2 rescued Leopard Geckos - update 12/2 - & their Baby!!!

[KellyCrabbieLove]

Omg that would melt my brain if it happened to me.

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[fantasybookworm]

My best friend is similar, Kelly, they can't handle anything with more than 4 legs. Can't kill them either, most of the time, especially spiders. I've told them repeatedly to come get me if they need a bug killed - their family isn't very nice about the phobia & refuse to kill bugs in my friend's room for them. But their phobia is bad enough that they'll sleep in the living room if they know a bug is in the room & still alive.

Wode, do you know if dubia cockroaches are okay for leopard geckos? I'm hoping to start a colony of those once we're moved into an apartment, for my hedgehog & whatever other insectivores come along. I don't like crickets either, they're awful! I'm planning on getting them for the hedgie, but they'll be frozen after being fed healthy food. She'll be getting a huge variety of insects, as part of her raw diet, but I think a good number of them will be frozen or refrigerated to last longer. I plan on having a mealworm colony as well, both for food & for tank custodians (going to try doing bio-active for her as well). On the plus side, my girl agrees with me that superworms are scary. She hides her face from them! She recently was faced with an (already dead) hissing cockroach, which was HUGE, and she picked it a couple times, but didn't seem impressed at all. I told her she's gonna have to change her mind on dubia cockroaches, as they're going to be a good staple. Hopefully she'll cooperate!

I may suck it up if I get a gecko, though, and get some superworms. I have read before that they're better than mealworms for the higher protein & such. But if I can get away with other feeders like phoenix worms & dubia roaches, I'll probably do that! I'm not a fan of crickets as a staple for any insectivore, but they might be an occasional meal as well, right after buying & before freezing for the hedgie.

(Also I have to say, I can tell my friend loves me - they're letting me bring all of these bugs into the apartment!! As long as the bugs are confined to my room, my friend doesn't have to see them, and doesn't have to touch them, I'm allowed. I have, however, been banned from getting millipedes to freeze for the hedgehog. )

[wodesorel]

Yep, dubias are okay but the nymphs tend to be slow and freeze in place so they don't always trigger a feeding response. Adults are also normally too big for them to go after. Lateralis are probably a better choice, but they look and act like German cockroaches so it takes a dedicated keeper! They would have been my main feeders for everything, but I was deathly allergic to the lats right out of the box, and am currently in the process of rehoming everything else due to my allergies. My dubias went to a new home for a beardie last month.

I've always heard the phoenix worms are the best feeder out there - high in calcium and just about a perfect ratio of everything else. I can't get them here. I'm stuck with mealies, supers and crickets. Not even the bait shops carry anything different!

[CallaLily]

My Leo wasn't too into calci-worms. I had picked some up mainly for the crested geckos (who did love them) but I had to really play with them to get Lizard to eat them. They're small and don't really wiggle much. They're more expensive too, if I remember correctly. (hard to find here too)

[fantasybookworm]

I'm planning on ordering online either way for the hedgie, so I'll be able to try different things out if I get a gecko at some point. I'll note down the lateralis for future reference, thank you! And I've read the same about phoenix worms, but yes, they are quite expensive. Similar to silkworms, which are considered another great feeder (as far as I know), but are also very expensive. Guess I'll be experimenting a bit if I do bring a gecko home! I'm having to exercise a lot of self-control to not bring home every animal I see until I know I can support them.

[wodesorel]

So, Belle has DOUBLED in size - from 30 to 60 grams!!!! And no eggs in the last month, so she should be done.












And Butler has gained half his body body weight - from 50 grams to 75 grams. I want to see his tail a little fatter, and then we'll be looking for a permanent home for him.

[Crabinski]

Wow! What a recovery for them both! You're such a good critter-Mom, wode .

[CallaLily]

They look great!!

[rainbow_crab]

Dear wode when butler is adoptable please let me know! I live about 2 hrs away but would love to make the trip for him! You inspire me with your love dedication and information. I have two leopard geckos vivi and veruka I got one from the Columbus reptile show and the other from Craigslist. They are spoiled and fat. I breed crickets and mealworms, I'm trying the super worms but like you've said that's a slow process. I've got an overload of spare tanks so his own tank will be no problem. I've got slate rock and hides galore. My girls are beloved pets and not breeders, he wouldn't be a breeder either. I don't produce pets I adopt them so no worries there. And yes I know the life span and requirements and I have a little experience I've had veruka for 15 months and vivi for 13 months. Sorry to bombard you but I'm in love with his face and his story.

[landlubber]

Geckos are so adorable. Thank you for your rescue efforts!

I used to be very involved in the rescues. I fostered many furbabies and had two foster failures, one was the deaf great dane who just passed, and when I was a dog trainer I would volunteer those services with some of the harder cases. But then some things happened in my family that made it difficult to do those things anymore. But I think any time anyone makes any effort to help animals in need it makes a world of difference to that animal, who deserves a fair shot in life life any other animal or person.

[wodesorel]

rainbow_crab, I don't know how I missed your post! One of the vet techs my husband works with has been talking about adopting him for a while now. They've wanted a gecko for a while but refuse to buy from a pet store.



So............. her egg was good. I did the afternoon routine of checking the egg in the incubator and today there was a face staring back! I have no idea what I'm doing. Thank heavens for friends who do!





(S/he won't look like that as an adult. The babies have way different colors and patterns that they grow out of!)

[wodesorel]

It's REALLY tiny. And terrified of me because it doesn't know what people are.

[CallaLily]

Omgosh! Babies!

[wodesorel]

Omgosh! Babies!

Baby. Only one egg was good - the other shriveled and molded over - and she never laid any more, thankfully! I was not expecting this one to hatch. And she was so nutrient deprived for so long if it did I was expecting something deformed. It seriously never crossed my mind that it would be a perfect baby. I went SCREAMING through the house to grab the computer because I had nothing set up and hadn't read up on what to do. Poor cats were terrified. Hubby came home to find me arm deep in the containers drawer trying to find something small enough to use as a hide and water dish!

[fantasybookworm]

Ahhhhh!!! What a perfect teeny little baby!! I can imagine the panic you went through, too...what a surprise!