leapord gecko criket question

Hi again I have another quck leapord gecko question. My question is I was planning on feeding my gecko olnly crickets. But I just read that you have to feed it something else other then crickets because crickets dont have all the nutrition or something like that. I was just wondering if any one here can answer whether this is true or not and if it would be okay for me to feed him just crickets and nothing else. Also the crickets will be gutloaded and dusted.

Well gut-loaded and vitamin dusted crickets are some of the most healthy, low fat diet around for leopard geckos. Crickets can most definitely be used as a staple diet. Keep in mind that having variety is important so even if you use crickets as a staple, it's a good idea to still offer some variety feeders off and on to your geckos.

If your gecko likes crickets, and you have the means to keep crickets in stock and don't mind the noise, smell, and jumpy creatures, then by all means, go with crickets as a staple diet

On the other hand crickets also can carry parasites that can hurt your leo. Leos need a diet balanced in fats and proteins which feeding a diet of crickets alone won't meet. If you have to go with a single feeder, occasionally rising in something else I would suggest superworms. You feed less, 3 or 4 for an adult keep 3xa week plus the risk of a parasite infection is minimal. Another problem with crickets is the introduction of the jamaican field cricket into the feeder market since the a.domesticus cricket had been hit hard by a virus killing a lot of the stock. There is a thread in the feeding section about this problem. The jamaican field cricket us a highly aggressive cricket that will actively seek out and attack youre leo leaving nasty bites all over it, even possibly killing them. I always recommend avoiding crickets whenever possible because of the parasite problem and because of the jamaican fields cricket influx into the domestic market.
Just a little info about the advice you seek on the boards here, we pride ourselves on providing accurate information to our members so you really don't need to second guess what you read on the boards, esp. If its posted by staff members. Feel free to use the search feature as well to help find the answers you might be looking for... the boards are loaded with tons of first time owner questions regarding proper care and husbandry. Check out the stickies , esp. The one for proper set up for your leo and the nutritional value of feeders in the feeding section stickies.

i use meal worms as a staple diet, but thats because i have a meal worm colony i had started for my old chameleon before i had to sell her due to no space for a "giant" lizard. my leos get 3 wax worms each, once a week for a treat, and some times i give them freeze dried crickets, i just soak those in purified water for about 2 min then use a long steril plastic "stick" to wiggle them around on the ground, my leos eat them right up after the second wiggle, but they get those maybe 2 times a week and thats it.

Just a bit of info on freeze dried feeders, they really offer no nutritonal value. The freeze drying process eliminates the majority of nutrients your herp needs. Leos really do require live feeders to properly meet their nutritional needs. Freeze dried food is loaded with salt and preservatives as well which isn't good for your herp.

Kermit wrote:Leos need a diet balanced in fats and proteins which feeding a diet of crickets alone won't meet.

I agree with the other reasons you listed about crickets, but disagree with crickets not meeting a leopard gecko's dietary needs. There are well known, reputable breeders such as Sean Niland @ vmsherp.com that have been feeding their leopard geckos a strict cricket diet for over 20 years. Comparing crickets' nutritional values, if you disregard the other negatives about crickets such as noise, smell, aggressiveness, and inconvenience, they are in every way superior to that of the mealworms, superworms, etc..

Leopard geckos do not need a high fat diet of mealworms/superworms. Crickets have higher protein value than mealworms/superworms. Crickets also have higher Ca/P ratio. On top of that, crickets are much easier to gut-load. They will eat anything you give them thus you can choose to give them variety gut-load. Leopard geckos fed strictly on crickets have grown up nicely including having plump tails.

I'm not saying to not feed mealworms or superworms. I myself dislike crickets but not because of their lack of nutritional values. I dislike them mainly because they smell, they chirp, they jump, and are generally just really annoying to deal with especially when it comes to cleaning time. But their nutritional values are hard to beat.

All I gotta say is I'm happy dubia roaches are legal here, they have cricket-esque nutrition and are MUCH easier to deal with. They don't smell, don't jump, don't chirp, and they aren't hard to clean either. I don't have what it takes to keep crickets as staple, I use dubia roaches + super worms as staple, with crickets as treats. But really, if someone has the will to keep crickets as a staple, and can tolerate them, then I say good for them. Crickets really have good nutritional values that most other feeders can't beat.

I guess were just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. The potential for parasite infection is high, the possibility of getting the highly aggressive jamaican field cricket is increasing every day as a.domesticus.keeps during to the virus, and the average herp owner doesn't pay enough attention to the sanitary needs of crix resulting in gutloaded with poop instead of food. The stress aggressive crix can cause and the potential for parasite infection are reason enough for me to never use them. This is just my opinion, not to be taken as gospel, weigh the info for yourself before deciding. Until someone comes out with conclusive evidence as to what nutritional values are most important for leos why would you feed a high protein diet instead if one equally balanced between fats and protein? Go over the nutritional values of feeders charts, educate yourself and make an informed decision is the best you can do. By the way, wireworks will east just about anything you give them as well

It's all good, that's what forums are for. People can come and read different opinions and formulate their own conclusions. I think it's healthy to have different opinions and views as there's rarely a single best way to do things in this world. I know one thing we can all agree on is that variety is key.

I'll just add regarding crickets is that they are not "high protein", they are just a tad above mealworms & superworms in protein value. But what they are, which imo is more important, is they are low in fat. Obesity plague us humans just as they plague domestic pets. We tend to love our animals so much we overfeed them too often. Most people over feed and over supplement their geckos. I have not seen one case where those feed their geckos a low fat diet with crickets or other low fat feeders turning out with some anorexic issue. Their geckos are healthy as any other. There could be other problems, sure. But obesity is too often cited as the reason their geckos die early, from fatty liver disease, to other organ failures.

So I would think if for anything, that you want to keep a lower fat diet if possible. But that's my view. Variety is still key, no matter what you use as staple. By the way I'm only arguing for cricket's nutritional value, not the fact that they are so annoying I don't even want to keep them stocked as a staple

im not going to get into the cricket vs mealworm discussion, i will only say that dubia roaches are probably THE BEST feeder(in my opinion) to feed, if you were only going to offer one type of feeder. thier nutritional value, along with no noise, not as much risk of PARASITES, and thier overall mortallity rate is WAY lower...makes them the best for me....

lol as you can see there is allot of debate on this subject but i personally give my leo super worms and small dubia roaches, i am also going to try and get her some silk worms. i try and stay away from crickets because of the risk of parasites in them and the fact that they are so stinky, messy and die easily.. and get out all the time lol but that is just my opinion.

Guys, Please do not let whoever wrote that whole jamaican cricket thing scare you. Most of the people I know feed mostly crickets and have not yet seen one. My cousin has a 13 year old gecko who has been mostly on a cricket diet and never had parasite issues and he runs around like a 5 year old. Buy them from a healthy place or breed your own. Keep them clean and they are great. Low fat is important for geckos. There are too many fat and young dieng geckos because of those fattening mealworms and superworms. Mealworms and superworms do not gut load well, don't dust well and quite fatty. The only person allowed to be fat in my home is me