Leopard geckos and mealworms. Quick question. Best answer rewarded.?

Question

I have one leopard gecko that is 4 1/2 inches long and one that is 3 1/2 inches. The longer one is three months old and the other is two and a half. My question is how old/long do the geckos have to be before you can feed them their first meal worms. The pet store ran out of crickets and they are babies so I know that they need food. Please help. Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

they should be fine for 'em now.

Answer 2

They should be old enough at that size. I would feed them wax worms over meal worms if you can. They are more wholesome.

Answer 3

Leopard gekos can usually start eating mealworms after 3 weeks old for your leopard geckos i would reckomend giving them each 2-3 mealworms once every 2 too 3 days. that should help and your leopard geckos might be stubborn at first not to eat them because there used to yummy crickets but if you jiggle them in front of there face with feeding tweezers or with your fingers they should eat them up. Hope this helps

Answer 4

They should be fine for mealworms now. small mealworms are no bigger then crickets maybe your thinking of super worms witch are just huge mealworms. Anyway go ahead and feed them mealworms they will be fine

Answer 5

Are you talking nose to tail tip, or just nose to vent, for measuring their length?

If you are talking nose to tail, they are still a bit young to take on meal worms as a complete meal/feeding.  The meal worm has little nutritional 'inside' compared to the tough chitin shell outside.  This shell, especially in young animals, can cause impaction.  It's very difficult for the lizards to digest meal worms.  Please read this site:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Impaction

Alternatives are small (the insect should be no larger than the space between the lizards' eyes) Phoenix or Silk worms.

Feeding Wax worms can lead to troubles.  Wax worms are like giving a human baby candy.  They are very fattening but have no nutritional value.  They can become addictive, and then your gecko will refuse the insects it needs.  Wax worms should only be offered as a treat 1-2 times a week, and only -after- they have fed on the insects they need first.

Is there not more than one pet store in your area?  Just buy pin crickets at another store.

They can also be purchased (ordered) on line in a 500 count box that will be delivered to your door.  I'm not sure if they have smaller quantities, since I order in 1,500 count boxes.

Make sure you gut load your insects before offering them to your Leos.

Enjoy your pets, and I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 6

They can eat mealworms from birth most of the time so it should be ok now.

Answer 7

Some breeders including myself feed hatchlings mini mealworms so I wouldnt worry about feeding yours mealworms. If I were you I would give them mini or standard mealworms. Alternatively you could use waxworms however this isnt recommended for they very high in fat and very low in protien and vitimins. But fear not mealworms will be fine.