If you are looking to provide your pet with the best diet possible while we look at the different types of insects the leopard gecko can eat. Insect distributors breed your pet food in captivity and provide the best nutrition for your pet. A post shared by indotenebrio.
Mealworms are the most popular insect to feed your leopard gecko. They are easy to find in most pet stores and are relatively inexpensive. They keep for a long time, and you can even breed them if you want a lower-cost method of feeding your pet. The hard outer shell can occasionally cause digestive problems, and they like to burrow, so it can be hard to retrieve them at mealtime. Crickets are another fantastic food to feed your leopard gecko, and many people will prefer them because they have a higher nutritional value.
Like mealworms, they are relatively easy to purchase or breed, and you can maintain a low-cost food indefinitely if you have space. Keeping even a few of them in a cage will fill the room with an unmistakable odor. The constant jumping and chirping can create quite a bit of noise, and they often find a way to break free, especially when you are collecting them for your leopard gecko. A post shared by Dr. You can purchase several types of roaches for your leopard gecko, like the Turkistan cockroach, but the Dubia is by far the most popular.
They have a high nutritional value and are easy to collect at feeding time, and since they move faster than mealworms, they trigger the hunting instinct.
While there are several advantages to Dubia roaches, they are much more expensive than the options we have looked at so far. Some people might have difficulty creating a suitable environment for breeding, so you might need to repurchase them several times, and they are not as readily available as mealworms or crickets.
Waxworms are nutritious, but they also contain a lot of fat and can put weight on your pet. In the wild, these lizards eat beetles, spiders, crickets and scorpions. They sometimes also prey on small snakes, baby mice and other types of geckos. They will try and eat any animal small enough to fit into their mouth. There are even reports of hungry geckos cannibalizing hatchlings, though this is quite rare. Instead of waiting for their prey to walk past, leopard geckos will search for and chase them.
They hunt by sight and will stalk insects slowly and purposefully. During the hunt, but before striking, they often shake or vibrate the tips of their tails. This helps to spook their prey into moving. Once they strike they shake their prey quickly to kill it. Dead prey is normally ignore, but sometimes a Gecko may lick it to determine its edibility. Watching this lizard hunt can be very entertaining. They are small but fierce and capable hunters with excellent eyesight and a keen sense of smell.
They also have powerful jaws with small, sharp teeth that are able to be replaced every three or four months. Leopard geckos will eat as often as they can. Their high activity levels, and a lack of prey, means that wild species rarely become fat or obese. In fact, they are usually underweight. Wild individuals typically weigh around 27 grams, while larger pets can reach 90 grams. Pet leopard geckos are prone to gaining weight because of their reduced activity levels and high-quality food.
To prevent obesity, it is important to feed your gecko on a schedule and monitor any weight gain. Hatchlings and juveniles should grow faster and eat more frequently than adults. Species over two years old should no longer gain weight and so should eat less often, though their prey size can be larger. Crickets, cockroaches, mealworms, waxworms and hornworms are all healthy and safe foods for a leopard gecko to eat. However, not all of these foods are equal in terms of nutrition.
The most common leopard gecko Food is house crickets, as they are sold in bulk at pet stores. However, these insects tend to smell and can be noisy. Mealworms and Dubia roaches are a much better choice. Waxworms are also commonly fed, but are high in fat and low in protein.
In their natural habitat , these lizards prey on many different types of animals. You should try to mimic this natural variation in their diet. You will also need to pay attention to the nutrient content of the different insects you are feeding. Babies are greedy eaters and have a very high metabolism. Because of their rapid growth and development they need to eat more often than adults, preferably once per day.
Baby geckos are usually more skittish than adults and are less likely to take food from your hand or tongs. It is best to feed them using a small dish. Using a small dish also allows the prey to move around and attract their attention.
Generally, baby leopard geckos should be given as many small crickets or roaches as they can eat in 10 minutes. After 10 minutes any uneaten food should be removed. It is safe and healthy for young geckos to eat every day and it helps fuel their rapid growth. Provided you are giving them small food items there is little to no danger of overfeeding. If your baby still seems hungry after eating seven crickets, then offer a few more. In general, you should feed to their appetite.
Like adults, baby geckos may lose their appetite when shedding. They will chirp, which may be disturbing to you or your house mates.
This is especially true if they get loose in your home! Crickets may also develop a smell. Plan on cleaning your cricket cage frequently to avoid the stink. Your leopard gecko may not stink, but the crickets will if not maintained. Crickets should be easy to find at local pet shops, or you can buy them in bulk online. Make sure you are purchasing the right size for your gecko. You can check the best prices here. Dubia roaches are a less common feeder, though are gaining in popularity among reptile owners.
The are a nutritious option to add some variety in your leopard gecko feeding plan. Dubia roaches are easy to breed, and many reptile owners will keep a colony of roaches to cut costs and have a steady food supply.
They could make a great alternative to crickets if your gecko likes them. They live much longer than crickets, and it may be hard to believe, but the roaches are cleaner than crickets. Dubia roaches do not develop a smell like crickets. Though they are active, they cannot climb smooth surfaces and do not jump, so are less likely to escape in your home than crickets.
Make sure you are getting the right size for your gecko to eat. Dubia Roaches can be purchased in several sizes. Click the affiliate links blow to see the relative size scaled to a coin.
You can, though this is generally not recommended. Store bought insects are sourced through known breeders, and are raised with reptile feeding in mind.
These come from clean and disease free environments. Alternatively, mealworms and dubia roaches are easy to breed and keep a steady supply on hand. Some insects, like fireflies or other luminescent insects are toxic to leopard geckos, and should net be offered to your gecko under any circumstances. Gut loading is the process of feeding your crickets, mealworms, etc. If your insects are not well fed, they will be a poor source of nutrition for your pet. Ultimately, what your feeder bugs eat wind up in your gecko.
I usually feed my insects vegetable scraps such as carrot peelings, potato slices, pieces of apple, etc. Personally, I breed my own mealworms, and keep them fed at all times. General rule of thumb is to Feed your Feeders before offering them to your pet.
If you keep a dish with live mealworms in the enclosure, it may be a good idea to keep a small piece of carrot or apple in the dish so the worms are well fed when you leopard gecko eats them. Your leopard gecko will quickly outgrow a reptile starter kit, so when you're buying new equipment it's better to get a large enclosure from the start.
There are a few essential things your leopard gecko vivarium will need:. Leopard geckos use their environment to regulate their body temperature. That's why it's important to provide a 'thermogradient', with a heat lamp at one end and a cooler area at the other.
Use thermostats to regulate the temperatures. You'll also need to remember:. To mimic your leopard gecko's natural environment, you'll need to provide hiding places and low, sturdy branches or rocks for climbing.
The floor covering, known as the substrate, also needs to be natural to minimise the risk of impaction - a potentially fatal issue where particles become lodged inside your gecko's belly and cause a blockage. Never use 'caci-sand' or beech wood chips, as your leopard gecko can't safely eat these. Read more about set-up and vivariums in our leopard gecko care sheet.
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