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Feeder Insects for Leopard Geckos?
I'm getting a Leopard Gecko, however I'm not sure what feeder insect is best for it. Crickets seem like an obvious choice, but, apparently they have almost no nutrients and are hard to breed. Roaches seem like they will breed to fast (I'm only getting one Gecko, for now at least) and are too expensive to buy on a regular basis. I hear Mealworms can cause impaction, and Waxworms, Butterworms and Superworms are far too fatty to be a staple. Maggots are also a bit too fatty. The only one I'm not sure of is Isopods.
What do you think? How much of this is true? Of course, I'd feed my gecko more than one thing, I'm just trying to find a staple.
Ok, thanks! While I'm still not completely sure, and I'm going to ask some more people for their opinions, I'm now leaning strongly towards crickets. The only problem is I'm getting a young Leopard Gecko, so I'm worried that the Crickets will mature too fast. The Petshop is a few miles away, so I only get there every few weeks...
6 Answers
- kouneliLv 79 years ago
Honestly, dubia roaches are best as far as nutrition goes. They don't breed unless they have warm temperatures between 85-95*F. IF they do breed, you can always sell off the extras. They also don't escape as easily as crickets do. They aren't as messy as crickets. Only reason why I don't feed them to my geckos is because I can't stand roaches in general.
Mealworms do not cause impaction unless you have a sick gecko to begin with.
Crickets aren't difficult to breed....I actually have to change out my laybox every-so-often to get rid of the pinheads that pop up in there...and I don't even try.
- ?Lv 59 years ago
Crickets are best. The trick with crickets is to feel them a good quality food (called gut-loading) which adds the essential things that the crickets need.
Also I like to dust mine with Calcium powder before tossing them in.
I have a pair of cricket keepers and I buy them in batches. One is the batch I'm feeding, the other is the batch that's getting fed. When one runs out I'll buy more and make them the ones I'm feeding.
A mix is a good thing, but crickets are the easiest and the healthiest to feed Leopards. They also add enrichment by making the gecko have to hunt his meal.
- 9 years ago
For leopard geckos crickets are most always the way to go. Easy as pie to breed, and with either gut load (cricket jello drink with calcium, use while breeding or storing) or calcium powder, and as always calcium fortified sand, they will live healthy for as long as they're around.
It's the shells on these worms that cause issues, make sure they're sized right and you are sparing with them though.
Once he eats some age on him, you'll find out it'll most always be crickets with pinkies once or twice a month for a treat.
- spider pig!!!1Lv 79 years ago
honestly get dubia roaches. they will only breed fast if they are kept warm, over 80 and you have alot of adults. im not sure where you can get them from america, but im from the uk and i order mine from
www.roachcolony.com
they sell them in bulk packs. the smallest you can get is a pack of 30 which is £3.60 for 30 small, £5.00 for 30 medium and £10.50 for 30 large. they also come in packs of 50, 100 and 200 and you can buy single adults
- ?Lv 45 years ago
Phoenix worms (good staple) Butter worms (deal with, like wax worms) Tropical roaches (Dubias, Blaberus, and so forth--just right staple). Silk worms (excellent staple) Horn worms (nice occasional meals, like mealworms--simplest these raised as feeders are dependable, tomato plants are poisonous) Superworms (smaller ones).
- 9 years ago
dont listen to people who say mealworms impact them ron tremper the godfather of all domesticated leopard geckos solely feeds his mealworms and has been doing it for 30 plus years dont believe me look up leopardgecko.com
Source(s): general knowledge