geckonamedspot
New member
i know leo's can eat pinky mice. how often?? i know every once in a while but i just want to make sure.
leopard gecko pinky mice
- Thread starter geckonamedspot
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killuminati
New member
once a month
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
Leos DO NOT need to be fed pinkies. This is one of the myths that I hate. Pinkies are almost 100% fat. Unless your gecko is sickly thin, there's no need to feed them a pinkie.
geckonamedspot
New member
well my leo doesn't eat like he used to. he used to eat all the time when he was younger, now he's 2 years and he eats maybe 5 mealworms a week, which i worry about. they store fat in their tails so feeding a fat food might help when he does his little fasting thing. :|
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Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
Or, it might cause him to develop fatty liver disease and kill him.
If you're having feeding issue, perhaps try figuring out WHY he's having feeding issues. It's usually a problem with temps or other improper husbandry issues. You might also try a more varied diet. Mealworms are a poor staple diet in the first place. Try crickets, roaches, etc.
geckonamedspot
New member
oh.....he's never eaten a pinky, and i just wanted to try it. u think just one would be a hazard to his health???
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
Just one is not going to "hurt" him. But it's not going to do anything really good for him either. It's just empty fat calories. Fat with no nutrition is of no value.
geckonamedspot
New member
so its a last resort food
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
You just stated in another thread that you're not using a UTH...just a light from above. I think we just found the source of your animals poor appetite. Leos need belly heat to properly digest their food.
geckonamedspot
New member
oh wow thank you so much. i will buy another uth in the next day or 2.
geckonamedspot
New member
ok today i bought the uth and a pinky. i know u said only if they skinny use it but he is looking a little slender as compared to my friend's leos. so im probably going to feed it to him to get him a little bit fuller, but should i wait until the uth gets his eating habits up again b4 i use the pinky?
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
If you're going to feed it, you want to do it while it's still alive. And it's only going to live a little while. So best go ahead and feed it to him.
geckonamedspot
New member
petco sells them already frozen. does them being dead and frozen decrease and nutritional value???
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
No, but being dead decreases the chances that your gecko will eat it. Geckos don't tend to eat dead food. Geckos like their prey live. Pre-killed pinkies are for snakes.
geckonamedspot
New member
well i did like i used to with the can o` crickets i loosely tied it to a thread and bobbed it up and down and he gobbled it up.
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
How long are you going to be gone? Feeding it a pinkie (which is essentially not much more than a blob of fat) isn't going to negate your animal's need for food and water.
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
Erica, I think that the entertainment value is part of it for a lot of people. It started as way for breeders to fatten up their females that had lost too much weight during the breeding season. And then it sort of trickled in to the main stream hobbyists. Now everyone thinks it's an "ok" thing to do every now and then. But other than, as you mentioned, the entertainment value, there's really no reason to do it (unless your pet is extremely thin and in need of the fat content).
geckonamedspot
New member
so its basically like i said before only use it as a last resort food??