Hollowlycan2
Friendly Cultist
I use mealworms as a staple. I like them better then Superworms (which I've seen cause too many problems to use as a staple) and they are easier to keep and breed then crickets ( I have 8 adult Leopard geckos, a bearded dragon, a crested gecko and several Arachnids... so I need a steady supply). Not to mention the baby geckos.
Crickets smell, and should be removed from the tank/tub if not eaten in a timely manner. As they can cause issues for your Leo. Housing and keeping crickets is a LOT of work (to keep them alive) and they're expensive.
Dubia roaches are illegal up here in Canada. Roaches in general are illegal - that said, MANY big time breeders offer a staple of mealworms. You can gutload them, and leave them dusted in a dish with some calcium and vitamin powder and not worry about the leos getting bit like with a cricket or a superworm.
Chitin has never been an issue for me. Even when I've fed the 3 gram baby geckos adult mealworms they've never had so much as an issue.
Also a common misconception is that a fat leo is a happy leo.... Leopard geckos can become overweight and suffer for it as easily as people. Especially since many owners seem to cram as much food into them as possible. Every gecko is different (size, length and how well they store fat in their tail) but in my opinion (and those that make the best breeders (which is why I consider them the healthiest) are the gecko's whose tails are a little thicker then they're neck, but they don't carry any weight in their 'gut'.
[[ Please note that she's got a clutch in her in this pic...]]
Kharma at 58 grams is an ideal weight for her.
Crickets smell, and should be removed from the tank/tub if not eaten in a timely manner. As they can cause issues for your Leo. Housing and keeping crickets is a LOT of work (to keep them alive) and they're expensive.
Dubia roaches are illegal up here in Canada. Roaches in general are illegal - that said, MANY big time breeders offer a staple of mealworms. You can gutload them, and leave them dusted in a dish with some calcium and vitamin powder and not worry about the leos getting bit like with a cricket or a superworm.
Chitin has never been an issue for me. Even when I've fed the 3 gram baby geckos adult mealworms they've never had so much as an issue.
Also a common misconception is that a fat leo is a happy leo.... Leopard geckos can become overweight and suffer for it as easily as people. Especially since many owners seem to cram as much food into them as possible. Every gecko is different (size, length and how well they store fat in their tail) but in my opinion (and those that make the best breeders (which is why I consider them the healthiest) are the gecko's whose tails are a little thicker then they're neck, but they don't carry any weight in their 'gut'.
[[ Please note that she's got a clutch in her in this pic...]]
Kharma at 58 grams is an ideal weight for her.
