Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

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I use locusts
A couple of reasons, one being I only own two reps, another being I can get locusts fairly cheap and in decent numbers, even when shop bought
I can imagine if I ever get my hands on a baby beardie I'll feed it on crix though, obvious reasons
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1.0 Rankins
0.1 Leopard Gecko

[David Maguire]

i just use crix but am going to buy bulk and start breeding my own locusts
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Regards,
David

[captainmerkin]

[James]

my two leos seem to prefer locusts. there also easier to catch and dont make an annoying noise every 5 mins at night.

[David Maguire]

[amazoncat]

I'm really interested in what you've all experience as I have been thinking a lot recently about what is best to feed my now nearly full grown leopard gecko. He's always had what I think are 5th shed crickets, which is the biggest my local reptile shop sells but they seem quite small for him now and I don't really want to get black crickets partly because I'm a tiny bit of a wimp and they look creepy but also because I've read lots of things about them being generally nastier than brown crickets. Should I be feeding him bigger food? If so what's the best thing to be feeding?

I'd really appreciate advise on this.

Cat x
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stay undefeated - don't compete

[Dracowoman2]

Personally I HATE crickets!! My beardies get locusts as a treat every now and again, but in the main every gecko I own apart from one fat tail, is fed on mini mealworms, the beardies get them when they get a little bigger.

My cresties are terrified of crickets, but put a dish of mini mealies in their cage and it's like heathrow airport with the queuing to get to the dish!! I feed the mealies the cresties get the dry CGD in the bottom of the dish when I put it in the cage to keep them fed up, but before this they are gutloaded special powdered diet and cabbage.

All my leos are fed mini mealies which are fed a special powdered diet that I buy from our local rep shop that they make up themselves, and the leos grown like mad and devour them in mouthfuls

All my lot are happy and healthy, and the food doesn't escape out of the dish and attack the geckos or me during the night, they are also very much quieter
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire

[amazoncat]

Thanks for your reply - I have a couple of questions:

I have a vet friend who has recently attended lectures on exotics nutrition who has told me meal worms have a terrible calcium phosphorus ratio - how are you getting around this if you're using them all the time? As far as I'm aware (and I really don't know that much) supplements wouldn't go far enough to rectify this imbalance.
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stay undefeated - don't compete

[Dracowoman2]

I get round it in a couple of ways, the powdered food that the mealworms are being regularly fed on contain, amongst other things calcium, along with natural antibiotics like spirulina etc. They are fed this diet along with veg, and I make sure that they dish that they mealworms is in in with my geckos etc contains a small amount of this food, so all the while they are in with my animals they will be constantly eat it before they get eaten. The mealies the cresties get also have a small amount of CGD (crested gecko diet) in with them as well.

I also treat the mealies that my fat tails and leopard geckos get with Leopard gecko dust, and the geckos have a small dish of pure calcium powder in their enclosures as they will self medicate and eat additional calcium as and when they need it. My Gehyras also get theirs dusted with a little calcium powder each feed and vitamins twice a week. During breeding seasons my female fat tails and leos are also offered pinkie mice once a week, as it's at this time that they can suffer from calcium crash more than any other time.

I like many other breeders and keepers find that feeding mealworms is a very practical and healthy food source for geckos, and all my geckos grow like weeds and are very healthy. I think the rule of thumb is to make sure that you mealworms eat as well as if not better than you do

Hope that helps to alleviate some of your concerns
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www.draco2.co.uk

"Life without animals isn't life, they give much and take little"

Claire