Cresties and Meaworms

[Kiara1125]

I meant mealworms ... I hate my keyboard. Anyway, is it safe to feed my crestie mealworms as a staple diet? I have CGD in his cage, but he loves his dusted mealworms and doesn't really touch the CGD anymore. I breed mealworms for my leos, so would it be safe for my crestie to have mealworms as a staple diet? I know they're high in fat, but he's very active and I also take him out a lot so he gets even more exercise. Any advice?

Here's Rhyloh two months ago.

And now.

 

[indyana]

No, Crested Geckos are not insectivores and should not be fed only insects. You may have to use some tough love to get Rhyloh eating a complete gecko diet. You could try other flavors/brands of diet if he doesn't seem to like the one you have. I've heard that Repashy Grubs 'n' Fruit and Pangea Banana Apricot CGD are both good for geckos that seem to crave more protein.

Mealworms especially aren't that great for cresties, as their tough exoskeletons can be difficult to digest.

This is a really great page with a ton of information on Crested Gecko nutrition. If you have the time, I would definitely take a look through all the articles. While your little guy may seem to be doing all right for now, poor nutrition can cause a lot of problems in the long term.
Crested Gecko Food: Gecko Nutrition and Feeding | moonvalleyreptiles.com

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I've heard the same: absolutely no mealworms for cresteds. Because cresteds are a temperate species their digestive systems work a lot slower than species that live at higher temps. This makes the exoskeletons of mealworms pose a decent risk of impaction if they get balled up in the intestines somewhere. I only feed mine dubia and crickets because of this. I also only feed insects once a week. A diet high in protein can cause them to grow overly fast which may impact their development and longevity. It's best to keep them on a balanced diet and let them grow slowly and naturally.