Question About Feeding My Leo

[Wangin8r]

Hey there, new Leo owner here and I had a quick question: My gecko is very small and adorable but it's got quite an appetite... yesterday I gave him like 4 crickets and 2 waxworms and he chomped them all down which I did not think he would be able to do.

I honestly think if I had stuck another cricket in there he would've eaten it. My question is, do I keep feeding him until he stops eating or is there some point where it's unhealthy to feed him any more?

Also, I've heard people saying to feed him every other day but that seems mean, like if I only ate every other day I'd be hungry as hell so is it okay if I feed him today too but just like 1 or 2 crickets maybe? Also should I put them in there after my gecko stops hiding? He'll probably come right out if he sees them and do his badass tail wag

 

[OnlineGeckos]

Young leopard geckos eat everyday, usually twice a day actually when they're very young. I feed my 3 month olds twice a day, and they each eat about 5 mealworms each feeding. Where as my 8 month olds and 10 month olds, I feed them once a day only. But they eat superworms and dubias roaches, so they actually get a larger serving per day.

Once they become adults (over a year old) they may only want to eat every other day. But you best get a feeling of how much your leopard gecko wants to eat, and feed accordingly. It helps to establish an eating schedule.

4 crickets and 2 waxies is quite a lot for a small leopard gecko, especially the waxworms as they are loaded with fat. I'd suggest limit their waxworm intake. If you want to feed it again, do just a couple crickets or so. For my young ones I can tell when they are full so once I get a feeling of how much they eat, I kinda know how much to feed it. So you just got to observe how much yours eat.

 

[Wangin8r]

Awesome man, thanks for the info! I have heard waxworms aren't very nutritional and they are like junk food for the gecko, but I wanted to see if he would eat them. So I guess I'll give him like maybe a couple of waxworms a week or so.
But yeah this little guy is a beast he like goes all scorpion tail mode and then rips a crickets head off and I feel like maybe he was just doing it after a while for my entertainment and not cause he was hungry so I started to feel bad but he should be fine if 4 crickets and a couple of worms is all he ate

Sorry for all the questions, but the other thing I was wondering is this: My gecko's hide doesn't have any moss or anything in it right now, but he's sleeping in it. I don't know if he's in it because he's scared or because he's trying to get away to the cool side but it would be kinda screwed up to take him out of there just to put some moss in.

PS its a RAM'S SKULL he is hiding in because he is a major badass

 

[SDCowboy]

How large are these crickets?

 

[artes]

Mine has a bird skull, and a strawberry. She's a real badass - she hisses at me, if I wiggle my finger I can get her to hunt me, and she struts around her tank like she's the biggest baddest gecko in the world.

Her favorite hide is the strawberry. -_-

Anyway, moving on, your tank should have three hides: one on the cool side, one on the warm side, and one that you stuff the moss into. If you just haven't moss stuffed the third yet, don't worry about it, and just stuff it the next time he's not in it. He likely won't shed in the first couple days of bringing him home.

 

[Wangin8r]

Thanks for all the replies, people!
SDCowboy: The crickets are Small/Medium kind from Petsmart, they are pre-fed calcium so that they are healthy for the gecko and whatnot

Artes: Dude that does sound like a badass gecko, hunting your finger and stuff man. A bird skull is pretty sick too but idk about the strawberry, my gecko is pretty much surrounded by just awesome shit to reflect what an awesome badass he is, I wish I could fashion him a helmet out of steel

Thanks for the info about the three hides man! Right now my tank is pretty empty he's just got the water bowl and the one hide on the cool side, if he wants to get warm he just stands over the heat pad and sorta lays down.

 

[IslaReina]

Yeah he should have a hide on the warm side and a moist hide on the warm side. I'd love to see pics of this little badass

 

[Wangin8r]

The Coolest Gecko Anybody Has Ever Seen, Ever. Seriously.

I heard waxworms and such can make your gecko fat but that's kind of cool with me like I sort of like the idea of a real bigass gecko or maybe just a little one with a huge tail that he SHWANGS through tha air and beasts bugs with

 

[OnlineGeckos]

Feed waxworms as treats only, a couple of times a week at the most. You want your gecko to get the proper nutrients it needs, not pure fat. Give the time to grow properly or it can have problems later on.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Feeding waxworms a couple times a week may cause your gecko to turn its' nose up at other, more nutritious feeders. They get addicted. It's better that they grow at a normal rate with a solid diet.

 

[artes]

I would recommend finding another skull hide (a different animal, of course) for the warm side, and then cutting a hole in the side sammich container for the moss hide. Use a cigg lighter to melt the plastic around the hole so there are no sharp edges. Stuff the sammich container, make a decent sized tunnel in the moss, and there you go. You could paint the container black (let the paint dry for 24 hours before using it) and maybe find a couple of skull and crossbone decals for it. I would also make a background saying "Do Not Enter, Attack Gecko on Guard Duty" or something like that.

I didn't see you mention what substrate you're using - I just switched to slate tiles that I got at Lowe's, and not only do they look cool, but they're really easy to clean. Get the tile cut to fit the tank, then get two four x four tiles cut. Put one in the corner that your gecko chooses for bathrooming, and put one under the water bowl.

 

[Wangin8r]

Sweet

Artes, that is an awesome idea, I like the concept of an attack gecko sign...
And as for bedding I'm just using reptile carpet because I heard that's good for when they're babies.