Geckos and pinkie feeding

[Twiggz]

Just wanting to know what species cope well with feeding pinkie mice.
Ive heard that most knob tails do well with feeding pinkie, but i was mainly interested in what other species do well with this issue? Someone mentioned to me the other day that C.Louisiadensis would be ok to do so........anyone have any opinions on the matter?

Also if this is a readily accepted practice, how often would one feed and what quantity?

Not contemplating doing this sort of thing as yet- with most of my new additions being to small a species to do so, or being hatchies at present, but i was wanting as much info on this as i can keep for future reference.

All opinions welcome.......just keep them on the topic at hand please.

 

[Kratos]

i herd that there no good for any gecko

 

[Saz]

I've been told by a fair few breeders that a pinkie is a good way to restore calcium in breeding amyae. Haven't actually done it myself though, I have enough trouble getting my beardies to take a dead pink floppy thing!

 

[Kratos]

very interesting

 

[cris]

i wouldnt plan on feeding any geckos pink mice as a regular food, they normally eat invertebrates and some lizards these are nothing like mice nutritionally.

Also as they would probably need to be live it may be a legal issue as well, as geckos will eat insects so there would be no 'need' to feed them live mice.

 

[cjcolla]

how do they fit them in?

just bought 2 netted dragons and was told the male eats pinkies, he's not much bigger than a large gecko i guess... issue is, if they are not the nutrition they require, should they be fed it?

 

[Saz]

Same as beardies I guess, one after laying helps replace the calcium that has been used to produce the eggs, but not as a regular part of their diet. Can't think of too many geckos that would be big enough to manage a pinkie. I assure you though that an adult amyae would have no probs at all. I should think they weigh more than an adult central netted LOL!

:0)

 

[cris]

As Saz has mentioned they can be good for conditioning breeding animals and would also be good for improving the condition of underweigth animals. An adult netted dragon could easily eat a pink mouse, but i wouldnt bother giving them any if it was me. Mealworms would be a better choice for bulking up smaller lizards IMO.

 

[Twiggz]

Yeah i was under the same impression Saz- intended purpose if often used as like a calcium boost. I imagine amyae would handle it, and i know n.levis do, was curious as to what others may. It would no doubt to the larger species that would possibly manage this so, anyone ever done it and if so what species?

As chris has mentioned.......it wouldn't be a commodity in the diet......basically as Saz has mentioned, a post laying calcium boost. Obviously wouldn't be healthy on a regular basis i wouldn't think.

 

[Twiggz]

Cris: I've been told mealworms are a major no no with geckos. (correct me if i'm wrong but i think this is the case)

 

[sparticus]

I have heard of full grown castelnaui taking pinkies in the united states

 

[Ramsayi]

Cris: I've been told mealworms are a major no no with geckos. (correct me if i'm wrong but i think this is the case)

Consider yourself corrected.
Also we feed pinkies to geckos every now and again.

 

[cris]

Cris: I've been told mealworms are a major no no with geckos. (correct me if i'm wrong but i think this is the case)

Depends on who you talk too. Some think they will eat through a lizards stomach.

 

[Twiggz]

What species Ramsayi?

 

[Glider]

I've tried warmed pinkies to fatten up my female N.Levis after laying but no go. I chose the smallest frozen pinkies i could find at the petshop and held one in it's bag in my hand until it was my body temp, then I wiggled it with tweezers and she struck at it a couple of times but spat it out straight away. The male wasnt interested at all.

I had one pinky left over and so warmed it up and gave it to my adult male Central Netted Dragon, and he was all over it like white on rice

 

[Magpie]

You have to use live pinkies if you are going to do it, unless you have a gecko that you tweezer feed.
My Louisiadensis wont even look at them, but one or two of my levis will take them.
Most of the larger geckos will in fact eat smaller geckos - rather similar in content to a pinkie mouse and not just insects.

 

[cringles]

My salebrosus (rough throated leaftailed) geckoes will take pinkies off tweezers but I only offer them every now and then, theyre high in fat apparently. Most of the time it's crickets with the occasional dusting of calcium powder.
cheers
cringles

 

[JasonL]

I have fed pinkies to levis, amyae, and castelnaui, though really only if they need a extra boost in the middle of breeding season ( so one or two feeds once a year) and for the record my amyae love mealworms, never had a problem with them

 

[Twiggz]

Good to know JasonL- thanks.
Yeah i'm aware they are high in fat content- but it would be a calcium boost for sure.
Good to have some understanding on the issue at least now.
Doubt i'd be doing anything like that for some time.

Thanks all

 

[cris]

Most of the larger geckos will in fact eat smaller geckos - rather similar in content to a pinkie mouse and not just insects.

Dont pinkies have heaps more fat? (im not really sure just what i thought, hence my earlier post)