I have just been given a Leapord Gecko. I was wondering how much to feed it a day ??

Answer 1

i feed mine 4 - 5 crickets every 2 - 3 days but if there are any left running around after that wait til he eat's them coz if you put more in they will die. try locusts, they love them, i give mine 2 at a time and just wait til it eats them. People say you can over feed them but i don't think so mine will leave it's food when it's not hungry

Answer 2

here are the requirements,
substrate newspaper when older sand or other things
uth under tank heater and if needed lamp no heat rocks can burn animal
at minimum a ten gallon aquarium go for 15 though a wire cage top
if its young a couple crickets two to five every other day
if older you could feed pinkies baby mice
a water dish at least two hides calcium to dust some of the crickets with every now and again a couple times a week for younger ones
give fresh water daily
you could also feed mealworms or superworms waxworms are treat
dont leave crickets or mice in there you could leave mealworms and superworms in a shallow dish
they are nocturnal so leave them be in the day
make the temperature on one side about 85 or 90 the other one like 80. im not exactly sure but the warm side i know is 85 to 90 the other is like 75 to 80.

Answer 3

It depends how old the gecko is. The most important thing is to try to vary it's diet, they don't go for veg much, mostly crickets and waxworms and occassionally locusts. Be careful how generous you are with waxworms, your Gecko will love them but they are like sweets to kids - too fatty! Cricket size will depend on the size of your pet but keep the crickets smaller than the Geckos head. Remember to feed the crickets with a bit of tropical fish food and a chunk of apple or pear ok? Also, sprinkle the food twice a week with a bit of Nutrobal vitamin powder. If you want any more advice mail me [e-mail] or try a website like thegeckospot.com

good luck

Lee x

Answer 4

Hi, you need to buy crickets or meal worms thease are avalible from some animal shops, youshould feed 2-3 per 3-5 days and warter should always be avalibe

hope this helps

Answer 5

my leopard gecko is in a 10 gallon tank.I give him a couple dozen crickets weekly. he eats what he wants right away and the rest he eats over the remainder of the week. keep fresh water in front of him daily and he will do just fine.have had mine for 5 years and he has grown quite nicely. I have tried meal worms and he don't much care for them. Good Luck!!!!!

Answer 6

i was given one three weeks ago! they are fantastic pets, what i do with mine is keep a few walking round in the tank, and it can help itself when its hungry. They should eat between 7-10 crickets a day, some of them will eat meal worms, but mine doesn't like them! have fun!

Answer 7

It depends on the size of the lizard.

Answer 8

Here's the care sheet I wrote (for good measure) :)

Leopard Gecko Complete Care Sheet

Bare minimum equipment needed:

*10 gallon tank or larger, or equivalent-sized reptile cage (for one lizard), or 20 gallon or larger for 2 to 3 lizards. A

tank which is long and low is better than one that is tall, as these reptiles live on the ground, and do not climb a lot.
*Metal screen or mesh top for tank or cage (may be built in to some reptile cages). Should not be plastic, if you plan

to use an overhead heat lamp.
*A radiant heat source. Either an overhead heat lamp, or an undertank heater. This should be small enough to cover

no more than half the cage. A full-spectrum flourescent reptile lamp is not necessary for this species, because they

are nocturnal. Hot rocks are not recommended.
*If you have selected an overhead heat lamp, an appropriate bulb for the lamp, such as a reptile daylight bulb. If you

use a nocturnal heat bulb, you will be able to watch your animals after dark without disturbing them. You should still

provide white light during the day, though it does not need to be direct.
*A shallow dish for water.
*A shallow dish for small food items, such as mealworms.
*A substrate. A reptile cage carpet works well--buy two, so you can wash one while you use the other. You can also

use plain play sand, or a coconut-fiber based reptile bedding. Do not use fine silica sand, aquarium gravel,

corncob, or other beddings that might be eaten and cause an impaction of the digestive system. The substrate will

be kept dry, so select one which dries quickly if dampened, and does not hold moisture.
*Two temperature guages (thermometer).
*One humidity guage (hygrometer).
*One hide box or cave with an open bottom.
*One enclosed hide box or cave.
*Calcium/mineral supplement powder
*Vitamin supplement powder (vitamins and minerals can interfere with one another's absorption, so all in ones are

not the best choice).
*Small container for keeping crickets or mealworms.

