Over feeding?

[golfsk8er]

I have 2 leos that are about 6 inches and im feeding them about 6 mealies and 5 crix a day is this to much (i want them to breed sometime next season) but is this to much ? will it harm them?
thanks
matt

[Bartman]

Doesnt seen to much at all. You could maybe give them 5 and 5 but that wont make to big a diff. I feed mine 2 silks and however many crix mine will eat in about 10 minutes...around 6 tops i let her get. Shes decided to become a picky eater lately so its getting hard..she'll only take silks..my food bills rocketed! :(

[Tim and Julie B]

The best way to ensure your leos are eating the right amount is to give them enough that they don't continue to look for food. When I feed mine I give them a few to start and add more if they are still looking. As soon as the interest wares off and they move to the warmth to digest I remove the leftover food items. Every leo is different, and each will eat different amounts of food. The trick is to learn the eating habits of each of your leos, then you'll know how much is appropriate for each one.:D

Julie

[bob_thesnowman]

yupp can't over feed a leo,they'll stop when they are full(unlike my savanna monitor,he'd eat until he pukes if i let him,lol,and after he's done pukin' he probably take down another meal,fat-a$$!lol)i've had hatchling take down 11 mealies and i've had adults that'll take down a good 30 mealies or more at a time,if you want them to breed it's best to let them be pigs otherwise it may be to hard on them(laying eggs does take a bit out of them) and you may run into problems,the best of luck to you in the upcoming breeding season!

[Emily-Fisher]

I've got a huge leo who is over 9 inches i size and I've seen him easily take down 50 mealies before losing interest! So yeah, it all depends on the size of your leo. I give my leos around 35 mealies each and they eat until they're full. If they eat all 35, I give 'em 10 more.

[J-Man]

Emily....... HOLY ****!

[mathaldo]

How often do you feed your geckos Emily? Once a week? Everyday?

[Tim and Julie B]

Basically you feed them if they are hungry. If they want to eat every day that's okay, if they only eat every other day that's fine too. It's part of the whole "learning each's habits" I was refering to. You really can't go wrong with them.

Julie

[golfsk8er]

Thanks alot guys helped alot!! I was just wondering also how much should you supplement. i use a calcuim/phossphorus blend (i normaly do it every other feeding or so) and feed them every day. iv heard that to much is bad is this too much? one of them was having a problem when i got it with a lack of calcium so i thought it would be good more offten ? am i wrong?
if you could let me know what would be great
thanks
matt

[Tim and Julie B]

That seems quite right for supplementation. You can also give females a small dish with calcium powder that can be left in the cage at all times. You should however switch to a supplement without phosphorus. The best I have used so far is Miner-all 1. It contains D3 which is very important to nocturnal species because they spend no time under UV lighting. If you cannot find it in your pet stores you can order it from the Bean Farm. They are prompt and reliable. Hope this helps you:D

Julie

[golfsk8er]

Yup thanks again. I also have some reptivite would that be better to use untill i can get some other?
matt

[Tim and Julie B]

As far as I know reptivite isn't the best. Someone else may be able to give you a better answer on that. For now maybe just supplement once a week until you can get some vitamins without phosphorus.:D And be sure to get a calcium powder too. I recommend giving females a constant supply of it in a shallow dish and the males can just have some on thier bugs, although the dish thing is okay for them too.

Julie

[drewlowe]

remember mix the herptivitaimin and calcium together with a 6:1 ration Cal: herptivitamin.

[Linds]

Originally posted by bob_thesnowman
yupp can't over feed a leo,they'll stop when they are full

You can overfeed an animal if it isn't getting the adequate amount of excercise. You have to find a balance between the two... keeping in mind these animals do not have a constant supply of food in the wild, and cover a lot more ground/obstacles than in captivity so they burn more calories. Leos can become obese in captivity if we aren't careful.