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MandibleHead   Atlas 2010   KrazyKelli   Atlas 2010   KrazyKelli   Atlas 2010   KrazyKelli   Atlas 2010

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#2260882 MandibleHead View Profile	Anyone know this? so leos r from the mid east, W What is there natural diet?
03/31/12  06:09pm
#2260897 Atlas 2010 View Profile	Message To: MandibleHead   In reference to Message Id: 2260882  Anyone know this? Contrary to popular belief, leopard geckos are not called leopards soley for their coloration; in the wild, these lizards have a very varied diet, and will literally eat anything that fits into their mouths. Pinkie mice (newborn mice) are already supplemented in captivity, and they will also eat the usual crickets and insects. However, there are some other things not commonly known. Leopard geckos are immune to scorpion venom (in their native range) and are often found feasting on these arachnids. They are voracious eaters, and as previously stated, will eat anything that fits into their mouths-including baby lizards. Cannibalism is yet to be documented, but they have been found to eat smaller or baby lizards, though this is rare as leopard geckos are not very fast and cannot chase prey for very long. It all comes back to anything that fits in their mouths.
03/31/12  08:17pm
#2260905 KrazyKelli View Profile	Message To: Atlas 2010   In reference to Message Id: 2260897  Anyone know this? There are multiple leopard gecko subspecies in the MiddleEast. A friend in the military was once stationed in Iraq and they referred to wild leos there as ’Iraqi Eye-lid Geckos’, or Eublepharis angramainyu. The common leo everyone knows of is Eublepharis macularius, which is the same family. The leopard gecko you see in the reptile market will likely be a mutt from several subspecies that’ve been intermingled for specific genetics and looks (or just casually backyard bred by just about anyone not caring who the parents are.) More random info: all leopard geckos in the pet trade right now are captive bred. Companies don’t usually obtain wild-caught leos anymore, as captive bred ones are so common and easy to breed, as well as cheaper to obtain and ship. Natural diet is what was stated above. Adult leos have been known to eat hatchlings of their own species as well. Scary stuff. Wild leos get hungry and will consume whatever they can find. It’s not recommended to feed them the same stuff in captivity. I think I already told you why.
03/31/12  09:42pm
#2260914 Atlas 2010 View Profile	Message To: KrazyKelli   In reference to Message Id: 2260905  Anyone know this? Actually, Kelli, that’s something I’ve been searching for a while; why can’t you feed them their natural diet in captivity?
03/31/12  10:38pm
#2260925 KrazyKelli View Profile	Message To: Atlas 2010   In reference to Message Id: 2260914  Anyone know this? Unless you captive breed random spiders and small stuff indigenous to the Middle East and Central Asia, there are a couple reasons: Parasites are the largest. There are parasites that are in insects of the Americas (and other parts of the world) that are indigenous to the areas they come from. These parasites, while they may hang out fine in an anole or fence lizard, can do absolute havoc to the systems of some non-native lizards and amphibians. A good example of this is Chytrid, which was introduced through a random toad species into the US and is now absolutely destroying the amphibian population. Crypo is the current disease ravaging reptiles out there, which takes two months to show signs, then results in blood in the stool and vomiting, usually resulting in death (and always resulting in rather painful vet bills). The crickets and mealies in petstores are normally bred in a sterile setting and thus have a lesser chance of carrying parasites outside of maybe pinworm. Toxins is another. Certain Afghan scorpions and spiders may be fine for a leo, but ones in Canada and the US may have a different level of toxicity. There are bugs out there that are also toxic to certain animals. Then there’s pesticides that have their random effects (didn’t go into much detail of that in the other thread). Bred insects obviously wont have this issue. Impaction is yet another reason to stay safe with stock insects. There are insects out there with a high level of chitin. While leos are insectivores, eating a solid diet of Elder bugs and rollypollies will make them constipated. Leos, at least the ones in pet stores, can have a hard time digesting the skeletal systems of vertebrates as well. Feeding older pinkies and fuzzies, as well as baby lizards, can land a leo with a punctured system and internal bleeding. Fat content. Another wonderful thing. We know the general nutritional ratio of all stock insects on the market. We do not know it for all other wild insects out there. So you could be feeding what you think is extremely healthy, but could be the same fatty stuff as waxworms. They can and will get fat and suffer liver damage from an improper diet. Lastly, and this is the most important thing, leopard geckos living the lam don’t live the full 16 to 20 years that captive ones do. While wild leos can eat whatever they want, they aren’t completely immune to it. Wild leos die in droves out there from eating the wrong things, starvation, over-heating, predation, dehydration, everything up to getting stepped on. They don’t live to the fullest extent due to the harsh conditions, regardless of what they fill their stomachs with. It’s up to us, the owners, to give our leos a long safe life with good husbandry practices when we buy them. That was a fun write, thanks for asking.
03/31/12  11:39pm
#2260926 Atlas 2010 View Profile	Message To: KrazyKelli   In reference to Message Id: 2260925  Anyone know this? Thanks for replying, now I can tell my parents what I learned on a Saturday.
03/31/12  11:46pm
#2260927 KrazyKelli View Profile	Message To: Atlas 2010   In reference to Message Id: 2260926  Anyone know this? Heh, word. Btw, I saw your video of you feeding your leo pinkies. I’d cut back on that if I were you. Not only is septic bowel a concern (if the pinky is too old and better-formed), but those things are insanely high in fat. Leos can get Fatty Liver Disease off of them. Even breeders don’t feed more than one a month to only their gravid females, and most just stick with waxies because it’s safer.
03/31/12  11:51pm
#2260945 Atlas 2010 View Profile	Message To: KrazyKelli   In reference to Message Id: 2260927  Anyone know this? It’s only her second one, first time was a while ago, I don’t usually feed her pinkies I keep those for my snake.
04/01/12  08:49am

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