Feeding questions

[Immy]

Do I have to keep a bunch of crickets in my room so they can 'gutload' with a bunch of veggies or when I go to a pet store do they already do that for you? Or is powdering with them with the calcium/vitamin supplement just as good? Do you powder the crickets everytime you feed geckos? Do you feed everyday? Do you powder them when they're alive? Sorry for these questions, I just need to know by today. If anyone out there that can tell me everything I need to know pertaining to feeding leos, I would have your everlasting gratitude. Thanks!

[Immy]

Also I bought calcium with vit D3 at petsmart. That store sucks, because they don't have much of a selection. Is that ok to use? or does It have to be plain calcium? I also, don't know where to get live mealworms.

[Clementine_3]

Petco and PetSmart should have mealworms, you probably have to ask for them though as they keep them in the back in the fridge.
You do have to gutload your crickets, I make my own out of rolled oats, wheat bran, flax, dry milk, and baby rice cereal...the more good stuff you add the better your Leo's will be. I grind all that up pretty fine and leave a little baby food jar cap in for the crickets to munch on, I keep a chopped up carrot in with them too for moisture.
Baby/juvies should be feed dusted crickets (or worms, roaches...whatever they are eating) every day. I used pure calcium 5 days a week, calcium w/D3 1 day and vitamins/minerals 1 day. My guys are all adults now and don't eat every day but I dust with vit/min's and D3 a few times a month and leave a cap of pure calcium in their tanks all the time for them to lick (you should do that no matter the age anyway).
Yes...you powder them when they are alive...I don't understand though, are you killing them before feeding your geckos? They can (and prefer) to eat them alive.
Try to find some pure calcium, don't give them the D3 more than twice a week...too much of that is really not good for them.

[Immy]

Yes...you powder them when they are alive...I don't understand though, are you killing them before feeding your geckos? They can (and prefer) to eat them alive.

No, I don't have the gecko yet. This is going to be my first time owning one. I just was making sure what you should do.

Try to find some pure calcium, don't give them the D3 more than twice a week...too much of that is really not good for them.

Where can I find some really good pure calcium, petsmart only has Rep-Cal calcium w/ d3 and that herptivite to go with it. What do you use and where dis you get it?

Thanks for everything btw!

[Clementine_3]

I use Rep-Cal and I did get it online (along with the Rep-Cal w/D3 and Herptivite). It can be tricky to find in stores sometimes. I have seen JurassiCal in my Petco though, not on a regular basis, but that would be fine too (as long as it's pure calcium). What you can do in the meantime though is get a cuttle bone and grind it up, they are pretty soft and easy to make into a powder.

Crickets are a pain to keep, is that what he is eating now? You can breed your own mealworms rather easily or try superworms, my guys LOVE superworms! I see you are thinking about roaches too, they are easy to keep. My guys did not like them and wouldn't even try them! Silly geckos.

[zackw419]

Do I have to keep a bunch of crickets in my room so they can 'gutload' with a bunch of veggies or when I go to a pet store do they already do that for you? Or is powdering with them with the calcium/vitamin supplement just as good? Do you powder the crickets everytime you feed geckos? Do you feed everyday? Do you powder them when they're alive? Sorry for these questions, I just need to know by today. If anyone out there that can tell me everything I need to know pertaining to feeding leos, I would have your everlasting gratitude. Thanks!

The pet-store does not gut-load the crickets for you. I would suggest going to the super market and getting a good variety of high nutrition veggies. Lettuce and potato's are mainly used for a water source because they don't give crickets hardly any nutrition. I gut load with squash, spinach, tomatoes, apples, grapes, etc. The more the better. Gutloading is a process that only needs to be done about an hour before the crickets are fed off (as I mentioned in your other thread). I also mentioned how I gut-load in your other thread. Dusting your crickets with powder will definitely not work well as a substitute to gut-loading. You can powder your crickets along with gut-loading but gut-loading alone is really all you need to do. Use the powders sparingly, not everyday, I'd say like once a week.

I don't own leo's so I can't really tell you much on how often you should feed them.

[wafisherman]

I feed mine dubia roaches and super worms. They love them both. But they are not great hunters and I typically have to hand feed (tongs) or else I end up with bugs running loose and hiding in the cage. Supers end up turning into beetles - had a few do that. The nice thing about dubias is that they are quiet and won't chew up your lizard like a cricket might. So I don't mind a few of them loose. Gives the geckos something to chase at night. I lure them out with a little food sprinkled on the floor near the leo hide spot.

[blackcrystal22]

I recommend phoenix worms, mealworms, and occasional waxworms. I hate crickets, but if you use them you do have to gutload them and calcium dust them. Phoenix worms have the good source of calcium and other nutrients that they need so they need no gut loading or calcium dusting.

After feeding only phoenix worms I noticed my leo wasn't as full as I wanted her so I mixed in some higher fat worms like mealworms and waxworms and her colors and size have increased two-fold!
Crickets can be scary bitey too. So don't leave them in there, make sure that they eat all of them.

[blackcrystal22]

Also I bought calcium with vit D3 at petsmart. That store sucks, because they don't have much of a selection. Is that ok to use? or does It have to be plain calcium? I also, don't know where to get live mealworms.

You can order phoenix worms and mealworms online without a large price on shipping or anything. My Leo adores mealworms.
Ask, they will often have them in the back of petstores. I've gotten mealworms, superworms and waxworms at petsmart.