Hi Gang! Not sure if this should have gone in the feeding forums but since it's leo specific I thought I'd try here first
My two are happy and healthy and growing nicely...male must be around 8" stretched out and my female is 6-7"... they're eating mostly crickets, the odd mealworm (which they pretty much ignore unless really really hungry). I was treating them to a wax worm or two once a month or so but often I can't get any. So the last time I was out I got a couple of the smallest pinkies I could find to give them a try (I'd been told by many leo owners and petshop staff to go for it).
So I offered the smaller pinkie to my female, she licked it, then took hold, manoevered it around and in about 8 seconds had it down her throat (I saw her twist her neck this way and that..I assume this was to help get it down). Offered the slightly larger one to the male, and he was too busy trying to climb onto me (yay! they're both finally coming for attention and the chance to explore my apartment whenever I get my hands in the enclosure!!). Put the pinkie down on top of the hollow log (Krown, the female was over on the other side basking lazily with a full belly). I took Kermit out for a few minutes, and when I went to put him back in, the other pinkie was gone! My gal had that mischievous lizard grin on her and two lumps in her gut! I couldn't believe that 1) she'd have room for more, cuz she IS the smaller of the two and doesn't normally eat half as much as the male and 2) I didn't think she'd even try to swallow the larger pinkie.
So, my question after all that hype, (and I know about the no larger than it's head across rule) is should I start giving them each a pinkie more often, and how often? I know their staple diet is primarily crix, and I'm gutloading them nicely.. but if I can give them pinkies to fill them up for a couple of days that would be awesome. Is there a rule of thumb? How many? How often? Any advice will be appreciated!