Optional equipment:

*Climbing branches, plastic plants, or other decorations (be sure they are too large to be eaten, and do not stack

rocks which might fall if pushed).
*Cricket/mealworm gutloading formula.
*Backdrop for cage, if using aquarium.
*Cricket cave (allows you to dust crickets, place cave in cage, and remove plug to release crickets one at a time).
*Cutaway hiding cave--remove the magnetic outer shell to see your reptiles inside their cave.
*Feeding tongs--hand feed your reptiles without getting nipped.
*Book on leopard gecko care (necessary if you plan to breed them, a good idea even if you aren't).
*Sphagnum or frog moss (not peat).
*A timer for your lighting and heating.
*Thermostat or rheostat for controlling heating devices.

Setting up the enclosure:

Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place the open-bottomed

hiding cave toward the middle of the cage. Dampen moss or torn paper towels, not too wet (or wring them out), and

place in closed-bottom hiding box or cave (leave room for the gecko). Place this on one side of the cage. Place

watering dish on same side as the damp cave. Place food dish and other decorations as you please. Stick one

thermometer down low on the same side of the cage as the damp cave, on the inside of the cage so that you can

read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, either at a ground level or if you have placed

branches, at the level of a sturdy basking spot that the lizard might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the

humidity guage down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath

the side opposite the humid cave, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in

the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on the side opposite the humid cave, as far to that side as possible

(take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.

Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature guages. The

warmest area of the cage should be 85 to 90 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the

cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a

higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for

your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. It is important to

set this up before putting your gecko into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat or

rheostat is a good idea for regulating either of these devices, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to

changes.

Most reptiles, including leopard geckos, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays at about 75

degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals.

If it drops too much lower (below 71 or 72), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night

time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your gecko with very

regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good.

Purchase crickets or mealworms to feed your gecko. Crickets should be the mainstay of the diet, with mealworms

being offered occasionally for variety. (Crickets are in general more nutritious). Leopard geckos are strictly

insectivorous. Commercial crickets and mealworms are the safest and least expensive food items. You may try

commercially dried crickets in a vibrating food dish, if you like, but not all animals will convert to accept dead insects.

If yours will, be sure that you keep the water dish filled, as it will need to drink more water than an animal that is

eating live insects. You may catch wild insects to feed your lizard, but this is risky, as you cannot be sure they have

not been exposed to pesticides or other toxic chemicals, and there is also a chance that some may transmit

parasites.

Place your crickets or mealworms in a seperate escape-proof cage. A plastic "critter keeper" works well. You

should feed crickets or mealworms for 48 hours before giving them to your lizard. Ask your pet store what, if

anything, they feed their crickets. If they use a cricket gutloading formula, you will not need to wait. Most stores

house mealworms in refridgerators, where they are dormant, so these will always need to be fed. Feeding insects

nutritious food before giving them to your reptile is called "gut loading". A reptile eats not only the insect, but the

contents of its gut as well. An empty insect is much less nutritious than one full of good food. Provide a piece of fruit

or commercial cricket drink for water, and nutritous food--either a gut loading formula or fruits and vegetables to feed

them. Wash these thoroughly first to get rid of pesticide residues.

