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| trex |
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| Juvie |
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| Joined: Aug 03, 2007 |
| Posts: 112 |
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Post subject: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 24, 2008 - 06:15 PM
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after a whole year almost of planning i finally decided on getting a young leopard gecko sometime this summer
for my question:
what is the best staple feeder besides crickets? i really dont like crickets because of their hassle in taking care of them, please keep in mind that i am planning to use this staple throughout the leos lifetime
i have read numerous websites praising the phoenix worms because of their high amts of calcium and protein and ive always wondered if they would be even better than crickets.
what aout mealworms and superworms?
if you guys can help me out, i would highly appreciate it thanks alot |
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| SL11 |
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| Joined: Sep 17, 2007 |
| Posts: 90 |
| Location: Ontario, Canada |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 24, 2008 - 07:49 PM
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| i use mealworms. easy and quiet, and i've had no problems with my leo not eating them. although..i have not tried phoenix worms. |
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| LittleLouie |
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| Joined: Jan 21, 2006 |
| Posts: 1816 |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 24, 2008 - 08:49 PM
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I give in to my leo's cricket preference. My other leo prefers superworms.
Mealworms are easy to care for, and make a good staple for those whose leos will eat them.
Superworm care is similar to meal worm care, but supers are a bit wigglier than mealies, and so will be more attractive to young leos. Leos tend to love or hate supers.
Phoenix worms, silk worms, butter worms, and roaches are also suppose to be good staple diets for leos, though I have not tried any of them yet, and don't know much about their food value or care. Maybe some day 
Wax worms should NOT be used as a staple, as they are high in fat, and can lead to fatty liver disease.
The overall consensus is that a varied diet is better than offering only one insect to your leos. Another thing to take into consideration is your leo's preferences. Some simply won't eat certain insects. |
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| trex |
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| Juvie |
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| Joined: Aug 03, 2007 |
| Posts: 112 |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 24, 2008 - 08:59 PM
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can a young leo eat a superworm? (they seem so big to me)
is it ok for a leo to eat mealworms its whole life supplemented with phoenix's/supers? (or the other way around?) |
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| LittleLouie |
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| Joined: Jan 21, 2006 |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 24, 2008 - 09:29 PM
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Any of the above mentioned worms (other than wax worms) can be used as a staple.
I forgot about locust, which I have heard are also a good feeder insect for those who can get them.
Any feeder insect should be dusted with pure calcium, multivitamin, and d3 dust on a regular schedule. |
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| LittleLouie |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 24, 2008 - 09:34 PM
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Any of the above mentioned worms (other than wax worms) can be used as a staple.
I forgot about locust, which I have heard are also a good feeder insect for those who can get them.
Any feeder insect should be dusted with pure calcium, multivitamin, and d3 dust on a regular schedule.
As far as insect sizes go, it is generally recommended as follows:
crickets, roaches and locust-about as long as the leo's head is wide
meal worms and super worms (thin worms)- 1 1/2 the length of the leo's head
Other worms (fat worms) - no longer than the leo's head
note: I've only fed crickets, supers, and mealies, so I'm not sure how the other worms compare as far as thick/thin goes. also, this is just a rough guide. A tad bigger or smaller should be just fine for your leo 
Hope this helps. |
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| unrealjill |
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| Joined: Jun 01, 2005 |
| Posts: 1977 |
| Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 25, 2008 - 02:33 PM
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| A wee note to add on about phoenix worms (or calci-grubs as they are called in the UK): you have no need to worry about the size of them! lol they are tiny, even the large size is no longer than a mini mealworm. If you can get your leo to eat them they do claim to be higher in calcium than other feeders but they have a rep as being the marmite of the reptile world - they are either loved or hated. My experience (with the few that like them) is that they aren't worth the money. So long as you have well gutloaded mealworms and crickets and a good dusting schedule you will get great sized leos. Every once in a while throw in a pot of something different (silkworms/phoenix worms/butterworms/etc) to give some variety and you'll wind up with one happy leo. |
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Jill
"It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." Joseph Joubert
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| trex |
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| Juvie |
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| Joined: Aug 03, 2007 |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 25, 2008 - 03:48 PM
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so seeing from all these opinions and regarding my title of the post
im guessing that mealworms and small supers are my best bet? (how do i gutload these?) |
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| LittleLouie |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 25, 2008 - 09:15 PM
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You can either buy a worm gutload, (I've heard lots of good things about Cricketfood's stuff) or you can make your own.
