New leo owner in need of advice please

Five waxies?! That's a bit too much.... But as for feeding, let her eat as much as she wants. Four crickets every other day isn't enough even for my juvenile leopard gecko.

To give you an idea on what my juvenile eats (only 5-6 months old), he can hork down almost 20 regular sized mealworms.

Every food item should be gutloaded to give your leo extra nutrients. If you don't have them gutloaded right now, it's okay. Let her eat her fill while you gutload for tomorrow.

I actually prefer using mealworms over crickets...less chance for parasites, cleaner, less smell, less chance of a feeder bite...But again, let her eat what she likes for now (not waxies she's had enough for the week!)

If you could also take a picture, we can tell you if she might be underweight or not.

Thank you Tsuhei!

I appreciate the advice! She ate mealworms without hesistation and I think I would rather feed mealworms than crickets anyhow. How do you go about gutloading the mealies? The ones I bought are refridgerated. I will upload a pic as soon as I have a chance. I can tell you that she's much skinnier than the gecko pics I see here. Also, how many waxworms and how often, I know they're very fatty but I am trying to fatten her up a bit...

Thank you SO very much for your advice!

Desiree

Glad to hear she's chowing down. In order to gutload mealies, I use carrots. I dump the mealies and their substrate into a bigger container (tupperware) and then cut a few baby carrots in half (or a 1-2 inch segment cut in half of a regular sized carrot) and place it on the substrate. Keep them warm while you gutload or else they won't eat as much carrot.

I usually let them go at it for 24 hours and pick out the ones I wanna feed to my leopard gecko...then I remove the carrot and place the container back in the fridge. Their system slows down so they should still have carrot in their system for a day or so in the fridge. Rinse and repeat.

As for waxies...I try not to feed at all, but when I did, it was maybe 2 a week? Waxworms are like candy...they'll become addicted to them and start to only accept waxies...so if you want to feed them, do it sparingly.

Welcome to the forum Desiree!

Cerra (Tsuhei) has answered all your questions wonderfully.

Waxworms are very VERY high in fat, so they should only be given to your leo as a treat, maximum once or twice a week. I don't even feed mine waxworms that often. For a healthier treat try phoenix worms, most (not all) leos seem to love them. As Cerra said, they are very addictive. If fed too often and too many, then your leo may refuse to eat anything else. Which is bad because waxworms aren't healthy at all for your leo. BTW, just so you know, waxworms can't be gutload. You put food in with them and it just makes them die. :P

Mealworms definitely can be a staple diet. Thats what I use. You can also try superworms, which are similar but much bigger. They fill your leo up faster. My adult leo eats about 15-20 mealworms a day. Superworms she'll eat only 2 or 3. Ends up saving you a lot in feeders. I gutload the same way Cerra does, except I don't keep them in the fridge, I keep them in a cool place in my house.

If you do feed crickets, you can feed more. You can generally feed your leo as much as she will eat. Leos won't overeat, if they do, the regurgitate and quickly learn their lesson :P If it goes a bit ridiculous, like 30 crickets, you know to stop xD. My leo would eat about 12-15 medium crickets a night.

Are you just dusting with calcium? You should also dust with a multivitamin. I recommend reptivite. Its calcium, vitamin d3 and multivitamins all in one. That way you don't get all confused about what needs to be used and when. And then you can leave a little bowlful of pure calcium in the tank all the time for your leo to lap up when it wants.

If you want to see a list of all different feeders you can give your leo, look here.

Again, welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy yourself. Can't wait to see a pic of your leo!

i would NOT feed crickets at all. that is just me. they are so nasty and carry alot of parasites. not to mention they stink like crazy! i think dubia roaches and mealies are the best thing you can easily find(it has been proven that dubia are THE most nutritious feeders you can offer a leo). alot of people like super worms, buy myself, i dont care for them. watch overfeeding though, i hear alot of people say 'feed them as much as they will eat'...i simply disagree with this, totally. i think fifteen mealies every OTHER day is plenty. leopards do not eat that much in the wild, and just because they will, does not mean they should. fat and overweight animals are NOT healthy! bigger is NOT always better. grantid, you want your leo to have good body mass, but too much will lead to fatty liver desease and a dead lizard, way too early. leopards can live 20 plus years in captivity, but if you feed them 'all they will eat', you are probably gonna bury your gecko in five or six years. honestly, i think eight out of ten people overfeed thier herps. i have been keeping and breeding reptiles over 25 years, and grantid, most have been snakes, but after doing this as long as i have, and doing the research i have done, i must say, use caution and good judgement. i think reptiles have it better now than they have ever had it, simply because of the experience of alot of breeders, and the information out there. contact some breeders that have been doing this along time, and i assure you, they will tell you the same thing i did. i think fattening up your animal is okay, but use caution, and dont over do it. also, i think waxworms are a total 'no go', just my opinion, but another thing i guarentee experienced breeders will agree with.

To be honest. (and i'm likely the first person on here to say this as advice), there is nothing wrong with crickets.

Crickets provide exercise for the animal, excitement and keep feeding time stimulating.
Yes there is a chance of parasites. But if you buy from reputable places that chance of parasites is so small that the pro's far outweight it.
Saying 'why risk it?' is like saying 'why go outside when there is the chance of getting struck by lightning?'.

Its like buying meat. All meat is safe to eat raw, its been proven, even red meats... the chance of catching anything from the raw meat is very minimal and nearly non existent if buying from a reputable and safe source.

Thank you all very much for your advice! She ate 18 mealworms tonight! Wow! She's a hungry girl... I will continue to offer her gutloaded and calcium dusted mealworms every other night... Hopefully she'll put on a little weight! So glad I found this site, the information is very valuable!

Thanks!