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#1849430
Layla_ishtar
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Newb question about feeding. 
Hey i am getting a leopard gecko on sunday and i understand everything apart from feeding. This is my first lizard so i want to get it right. So here are my questions. I would appreciate the help sooo much. I will be getting a baby.
1.How many crickets a week should i feed?
2.How many mealworms a week do i feed?
3.Im confused about the whol dusting with calcium and the D3 powder thing, so help on this too please.
4.Can i keep a months stock of crickets and mealworms? If so how do i maintain the insect life?
5.Do i need to do anything to the insects to prepare them for the lizards?
6.And how do i dust?
Ive looked at care sheets and everything i just don’t get it lol.
Thanks
Shiro
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09/02/08 11:35am
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#1849447
RepGurl
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Message To: Layla_ishtar In reference to Message Id: 1849430
Newb question about feeding.
Leopard geckos are pretty easy to feed compared to a lot or reptiles. They will not over eat, so as far as amount, as many as they will eat. No having said that, you don’t want a bunch of uneaten crickets jumping around your tank. They will nibble on your gecko as he sleeps, and make the cage much less sanitary. Meal worms are a little easier since they are basically stuck as long as they cant climb out of the bowl. With a little gecko it is best to feed everyday. As for the dusting, it is best to dust 4-5 days a week with calcium with no D3, 2-3 times a week with calcium with D3, and 1-2 times a week with vitamin/mineral supplement. The days that I give them vitamin and mineral supplement I do not give calcium, as it can interfere with absorption of the vitamins and minerals. They also need to have a bowl of calcium without D3 available in their cage so they can lick it as they please. Dusting crickets is easy, simply add a little of which ever powder to the bag of crickets and shake em up. It sticks to them really well. I do basically the same thing with meal worms but sometimes I add just a tiny drop of water to the worms first cause it doesn’t stick to them as well. Meal worms are easy to keep a months worth at a time, just keep them in the refrigerator. Crickets however die much easier. The best luck I have had with keeping crickets was give them plenty of room and feed with a commercial cricket food and water (gel). A lot of people seem to have good luck using potatoes, orange, apple, crackers, etc..I just have not. Not matter if it is crickets or worms it is best to let them feed on something nutritious for at least a day before you feed them to the geckos (for worms this is done out of the fridge). Ok I hope that covered all your questions. Good luck!
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09/02/08 12:13pm
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#1849459
Layla_ishtar
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Message To: RepGurl In reference to Message Id: 1849447
Newb question about feeding.
Thank you ^_^ One more thing is, do you have to feed crickets then? or is it something you can do every odd week? I feel like such a noob >.> lol
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09/02/08 12:31pm
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#1849736
Shutterstud06
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Message To: Layla_ishtar In reference to Message Id: 1849459
Newb question about feeding.
If you buy the commercial cricket food (which I use) and the orange jel for water (they are stupid they will drown themselves, your whole stock, if you put a water bowl in with them) then you just add more food and gel (water) as they need it.
I have some small 1/4 in a 2.5 gallon with lid (since I had it laying around) and they seem to do fine. I wouldn’t want to buy enough for a month, but I do weekly stops at the petstore (more like bi-daily but hey). I have 6 juviniles that I feed 5-6 crickets to a day, more if they want it and a full grown that eats crickets. They mostly ignore the meal worms (and give me evil I’ll kill you looks when I have no crickets to offer) unless I have no crix to give them.
Anyways, the rest of the advice was awesome. If you wanted to very your crickets diet some, you can throw potatoes (or scrap potatoe skins), carrots, apples, ect in there, but be careful about citrus fruits since they will go into shock and fall over twitching (funny to watch but not good for them).
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09/02/08 06:39pm
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#1851760
RepGurl
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Message To: Shutterstud06 In reference to Message Id: 1849736
Newb question about feeding.
You can rotate with meal worms and when they get bigger small super worms. Some people give wax worms at a treat, some dont, its a personal preference kind f thing. I know some people also use roaches, phoenix worms, and Im sure there is something m leaving out. So no you dont have to do crickets all the time. Variety is actually better. My geckos love their worms. :)
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09/04/08 10:33pm
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