leopard gecko feeding problem

Question
QUESTION: Hi Diane. i have a bit of a problem with feeding my leopard gecko. I have a male leopard gecko that is only interested in giant mealworms. He shows no interest in regular mealworms. I believe it is because he can't see the regular mealies and he can see the giant ones. However, i know that giant mealies are fed steroids and aren't good so i try not to feed him that. This is what i do to try to get him to eat regular mealies. I show him the giant mealworm. He shows interest and chases after it. Then, i switch the giant mealworm with the regular sized one. He usually ends up eating it. However, i do not want to keep buying giant mealies just to get his attention. Do you know how to fix this problem? Thanks so much for your help.

ANSWER: Hi Chris,
Have you tried superworms?  They are basically the same in looks as a "giant" meal worm but are actually better as they of course don't contain the steroids but they have less of the hard outer body and much more nutrition.
Depending on where you are located, there are on line places to buy the super worms...some even offer various sizes.
http://www.wormman.com/cat_superworms.cfm
http://www.nyworms.com/superworms.html
http://www.premiumcrickets.com/superworms_6.html
If you do a google search for superworms you will find lots of places that sell them.  Also, superworms are very easy to keep and must not be kept in the fridge.

Also, have you tried crickets?  If your leo doesn't like having to chase the crickets, try breaking the hind legs off the crickets, which will prevent them from hopping.
Other foods to look at are silk worms and butterworms.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi diane, i have tried crickets and superwowrms , but crickets are too hard for me to look after. Also, only my female likes superworms, my male just nudges at it. Are butter worms and silkworms expensive? And how many should i feed if i were to use that. Thanks

Answer
Hi Chris,
Not sure on the price of the two...but yes, they can be rather pricey. If you do the google search you will be able to find various sites that sell them on line.  Best is picking a place that is close to you to save on shipping costs.
Right now many stores do not have any meal or super worms due to some problem with them. I understand about crickets...not my favorite insect to keep either.
Silkworms come in various sizes...they get to be about 2 inches long but can be fed when smaller.  The drawback there is you have to buy the mulberry leaf powder and make the food for the silkworms.
With any insect that is fed to your leo, the basic rule is what ever he eats in 15 minutes is a proper amount to feed.
Try placing a few superworms in a dish along with the "giant" mealworms...if you keep at it, he will eat them as he will get hungry. Leos that have nice fat tails can go for quite a while without eating with no problems...If he is an adult, try offering the food every 2-3 days..which is basically a normal feeding schedule for adults.
The nudging may be because he wants to see the insect move before he eats it. My one does that when the worms aren't moving in the dish. If they don't move when she nudges them, she won't eat them.