waxworms and gutloading!

Waxworms... cake for geckos?

Almost brought this up in the mealworm thread but didn't want to change the subject.

How often should geckos be allowed to have these? I've read so much about how geckos just looovvee them and I've actually never given any to mine. So today when I picked up some crickets and was browsing the fridge area I saw the waxworms and grabbed those over mealworms. 36 comes in a container. I separated them from the dish, gave them a potato slice to chew on and put 12 in her dish with a slice of potato. She ate 8 of them already! How long before I can give her more.. should she only have them once a month?

Also what is your opinions on good gutloading? I have bought the gel in the past but my crickets kept dying real fast.
I started using just vegetables and water with repto cal dusting. Potato is my preferred and reccomended from vet... any suggestions?

as to how often, if they are anything like my fish. i feed them treats that arnt really good for them but they love them once maybe twice a month. i would most likely see the same logic in reptiles.

as for gut loading.... him not sure... i do feed my fish darkling beetles (thats what mealworms turn into) and mealworms as treats and i never gut loaded them so i have no idea. all i did was have the mealworms in some oats and put a carrot in there every few days.

Ok oh my god... waaaaaay too many wax worms... 2-3 a week hon... you're leo will become a hopeless addict not to mention super chunk eating 12 in a sitting...

Next waxworms should be kept in the medium they came in. I don't believe gutloading is necessary. The substrait that comes in their cups is their food also. You'd have to buy more housing medium to "feed" them more. They'll last a couple/few weeks in that stuff. Just. Make sure their carton is ventilated stays cool. Also pretty sure their not suppose to be refrigerated.

As far as your cricket care, when my son raised them for his bufo we used flukers orange cubes and kept a couple toilet paper rolls in their keeper as well as a dish of gel water on occasion but the orange cubes are food and water in 1. The crickets exhale moisture so using the tp rolls (or egg carton bits) will absorb that so the crickets don't suffocate because the air is too damp. Almost like drowning really.

I've been putting a potato in with the mealworms because mine were eating each other! You don't keep that stuff in their food dish right?
She wasn't eating them fast enough and they ate each other -_-

These waxworms seemed to be in wood chips.. that is food for them?

Yep it seems like wood shaving sawdust but it should actually be a celluose based substrait with foods mixed in like wheat bran. You keep them in that. I'm gonna see if I can find that link I bookmarked on their care. That'll help

Whoa that seems like alot of wax worms! im not an expert by an means but i think around 1 waxy a week is about normal, unless your leo isnt eating and you need to entice him/her to eat or fatten them up a little

Hey

I thought I would link you to a little video clip of my leopard gecko munching on a waxworm they are the only things she will eat from the feeding tong thingies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8WBQoVRctI

wow is that not the most adorable thing ever?

thanks for the tips.. didn't know -_-

LOL mine love wax worms and would eat just them if I let them. I only buy them once a month, more often for gravid ladies. It is almost every leos favorites. Out of 33, I only have two that don't care for them.

I didn't know it was to the point of severely limiting them like that :/

I took the rest away from her after that binge -_-

She is probably none too happy with me now!

Awww poor deprived girl... she'll get over it... now ya know and she"l be able to enjoy them properly as a part of her diet rotation she may be none to thrilled but she'll live.

You know you can embed youtube video's within the post. I have done that now for you Sarah.
Juse use the video button above the post box, (i think its only in the advanced post editor) and paste the video url.

oh okay.. thanks Jordan

i would NOT use potatoes either for gutloading!!! they are proven to cause gout in geckos after a while. use carrots, cucumbers, and other greens. if you have any questions about the potatoes, email Thad at ohiogecko.com, he told me about this.it also causes the geckos belly(gut inside skin) to turn black and other health issues...

Gout is a build up of uric acid crystals in the joints... how do potatos contribute to uric acid? To prevent gout it is suggest to avoid Foods considered moderately high in purines. purines are found in all protein foods. Potato is NOT a protein food, it's a carb. Potatoes have not been isolated as a major, or even minor, cause of gout. Studies have shown that they are in fact fine to eat.