earth worms

i have a compst can with lots of earth worms in it. would it be ok to feed little Hektor earth worms? or should i buy the canned worms at the pet store?

This issue has been discussed several times. Do not feed earthworms to leos, they produce a lot of mucus. Stick with roaches, melaworms, silkworms, waxworms and crickets. The canned stuff is also not too high up "the preferred foods" list, switch to live items if possible.

my mom was trying to get me to feed the earth worms to Hektor and i told her that i don't think they are good for him. I have some crickets right now to feed him. Is it good to give Hektor a variety of foods?

As with any animal (including humans), variety is more than fine. He would survive just fine on a diet of crickets, or mealworms, or supers. You best bet is to stick with whatever your leo will eat best. Obviously, do not feed him wax worms all the time, because to many like giving him a stick of lard, but any of the others are fine.

With any feeder you choose, you should always make sure that you are gutloading them properly so that your leo will get the most out of every meal.

Tell your mom that your leo's health is important to you, and you do not want to play with it by feeding him earth worms. You will be jeopardizing it by feeding him earthworms from your compost. Please don't do it.

Cheers,

I did tell my mom about what hill4803 said and she understands that i do want my baby to be healthy. Today at the pet store i was looking at the canned mealworms. How well do leo's eat canned worms? or are live mealworms best?

In my experience the canned, freezed dried, or whatever dead stuff they sell as 'leopard gecko food' or 'bearded dragon food' or whatnot never works. Stick with live food. Leopard geckos need movement to be stimulated to eat. Plus, I find it very hard to believe that nutrients aren't lost in the preserving process of these foods. Unless you buy that vibrating feed bowl they've got now, your geckos likely won't even give the dead insects the light of day unless they're absolutely starving. Even so, they won't like eating them. I feed my geckos live crickets and mealworms with great success. Most breeders do. That feeding method is tried and proven. Besides, that way you have direct control over what your feeder insects eat so you can gutload them for your geckos.

Also, don't feed your leopard geckos wild insects. Wild bugs harbor lots of parasites that will get into your gecko and may cause problems. Other breeders may use wild food on occassion, but I've seen too many nasties crawl out of a dead cricket or grasshopper's behind to take any risks.

well i guess its a good thing that i live in a town that has lots of fishing holes. i know that the bait and tackle shops sell mealworms. should i cal dust the mealworms too?

Originally Posted by hill4803

This issue has been discussed several times. Do not feed earthworms to leos, they produce a lot of mucus.

You mentioned this in the last thread on this topic. Can you provide references, links to references etc. that state that this aspect of earthworms is a fact? Thanks

u should not only cal dust I think u should also "Gutload" them feed the mealworms 24 hours before feeding them to your gecko also crickets. Someone will post what is some good stuff I think bran oatmeal. Apple/carrot/potato for water

ok then how should i store the mealworms? i use them as bait, so i never have them more that a few hours. and how do i feed them? just put thge food in and shake it up? or pour the mealworms over? I want my baby to have varity, but man..............crickets are so much easier. But i do want to try the mealworms.