Super worms may seem dangerous to leopard geckos, but the risks they present to full-grown leopard geckos are minimal. You can safely offer small numbers as treats once in awhile.
Leopard geckos, as with any obligate carnivore, require a varied diet which should include feeder insects as well as supplement such as calcium powder, vitamin supplements, and vegetables.
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They’re a good source of protein
Due to their high fat and phosphorus content, super worms should only be given in small quantities as treats for leopard geckos rather than as mainstays of diet. If fed too frequently or as the only protein source available (i.e. crickets), leopard geckos could become obese and experience health complications.
If you intend on feeding your gecko super worms, make sure they’ve been gut loaded at least 24 hours prior. This process involves coating the worms with additional nutrition like oatmeal, sweet potato or carrot slices so as to give their reptile extra vitamins that would otherwise go unseen through their regular diet.
Phosphorus is essential to human and animal health, yet when consumed in excess it can cause metabolic bone disease. Therefore it’s crucial that reptile owners provide their reptiles with foods rich in calcium such as super worms or crickets for maximum protein intake.
They’re a good source of fat
Leopard geckos love wax worms, the larvae of the darkling beetle (Zophobas morio). Packed full of protein and fat, wax worms provide your reptile with the essential nutrition it needs – providing an enjoyable treat at times when their diet may vary due to upbringing or other factors.
Leopard geckos love crickets as food because they’re low-cost, easy to raise, and readily available at most pet stores. Furthermore, geckos often become addicted to them – be mindful when giving out multiple crickets at one time as this could result in your pet becoming obese! However, you should limit the quantity you give at once for optimal health and happiness.
Before feeding them to your reptile, dust worms with high-grade reptile-grade calcium powder to increase gut load and nutritional value. However, too much calcium could overwhelm their phosphorus levels and contribute to metabolic bone disease.
They’re a good source of phosphorus
Superworms provide leopard geckos with essential phosphorus for bone development. Unfortunately, their high-fat content makes them unsuitable for daily feedings; additionally, their hard exoskeletons may hurt or injure their digestive systems while eating them.
Phosphorous is an essential nutrient, but too much phosphorus can be detrimental. Too much phosphorus prevents calcium absorption by the body, leading to metabolic bone disease in reptiles.
There are ways you can help your crestie get more phosphorus from its food without resorting to superworms, however. One effective technique is gut-loading them with extra vegetables like carrots and potatoes – this will not only be more nutritious for them, but will be easier for your pet to digest and consume; additionally it reduces risk of choking on larger worms; offering two or three at once should do just fine for most leopard geckos.
They’re a good source of calcium
Leopard geckos love super worms, but these feeder insects should only be provided occasionally as treats to avoid obesity and metabolic bone disease. Furthermore, these foods contain too much phosphorus which prevents calcium absorption into their systems resulting in metabolic bone disease.
To avoid this problem, it is crucial that super worms be gut loaded 24 hours before offering them to your leopard gecko. This process entails feeding them a diet consisting of nutritious veggies and grains such as oats, sweet potatoes or carrots; additionally, dust the worms with vitamin powder prior to feeding them to your pet.
Though worms contain high concentrations of proteins and phosphorus, they should only be fed to leopard gecko as occasional treats due to overfeeding causing obesity and health problems. Also it’s important to limit how many worms your leopard gecko receives per day as providing too many won’t provide adequate nutrition, leading to weight gain.
