Question about feeding leopard geckos

From what I've read, although waxworms are higher in fat than mealworms, mealworms are still unhealthy as a constant diet. Dusted/loaded crickets should be a staple diet for a healthy gecko. Pinkies are bad enough for pacman frogs, but leopards? *shudder*

You can give the crickets very little water and a wet sponge for water, as well as potatos, carrots, and other water-laden plant matter. I think there are these liquid gel crystal/blob things out, too.

I do feed the crickets with gutload, the problem is that they die in the water bowl for the geckos. I don't know how to keep them outta there. I can't sit and watch all day to make sure they don't drown or harrass the geckos. That and they're impossible to keep from jumping everywhere. That's my only problems with the crickets.
 
Do you have any bioballs (filter media)? You can put a few of these in the water dish to keep the crickets from drowning until they've all been eaten. If you arrange them well, your lizards and even the crickets should still be able to get a drink.
 
I do feed the crickets with gutload, the problem is that they die in the water bowl for the geckos. I don't know how to keep them outta there. I can't sit and watch all day to make sure they don't drown or harrass the geckos. That and they're impossible to keep from jumping everywhere. That's my only problems with the crickets.

Well in that case, go pick up a rubbermaid tub and put your gecko in it with the crickets. You can watcht them eat and then not have to worry about the crickets drowning or biting your geckos in their tank.
 
Do you have any bioballs (filter media)? You can put a few of these in the water dish to keep the crickets from drowning until they've all been eaten. If you arrange them well, your lizards and even the crickets should still be able to get a drink.

I've never heard of that before. Is it something that floats in the water dish?
 
Well in that case, go pick up a rubbermaid tub and put your gecko in it with the crickets. You can watcht them eat and then not have to worry about the crickets drowning or biting your geckos in their tank.


I probably will do this is the future, but because they're so new they seem to still get startled when I have any activity in the cage. I haven't even handled them yet, because I've read not to really play with them for a couple weeks after introducing them. Is this incorrect?
 
Yes you shouldn't handle them the first few weeks. You can slowly get them use to you by putting your hand in the tank and let them check it out and climb on it. But if you want to move them into the tub to feed for now, you can just shoe them into a cup and then carefully place thim into the tub.
 
Ok got another question...I'm probably just being paranoid, but 1 of my geckos has some skin remaining from his/her shed on their head right near their left eye. It has been there a couple days now and I assumed it would come off with use of the humid hide. Now I'm starting to get concerned because I've read that shed near the eye can cause complication. I know you can put warm water on a q-tip to ease it off, but as I've stated in previous posts I have had them less than a week. I'm afraid to startle him and cause undo stress. Should I be proactive and remove the shed or let nature take it's course? Thanks again for all the insightful advice!!!
 
Hmmm....good question. I've always helped my geckos out if they had any shedding issues. Because it's near the eye you might have to break the no touch rule for now to remove it. Besides it's not going to get better with age. I would try to loosen the dead skin like you said with the tip of a wet q-tip and then try to carefully remove it with tweezers.
 
Hmmm....good question. I've always helped my geckos out if they had any shedding issues. Because it's near the eye you might have to break the no touch rule for now to remove it. Besides it's not going to get better with age. I would try to loosen the dead skin like you said with the tip of a wet q-tip and then try to carefully remove it with tweezers.

I will definitely do that. Should I do this at night when he/she is active or daytime? The other thing I've noticed is the other gecko always seems to be in the humid hide, should there be one humid hide for each of them?
 
AquariaCentral.com