Buffalo worms have a softer exoskeleton, young animals can find the exoskeletons of mealworms too hard to digest, causing impaction in the stomach. In store we use them as an occasional treat with the leopard geckos, pacman frogs and juvenile dragons. Morio Worms (which are also referred to as Superworms or Kingworms) are the latest leopard gecko feeder insects that I will be reviewing. In this situation, it is a good idea to try and reduce the amount of food they are eating to make sure that they don’t overdo it. Although mealworms are cheap and easy to find. They do have some negatives. It is best to give your leopard geckos live food at least every other day. Leopard geckos can eat a wide variety of insects. Superworms are usually more aggressive, and they have a spike on their head for stinging. Their move will motivate your Leo to lap them up, assuming he likes their taste (more on this later). Buffalo worms are the perfect size for Juvenile geckos, amphibians, tarantulas, fish, juvemile dragons and monitor lizards. They differ greatly from many other gecko species in a number of different ways, including habitat, lifestyle, and adaptations. Flavored dewormer (Panacur, aka fendbendazole) can be purchased online in doses appropriate for your gecko’s weight. And that is precisely the problem! Therefore, your leopard gecko needs to be fed based on their activity and their body condition. Replies. Adult leopard geckos can enjoy a treat of waxworms once in two weeks. Another great benefit is they do not smell very much. Now onto the cons. These fatty juicy worms are the equivalent of a delicious pizza to these lizards and can be a wonderful treat. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. For Leos that will come down to insects & worms as they are insectivores. Leopard geckos are strictly insectivores and can eat insects like worms. (cw), Copyright text 2021 by Reptile Follower.This site is owned and operated by D Three Ltd.D Three Ltd is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Reply Delete. Leopard geckos originate from the desert, so naturally, they love a warm, dry environment. But if you plan to introduce freeze-dried worms to your gecko as an adult, it can refuse it. This is why you need to source for worms from trusted breeders and pet stores. They are also quite easy to breed as well. Can you feed your Leopard Gecko just mealworms? What If a Lizard Falls On Your Right Foot? Moreover, dried worms lack the vital nutrients that leopard geckos need in their diet. They are one of the most popular pets in North America as they are low maintenance and hardy. If you notice that your leopard gecko has a habit of overeating, it is advisable to limit the amount of food he eats and do not allow him to exceed that. (Is it Safe?). For baby leopard geckos, the ideal cricket size is 3/8 of an inch. You can offer them to growing, underweight or gravid leopard geckos once a week (1-2 worms). Remember that feeder insects should always be dusted with a calcium with D3 supplement as commercially raised feeder insects can lack these. You can expect up to a few weeks for these bad boys. It’s simple if you feed your Leo food which is too big, especially if he is young, this can lead to choking or other food-related problems. Apart from the worms listed above, some of the other worms that leopard geckos can eat are stated below. Hello, my name is William Nathan. Superworms are a perfect insect feeder only for adult leopard geckos due to their size. Silkworms are the silk moth caterpillars, and you can buy them live or canned for your leopard geckos. Leopard geckos are primarily insectivorous, but they will eat the occasional pinky mouse. UniquePetsWiki is compensated for referring traffic and business to amz. Hi, this is me with my daughter and my Lizard friend. What worms are good to feed leopard geckos? Leopard geckos are interesting and charismatic looking little creatures. It is suitable for all age types of leopard geckos and also available in freeze-dried forms. However, there are times when giant mealworms can make it to the beetle cycle, but it will be sterile because of the hormone. Silkworms and Phoenix worms are suitable worms for your leopard geckos. They are a great source of protein, which is a must for your Leo. or other compensation from the links on this page. Leopard geckos are also known for changing their food preferences as they age, so they may love to eat crickets one day and refuse to eat them the next. In this article, I’ll be giving you the pros and cons of each one of these. ), Bearded Dragon vs Ball Python (What is better? I hope you enjoy my research. Many vendors support and push an all cricket diet, or the use of crickets as a staple. Are All Pythons Arboreal. Mealworms are a classic worm for the leopard geckos. In the wild, they feed on insects like beetles, grasshoppers, flies, spiders, small locusts, crickets, mealworms, wax worms, snails, cockroaches, silkworms, etc. If they gut load a plant that is poisonous, that could affect the geckos/lizards. But they also need a hiding place that’s moist and lovely—this is where they retreat to when it's time to shed their skin. Even though your Leo will love them, you need to limit their consumption. These two kinds of insects are the best for your pet, but you might settle on mealworms because they don’t escape into the cage, or perhaps because you won’t have the sometimes annoying chirping sound you get from crickets. If you use my links, thanks, I appreciate your support. You will find that they have quite a high-fat content. They have a small digestive tract which makes it quite difficult to gut load. You