I have 2 female leopard geckos name pedro(hoped would be a male) and Chiquita. For the first few weeks I got them I fed them mainly small crickets and some mealworms. Pedro did great but my poor Chiquita almost starved to death because she wouldn't eat the crickets and Pedro stopped eating them too. I switched over to mealworms full time and they're doing great. They're 6 months old now, Pedro is nice and fat Chiquita is about normal and they're both active. They seem fine to me, but I just want to make sure, they can survive on mealworms comfortably right? I also have a question about substrate. I have ground walnut shell "desert" sand bought at the pet store. I read about calcium sand and even normal sand getting into their digestive track and killing them. I haven't noticed at much poop in the tank lately but both are eating and seem very healthy. Is this natural?
Leos can survive on mealworms, but it is not ideal. Just like with humans, variety is key to a healthy diet for any animal, including your geckos. Mealworms are rather fattening and have a high phosphorous to calcium ratio, which is not good for any reptile. If your geckos refuse to eat crickets or small roaches and will only feed on worms, I would look into silkworms or soldier fly larvae/phoenix worms/calci worms--these are the only worms recommended for use as a staple. As for the substrate, I would definitely switch to a non-particulate liner such as reptile carpet, newspaper, paper towels, or non-adhesive solid rubber mat shelf liner. Impaction is very possible, especially with the crushed walnut and sands, and even more so with leopard geckos, which tend to have poor aim when hunting for prey. If they do not defecate soon, try giving them a soak in lukewarm water to help ease it out. Welcome to the boards and if you have any other questions please feel free to ask!