Crickets and mealworms are very low in calcium, one of their drawbacks. As a result, even if you use a gutloading

formula that contains calcium (which substantially increases their calcium content, but may kill your crickets if used

for more than a couple of days), you will need to dust them in order to balance out their mineral content. Every other

feeding, place the crickets in a small baggie with a bit of mineral powder, and shake until they are coated, just before

you feed them to your lizard. Once a week, use a vitamin powder instead. The difference these supplements have

made in reptile husbandry cannot be overstated....they will allow your pet to have a healthy, long lifespan. Baby

geckos will eat only small mealworms and 1/4 inch "pinhead" crickets. Adult geckos can eat fully grown crickets. An

adult leopard gecko will consume about 5 to 7 crickets per feeding, and they should be offered food every other day.

Babies should be offered food every day. Offer crickets one at a time, until the lizard refuses further food...remove

the last cricket. Never leave food insects inside the cage, as they may nibble toes and tails. Crickets are particularly

known for injuring sleeping reptiles, particularly if they have no other food sources. A reptile will not kill a pesky

insect in self-defense.

About leopard geckos:

These lizards are probably the best "first pet" lizards you can find. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care

for. They reach a size of just over 8 inches as adults, and can live for 20 years or more. They usually reach near

adult size in about 18 months (so feed your babies plenty, they grow very fast). They come in a variety of color

morphs and patterns, and pretty much all of the geckos you find on the market today are captive-bred. This means

they are generally free of disease or parasites. Baby leopard geckos have bright bands of black and yellow on their

bodies (unless they are an unusual color morph, such as leucistic, which has no bands or color). As they reach

adulthood, these bands will disappear, and will be replaced by other patterns. In a normal gecko, this will be fine

patterns of black spotting on a yellow background.

Leopard geckos tolerate handling well, though it may take some time for a gecko to come to trust you enough to

allow you to pick it up. Babies in particular tend to be skittish. A leopard gecko CAN deliver a painful bite. Teach

them to trust you slowly and gently, if you wish to handle them. Most will calm down and not be inclined to bite.

However, you should handle your leopard gecko only for fairly short periods, occasionally, to avoid stressing them.

They may try to escape your grasp, and can be very wiggly...a long fall could injure them, so be very careful when you

are carrying them. They can run surprisingly fast. Reptiles, unlike mammals or birds, do not usually appreciate

affection, and they are not social. Tolerance is the best you can expect from any reptile or amphibian. If you are

lucky, they will enjoy your body heat. The fun of these animals comes from observing their natural behavior and

appearance. In that respect, keeping reptiles and amphibians is much like keeping fish.

Leopard geckos do not have the sticky toe pads that arboreal gecko species have, so they cannot climb walls or

glass. They also have something that most other geckos do not have: eyelids. They walk using a gait which is

VERY rare in reptiles. It is called a "semi-erect" stance. Most reptiles walk with their belly very low to the ground.

Mammals walk with their legs directly underneath them. Crocodiles and a few species of geckos, such as the

leopard gecko, walk with a gait that is somewhere in between...not quite upright, but definitely not sprawling as most

reptiles do. You may notice that your gecko has a definite personality, and preferences. When hunting, many

geckos will twitch their tail like a cat. All told, these are fascinating and attractive animals, and well worth keeping.

To maintain them in the long term, have your gecko checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other

health problems. If you notice your gecko behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active

than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill.

Treated quickly, most leopard gecko illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an

infection. Occasionally, some geckos will eat their substrate. If you catch your gecko doing this, switch to cage

carpet immediately, as this behavior problem can lead to a deadly intestinal blockage.

Some leopard geckos may stop eating for a few days before shedding their skin, something they will do several

times a year (more when they are young). They will also spend a lot of time in their humid hide box. This will help

loosen the skin so that it comes off easily. They will eat their shed skin, so you will probably not find it in the cage.

After your gecko sheds, check its toes and tail tip to be sure that no skin remains stuck there. If it does, you may

need to carefully use tweezers to remove it, or take it to a vet if there is a lot of it. Retained skin on the extremities

can cut off circulation and cause the gecko to loose toes. However, using a humid hide box should prevent this from

ever happening.

With the proper care, your leopard gecko should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.