will find that Waxworms will be devoured by your Leo. Since leopard geckos are insectivorous animals, they will eat any live insect. Feed as many mealworms as your gecko will eat in 5-10 minutes. However, you need to gut load and dust the worms before you offer them to your gecko. The pros of mealworms is there are cheap, easy to find, and they are quite easy to look after. It is also possible to extend their lifespan by using simple refrigeration. Giant mealworms are suitable insect feeders for only adult leopard geckos because of their size. They are regular mealworms treated with hormones that delay their change into pupae state and help them keep growing. This is important to get right. It is quite low, making them a more viable worm for your Leo to consume in quantity. You need to gut-load them before you feed them to your leos. You can easily get superworms online or from pet stores or even breed them at home. Note: avoid feeding your leos with wild worms as they may have parasites and other nasties. Superworms have less chitin and more meat than mealworms, making it easy for leopard geckos to digest them.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'uniquepetswiki_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',112,'0','0'])); Superworms also have higher calcium and fat content with slightly less protein than regular mealworms. And, for Leos, we know they love worms, so what’s the best choice in worms? Mealworms are the larval stage of the darkling beetle. I do not recommend this, however, unless you are very experienced in dosing reptile medications. However, these aren't the best feeders so they shouldn't be used as a staple diet. This means you may find a gecko that loves mealworms and, all of a sudden, lose interest in mealworms.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'uniquepetswiki_com-leader-1','ezslot_13',116,'0','0'])); You can simply offer them another worm or insect. Although you can offer your leopard gecko wax worms, it should only be as a treat. Unfortunately, while crick… Please feel free to check out my "About Me" page to find out more about me. They are also known for biting. You can also decide to breed worms in your house if you have the required expertise. Leopard Gecko Mealworms – Can they Eat Just This? The other worms that you can consider are: Before you feed your Leo, it’s important you consider what size food that you should be feeding him. well i put some of the worms in the cage and they just dug right into the bedding, so my question is, will the gecko dig under the bedding to eat them? Also, similar to the Mealworms, they are not ideal for Gut loading. Leopard Geckos are lizards found dwelling on ground, mostly in the deserts of countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and some parts of India. The best thing is that they are soft, which makes them easily digestible. If you have a leopard gecko obviously you want to give them the best food. They are real stinkers! Jondor 21 May 2012 at 17:17 @FG If you have an adult leopard gecko and feel like you might want to see how they react to super worms, then click here to go to the Amazon page in which I get mine at. We personally use ZooMed ReptiCalcium with Vitamin D3 for our leopard geckos. Leopard geckos need insects and small animals to survive. It’s not because food that’s dead is any less healthy for them compared to the food that’s alive, because that’s not … Lastly, another issue, which may cause you problems with getting your leopard gecko to consume these worms is their lack of movement. The most commonly available insects are mealworms, waxworms, and crickets. These worms are very high in fat and fairly low in protein, so they shouldn’t make up a significant portion of your gecko’s daily diet. Therefore, you need to keep an eye on how much you give to your Leo to make sure that they are not overeating and putting on excessive weight. If you think Superworms and Mealworms have high-fat content, then you ain’t seen nothing yet. They can’t be gut loaded, unfortunately. Juvenile leos will eat around 12-16 mealworms fed once a day or every other day and adults will eat around 20-30 mealies every three days. They also have a good amount of protein as well. In this section, my objective is to share with with you a selection of worms that are good for leopard geckos. Another great thing is they are still quite cheap and quite easy to find them. Unlike mealworms, you do not have to refrigerate superworms. So, watch out for this, you do not want to encourage overeating and obesity. However, you need to ensure they are clean and don’t have dyes. Furthermore, you will need to move and freeze-dried wiggle mealworms to activate the leopard gecko’s feeding mechanism.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'uniquepetswiki_com-box-4','ezslot_1',113,'0','0'])); Hornworms are amazing feeder worms for the leopard gecko. Phoenix worms are also known as Black Soldier Fly Larvae. This is because they may carry diseases, pesticides, or parasites that can be of health risk to your leopard gecko. Finally, they cannot be gut loaded, so you can rule that out. Something about lifeless, non-moving bugs and worms turn leopard geckos off and might even cause them to stop eating altogether until they’re fed something that’s live again. When feeding with freeze-dried mealworms, always dust them with calcium supplement at every feeding. Further on in this article, I will explain the importance of gut loading when you are feeding your leopard gecko these worms. However, the only drawback is that they are quite small and you need more of them to make a meal for your leos. You