I was just wondering if it is alright to feed leos exclusively mealworms, and how often should hatchlings and adults be fed.

Thanks,
~Dave

Ive read and heard that a lot of the larger breeders feed exclusively mealworms and their leos do fine. The trick is to make sure the mealworms are fed a good diet so the leos are getting everything they need. With an occasional vitamin dusting and a calcium dish in the cage.

That being said, I use crickets/roaches for me leos. Not really a mealworm fan. I think even a little variety would nice even if its just once in a while. They probably dont NEED it but I do think they LIKE it so take that as you will.

Also leos seem to get "addicted" to one type of food. I picked up a trio that was raised from hatclings on worms and it took me a little while to crack them over to my diet. So if you feed a few different things it wont be a big deal if you run out of mealworms for a short period of time.

Hatchlings should be fed daily. As much as they will consume. Juvies as well I think benefit from daily feedings or at least every other day. If they go much longer than that they start to look skinny. Adults can be offered food daily but they may not be interested in eating. Some of my adults, mostly the females, will eat every other day no problem. The males seem to only want to feed 2-3 times per week. Which is fine they are fat and healthy so thats all the food they require.

I think the key is making the food available and letting the animals decide if they want to eat. If you're using mealworms just always have a couple in the bowl if you are using an escape proof bowl. If feeding crickets I would suggest leaving them in there for a while, let the animals eat and then removing any uneaten bugs as crickets can be a pain in the you know what if left in the cage. Same with roaches. Get'em out of there.

Its highly unlikely that a leo will overeat and become obese on an insect diet. Ive never seen an obese leo. Ive seen some chubby ones but none that I would consider unhealthy due to being overweight. I believe you can overfeed pinkies but not insects. Thats why I only suggest pinkies for egg laying females.

I feed mealworms and supers exclusively and have great results. I do, maybe once a month or so, I do give them a few crickets to give them something to chase. I raise my own mealworms and supers so I always have a constant supply.

I also feed exclusively mealworms with the occasional cricket "treat" to my gang and have never had a problem. You should vary the diet a bit here and there though.
The feeding schedule Varanus gave is what I follow as well.

I forgot to mention I also give them wax worms about once a month but you have to be careful with these as they are like candy to leos. I also will give my female a day old pink mouse about once a month, especially before breeding. The males wont eat them at all but the female seems to enjoy them.

The pinky thing is an iffy issue for a lot of people. I personally don't feed them simply because they are nothing but pure fat, as they have not had the time to develop bones for calcium. Plus I am overly concerned with impaction/choking risks with my guys, and prefer to feed more smaller food items than more larger ones. Pinkies have been known to cause fatty liver disease in SOME leos (although I think that is more from more constant feeding, not a once a month treat), so it is really about how you do it. I am not going to sit and say it is completely bad to feed pinks, but I have a "why risk it" philosophy when there are other things out there. But I have known of successful breeders that feed pinks, so I don't completely frown on the idea.
I also don't feed waxworms for the same basic reason (pure fat), and have found that supers provide not only the higher fat content than mealies, but offer the nutrition that pinks and waxworms don't have. You can get small supers online at www.crix-n-wiggles.com at good prices if yours won't take big ones.

I actually breed my own supers and feed them off when they get about medium mealworm size. My leos are whimps and the big supers scare them...lol...