What is the best way to make bulk my geckos up?

[monster]

As far as I know, there is no true proof that feeding varied diets of insects, worms, etc. will help a gecko grow any faster. Protein may help though.Try feeding GGD (gargoyle gecko diet) since it has more protein than the regular CGD. 

this is a better idea then whey protein power mixes.
i can vouch for little ones growing faster on GGD then CGD. no studies have been done (that i know of), and quite a few breeders are feeding that way.

[sreteP]

How old are your cresteds that arent growing on the CGD? Mine is 10 months and weights only 5grams but eats like a pig.

[Tanina]

I'm finding that most of my adults that are now almost totally on CGD with the very occasional cricket are doing quite well and seem content with their diet. My hatchlings and juvies are sometimes pretty fussy. I have one that refuses crickets and others that will gorge themselves. The one who eats only CGD is rather small but so is the one hatchling from the same clutch that eats like a pig when fed crickets often. I've yet to see a consistancy/ food type ratio at all.

It's been suggested to me that I alternate between CGD and the Rapashy two part system. My new clutches will be part of a dietary experiment to see if there is much of a difference in the growth rates.

[jhawkk2004]

What I have found to work very well is to feed CGD with supplimental crickets until they get to be about 6-8 months, then I just feed CGD all the time. My adults don't seem to enjoy crickets as much as they did as hatchlings anyway.

[Anthony Caponetto]

Crested Gecko Diet already has whey protein in it...and soy protein too I believe.   I think the protein ratio is already at 20 or 25 percent, so there wouldn't be any need to add anything to it.  It'll just make the diet taste worse and will make the geckos eat less of it.  Even if they did eat all of it, their body would use the extra protein as calories to burn for energy.

If you want them to bulk up for breeding, you really just have to let it happen naturally.  You can get them fat by giving them more baby food or tons of crickets, but they will get big the right way if you just stick to CGD and the occasional crickets.

[Anthony Caponetto]

Just FYI,

Protein is probably the least important of the macronutrients that you would want to bulk up (including humans).  Protein is used to repair muscle tissue that was "damaged" during a strenuous activity (such as working out or running away from/fighting with a predator). It's 100% necessary, but not the only thing necessary for bulk.

Carbohydrates are used as energy and whatever's left over is stored as body fat.  Sugars are carbohydrates that burn fast...meaning either use the calories within 15 minutes or store them as fat.

Dietary fat has more calories per gram and burns much faster than even sugars, which is why it tends to make people fat.  There are beneficial types of dietary fats, though...and the CGD has those too.


Another FYI,

Sometimes putting a 25 gram female with a male is all you need to get her to 40 grams...it's amazing how fast a female will put on size after she's introduced to a male.  Hormones, hormones and more hormones.

[LunarGecko]

Wow old thread. 

Feel it should be brought up considering my old post is now not valid. They no longer make GGD. The new CGD v3.0 that is just now coming out is now formulated to help 'bulk up' Rhacs. A good deal of the hemp has been removed and egg has been added. I hear (my bags are on order) that the new formula is much sweeter smelling now. The hemp was what created the sort of bran smell and now that that has been way cut back on and the egg added the flavor is much stronger.

[Heather]

I'm finding that most of my adults that are now almost totally on CGD with the very occasional cricket are doing quite well and seem content with their diet. My hatchlings and juvies are sometimes pretty fussy. I have one that refuses crickets and others that will gorge themselves. The one who eats only CGD is rather small but so is the one hatchling from the same clutch that eats like a pig when fed crickets often. I've yet to see a consistancy/ food type ratio at all.

It's been suggested to me that I alternate between CGD and the Rapashy two part system. My new clutches will be part of a dietary experiment to see if there is much of a difference in the growth rates.

Tanina, I just tried that thing with the alternating with the two part and I didn't see any difference at all.
 I went through the whole bag and didn't see any change in growth rate for the juvies and no change in the adults (not that I would have expected to see the adults gain anyway)
So far the only thing I've done that has made a notable difference is offering crickets to my hatchlings. BUT I noticed that if I do cickets once a week, that it's too much and then they don't gain because they're not eating the CGD. jUst my observations so far.