I make mine out of:
rolled seven grain (kind of like rolled oats, and rolled oats will work just fine)
alfalfa
dandilion greens (I pick, wash, and dry my own from our property so I know that no pesticides have been near them) raw, unsalted mixed nuts
dry dogfood that has corn as the third or later ingredient
powdered milk
pollen
spirulina.
I am currently using this to feed all my insects, but I think I will be making some slight changes when I make the next batches. The crickets will have more dog food, powdered milk, and greens. The worms will have more rolled oats and nuts. I am deciding this based on what they tend to eat and leave in their current mixture.
They all get fresh vegetables and fruits at least twice a week; more often if I notice that their fresh stuff is dry or is starting to spoil. To keep the fresh stuff from causing the bedding to spoil, I always lay it on top of a paper towel or egg carton. Even the worms will find their way to the fresh stuff and put it to use quite quickly. |
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| unrealjill |
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| Joined: Jun 01, 2005 |
| Posts: 1977 |
| Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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Post subject: RE: best staple feeder for leos other than crickets
Posted: Mar 26, 2008 - 04:41 AM
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I'm with LL on the homemade gutload - I've been using my own for 18 months now and would never go back to pre-bought stuff again. The feeders look healthier (don't ask me how a bug can look healthy, just try it and you'll see what I mean!).
As for which is better - a lot of people on here prefer mealworms and supers because they HATE crickets. I know I do... I only keep them for the cresties and steno. Worms are just easier for me - they don't escape, they don't make as much noise, etc. In terms of which is better, tbh, they are much a muchness... there is little between them in terms of nutrition so i comes down to the preference of the owner (and also of the leos, you may find that your leo won't touch worms.... some are just like that). |
_________________
Jill
"It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." Joseph Joubert
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| trex |
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| Juvie |
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Post subject:
Posted: Mar 26, 2008 - 03:40 PM
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littlelouie and unrealjill: is it ok if i keep my mealworms on a fishflake food bedding? then they can have nutrition?
and if i am going to take them out for 1 day to gutload, how am i suppsoed to know when im suppsoed to put them back in for the fridge? |
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| unrealjill |
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| Adult |
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| Joined: Jun 01, 2005 |
| Posts: 1977 |
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Post subject:
Posted: Mar 26, 2008 - 05:11 PM
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Feeding them fish food is an old method which, in my understanding, is a bad idea as the make up of the food isn't suitable for reptile feeders. If you don't want to make your own gutload buy one of the prebought ones for reptile feeders... they are designed to be balanced to pass on the right nutrition to the gecko.
You only take out what you are going to use the following night so they won't be going back into the fridge... say your leo eats 10 mealies a night, 24 hours before you feed the leo you take 10 mealies out the fridge and put them in some gutload. They don't go back in the fridge unless the leo eats less than expected, then the excess goes back in. |
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Jill
"It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." Joseph Joubert
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| trex |
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| Juvie |
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| Joined: Aug 03, 2007 |
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Post subject:
Posted: Mar 26, 2008 - 08:09 PM
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i want to try a DIY gutload but im not sure if i can get all the materials you guys have mentioned, are there any simpler recipes? [is raising crickets on fish flakes bad? i see them gobble the flakes alot]
oh ok |
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| LittleLouie |
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| Adult |
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Post subject:
Posted: Mar 26, 2008 - 11:57 PM
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Here is Dr. Gecko's page on gutloading insects. I got a lot of my ideas from here, and added stuff I heard in other places was good that I could get ahold of easily, and dropped things that were more difficult to obtain. This is not the exact recipe that I use, but it is a very good place to start from!
Basically, start with a rolled oat base, and get as many of the other natural ingredients as you can. The more you are able to add to the mix, the healthier your mix will be. If the stuff has chemicals added for fish color, or hair balls, or other health concerns for specific species, you probably want to avoid that product. Also try to have balance, with some grain, protein, and vegetable. |
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Whatever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, praiseworthy:
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| Jon_shep |
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| Joined: Mar 25, 2008 |
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Post subject:
Posted: Mar 27, 2008 - 08:22 AM
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| Here in England i use a combo of crickets,locust and mealworms...variety is the spice of life |
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