Feeding

I just switched from crickets to meal worms for my geckos. I have 1 adult, 3 sub-adults, and 5 juvies. I was wondering how you decide on the amount to feed them, the frequency of feeding, the amount of calcium, and if its recommended to use a calcium dish separate, or only dusting.

I know what the breeder I bought them from recommended, but I was looking for some second opinions.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the forum... First question I have is are you housing all these leos sepertely? If so then feeding and supplimenting per individual needs will be a lot easier.

Here is a link on the basics of supplimenting your leo, it should help answer most of the questions you asked on suppliments http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t2888-how-to-basics-on-supplimenting-your-leo

As far as feeding goes... The most important thing in my opinion is feeding appropriately sized feeders for each leo. Adults and sub-adults should really be on super worms or dubia roaches for a well balanced staple diet, of course a rotation of insects is always recommended for optimum diet but that isn't always feasable for everyone depending on their area and availability. Feeding a bug that is no bigger around than the space between the leo's eyes is a good scale to use when deciding on a feeder to use. Personally I don't like using mealies as a staple for adults simply because there is a lot of shell ingested with the amount of mealies that would be needed to satisfy an adult leo, it risks constipation or possible partial or complete blockage. You can get a lot better meat to shell ratio using supers or dubias. Here's a good link on the differences between supers and mealies http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t290-the-difference-between-superworms-and-mealworms

When feeding adults you really just need to feed a reasonable amount. I feed my 2 year old male 3x a week, 2-4 supers per feeding. When he was a sub-adult he was eating 2-3 supers every other day. Adults and sub-adults don't need to eat every day, all that will give you is an obese leo. Juvies and hatchlings should be permitted to eat as much as they want with in reason. Obviously you're not going to let a juvie eat 20 mealies in one sitting or he'll like regurgitate. Usually young leos that gorge will regurge once or twice then learn their lesson not to over eat, but the process of regurging is very hard on their system and dehydrates them badly, plus some leos don't learn by their mistakes and are natural gluttons.

My personal belief is that you should always feed the same amount on a schedule say 6-8 mealies for a juvie, then maybe up it a bit as they grow until they're ready for the next sized feeder. My leo was ready for supers at 5-6 months old which is when he got switched to a larger feeder. I honestly wouldn't feel comfortable feeding a juvie more than 10 mealies in a sitting. There's nothing wrong with leaving your animal a little hungry. It makes for a good eater if they're alwyas motivated to eat, and after all in the wild they certainly don't always have the opportunity to eat until they're full.

Hope that helps

Thank you very much Kermit.

I have a rack, and they are all housed separately to insure i can feed them all evenly. Also, I have small and large mealworms. What is your opinion on wax worms?

My opinion on wax worms is they're the bug equivelant of twinkies ok in small does, too fatty to have every day. They are definitely a treat that should be used sparingly as they can be very addictive for leos. Maybe 1 or 2 a week after the leo has eaten their staple food for sure.