can only feed hornworms to adult leopard geckos, and you need to do it straight after you receive them. Female leopard geckos require a lot of fat as it is stored in her eggs. Earthworms are suitable and safe worms for your leopard gecko. Which, is quite a big negative. You also need to ensure that you wash, gut-load and dust them before giving them to your leopard geckos. The larvae of a small beetle, buffalo worms are only around 1cm long, making them perfect for smaller lizards along with juvenile leopard geckos and bearded dragons. They are also more active than normal mealworms, so great to tempt fussy feeders, triggering the prey drive. In addition to this, I will explain the pros and cons of each worm to help you make an educated choice. They are usually large, and you will need to feed your gecko with less of them. They are suitable for many species that like smaller food and are often used for birds. Another thing is that they have low-fat content but with excellent calcium to phosphorus ratio. As a suggestion, we would recommend you to get the best leopard gecko book. I feed my gecko 4 mealies a night. If you want to treat him, this is the one to buy, they love them. With that being said, you need to choose the right ones. For your gecko’s well-being, leopard geckos also need vitamins and fiber to be present in their diet. Leopard Gecko and super worms? These differences are only very slight though, the two larvae are very similar. Although most of their diet comprises crickets and mealworms, you can feed them with varieties of worms. When it comes to gut loading, forget it. Mealworms cannot provide your gecko with an adequate amount of calcium, and it is best to provide a varied diet or supplements for your gecko. Another important factor is gut loading. You can also keep them alive for a long time. They are suitable for many species that like smaller food and are often used for birds. However, you need to avoid feeding them with worms caught in the wild. ... Why does my female leopard gecko squeeze her … This means you cannot breed giant mealworms but you can refrigerate them like regular mealworms. For Leos that will come down to insects & worms as they are insectivores. These worms are not as well known as mealworms. For adult size leopard geckos, you can provide them with crickets which are small to adult size crickets and they should be fine. However, some gecko can be picky or switch their preferences from time to time. Along with having the proper staple insects, be sure that your Leo also has access to the proper vitamins and minerals needed to keep it healthy. This is because waxworms have high-fat content, and overfeeding can lead to obesity. If your leopard gecko does have parasites, s/he will put given a dose or two of dewormer, which should clear up the problem. It’s important to feed your geckos a varied diet of live food, because each different insect offers different nutrition and benefits, and also it’s nice for your geckos to have some variety, as their tastes and preferences can change as they age. They have low-fat content with good levels of calcium. And, as you may know, Leopard Geckos enjoy live food. What worms are good to feed leopard geckos? While they are native to Asia, India, and Afghanistan, they are … However, this will have little effect on your leos, and your gecko will quickly learn how to take off their head first. However, there is a great selection of worms that you can also consider giving to your leopard gecko. As a gecko owner, you may want to diversify your gecko’s food and introduce worms as their insect feeder. No, it is not advisable. Many leopard gecko keepers find mealworms be a staple part of the maintanance diets of their leopard geckos colonies. Now that you know the best worms for Leos, let me explain the correct sizing of these worms, the pros, and cons of each worm, how much they typically eat and more.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'reptilefollower_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_0',105,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'reptilefollower_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_1',105,'0','1'])); If you have a leopard gecko obviously you want to give them the best food. The best food for leopard geckos is crickets or mealworms. How Many Mealworms To Feed A Leopard Gecko. If you are a proud owner of this beautiful, colored lizard, then, this PetPonder article will brief you about the dos and don'ts of feeding your pet. If you want to keep your Leopard Gecko Happy, not only do you need the best housing (Click here for my best Leopard Gecko enclosure & see the price on Amazon). And, did I mention the smell? Instead of that, you can buy earthworms from the pet shops and feed them to your gecko only as an occasional treat. Leopard geckos really enjoy wax worms, but the worms are too fatty to be a part of the main diet. The Superworms are a great choice. The great thing about these worms is the fat content. This is because they grow quickly as a small hornworm of about 0.5 inches long can grow to 3-4 inches long in 2 weeks. Earthworms are commonly bred as amphibian food, but many other reptiles will happily eat a few earthworms as well. It's nothing serious, but it's not quite as chunky as it should be. This depends on what age he is. While they are low in fat and it sounds good on paper, you will find its hit and miss if your Leo will like these worms. or do i feed them some other way? When feeding your gecko with live mealworms, ensure you gut-load them 24 hours before feeding time to your leopard gecko. 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