportunistic feeders in captivity aren't always oportunistic feeders in the wild.

I could be wrong, I haven't spent months tracking the geckos through Pakistan recording their eating habits. But I know there isn't a whole lot of peaches, grapes, and apples to be found natually in their environment

I apologize if any of that came across harshly, that was certainly not my intention