What to Feed Your Gecko
- Crickets: These critters will form the backbone of most pet gecko diets. That’s not because they’re the healthiest—it’s just because they’re easiest to purchase or raise at home.
- Mealworms: Mealworms are another main staple for leopard geckos, though they might be too large for some house geckos.
- Waxworms and Superworms: These insects are very rich. Use them as special treats and only offer them once a week or so.
- Flies: These little guys are perfect for small geckos like house geckos. Fruit flies are usually easiest to find for purchase.
What vegetable and fruit can you feed your gecko?
What Geckos eat fruits and vegetables? Papaya, figs and raspberries have excellent calcium-to-phosphorus ratios, so they are preferred by most geckos. Although geckos may enjoy banana, peach, nectarine or cantaloupe, and although these foods are nontoxic, they have very poor calcium-to-phosphorus ratios.
What is the best baby food to feed a gecko?
What Do Baby Geckos Eat?
- Insect foods for baby geckos. Whether or not they supplement their diets with plant products, most baby geckos eagerly consume insects and other small arthropods.
- Plant-based foods for baby geckos. ...
- Baby food and commercial products. ...
- Safe food practices. ...
- Gut loading insects. ...
How often should I Feed my gecko?
What To Feed Your Leopard Gecko
- Staple Insects. Staple insects are the ones you will feed to your leopard gecko at every meal. ...
- Insects as Treats. These insects are generally very high in fat and offer very little nutritional content. ...
- Foods You Should Never Feed to Your Leopard Gecko. ...
- Gut Loading Feeder Insects. ...
- Water. ...
What is the best gecko for beginners?
Top 20 Best Pet Lizards For Beginners
- Bearded Dragon. The Bearded Dragon is an all-around popular, outgoing, and easy-to-care-for lizard. ...
- Leopard Gecko. Leopard Geckos are very popular and are widely known for being a great pet for beginner herpetologists.
- Crested Gecko. ...
- Blue-Tongue Skink. ...
- Green Anole. ...
- Argentine Black and White Tegu. ...
- Uromastyx. ...
- African Fat-Tailed Gecko. ...
- Chinese Water Dragon. ...
Do geckos eat crickets?
Can geckos eat lettuce?
Do geckos need calcium?
What can you feed baby house geckos?
Baby geckos can be offered small crickets and mealworms daily. Insects, in general, should be no bigger than the width of the gecko's head. When lizards get closer to adult size, they can be fed insects every other day and be offered larger insects, such as waxworms, superworms, and Dubia roaches.
What human food can house geckos eat?
The fact of the matter is that leopard geckos cannot eat any human foods. They are insectivores, meaning they eat nothing but insects and drink nothing but water. The end result is that your leo could end up sick if he eats anything other than appropriate insects.
Do house geckos eat fruit?
African fat-tailed geckos, house geckos, and leopard geckos are all purely insectivorous. Crested geckos and day geckos, however, are frugivorous. That means they eat fruit.
How often should you feed a house gecko?
A baby gecko, or young gecko, will need to be fed five to six times a week. An adult gecko needs to be fed about 3 times a week. Your gecko should have a diet that is high in protein, consisting of crickets, mealworms, waxworms, silkworms, and roaches.
Can geckos eat lettuce?
Leopard geckos are insectivores, which means that they need to eat insects to get the nutrition that they need, not greens and other vegetables. Your leopard gecko most likely won't eat lettuce or other vegetables as they don't like the taste and they can't digest them efficiently.
How long can a gecko go without eating?
ten days to two weeksMany adult leopard geckos can go without food for ten days to two weeks because of the fat storage in their tails. It is completely normal for leopard geckos to go without eating for long periods. Unlike mammals, reptiles do not require food every day to survive, particularly during the winter.
What vegetables can geckos eat?
Leopard Geckos are insectivores and cannot eat fruit or vegetables. A Leopard Gecko's body can only digest meat, such as insects. The reason they can't eat fruit or vegetables is because their bodies aren't designed to manage or digest fruit and vegetables.
Do house geckos eat dead insects?
Geckos will eat just about any insect as long as it is alive and they can catch it. Moths and other insects flutter to lighted windows and light fixtures in the evening, making the perfect hunting ground for geckos.
Do house gecko eat vegetables?
Do house geckos eat vegetables? House geckos typically eat insects and other small invertebrates. However, their diet can also include fruits and vegetables. The most common food items that house geckos eat include crickets, mealworms, waxworms, butterworms, and fruit flies.
Do house geckos like light or dark?
If you've seen an animal lurking near porch lights at night, you've probably seen a common house gecko waiting for its prey: bugs that are attracted to light. Being nocturnal animals, these reptiles seek their prey at night.
How do you look after a house gecko?
Geckos have delicate skin and do not tolerate handling particularly well, so care must be taken when removing them from their enclosure for cleaning. Geckos also require high levels of humidity and the enclosure should be lightly misted with water at least once every two days.
Do house geckos eat ants?
House Geckos love to eat cockroaches, ants, roaches, moths, small spiders, bed bugs, and many other insects. House Geckos may have chosen to reside in your home because of a plentiful amount of bugs to feed off.
House Gecko Diet Guide
House geckos occur in various species and they might have different diet requirements. To avoid all the confusion, I am going to focus on the Common House Gecko, Mediterranean House Gecko, and the Tropical House Gecko as well.
Tips For Feeding Your House Gecko
Having a house gecko as a pet is awesome because it is quite easy to take care for and do not have a lot of requirements. All in all you have to be careful with the feeding. Below are a few tips you should know when feeding your house gecko:
Wrapping Up!
There is our detailed summary of what house geckos eat in captivity and in the wild as well. As you can see, the diet is pretty much the same across all the house gecko species. Make sure you apply the tips we’ve discussed above as they’ll come in handy when caring for your gecko.
What to feed a gecko?
Feed your frugivorous gecko fruits like grapes, apricots and apples. Puree the fruit or chop it into pieces that are smaller than the space between your gecko’s eyes. Pieces that are too big can be dangerous for your pet! You can purchase prepared fruit mixes for day geckos and crested geckos, making things a bit easier.
What do geckos eat?
Like most lizards, geckos are predators that prefer to eat a variety of insects. The exact type of insects, feeding schedule, supplements, and amount of food will vary based on your gecko’s species, age, and activity level.
What are the best treats for leopard geckos?
Mealworms: Mealworms are another main staple for leopard geckos, though they might be too large for some house geckos. Waxworms and Superworms: These insects are very rich. Use them as special treats and only offer them once a week or so. Flies: These little guys are perfect for small geckos like house geckos.
Do geckos eat every other day?
As they mature, most adult geckos do the best eating every other day. All geckos should have constant access to clean, fresh water. Misting the tank regularly will give your gecko the humidity he requires. The amount of food that your gecko needs will vary based on his age and activity level.
Do geckos eat prepackaged food?
Most geckos do best eating live prey. Unlike dogs and cats, geckos don’t generally do well eating pre-packaged ki bble or prepared food. That means you’ll need to purchase or breed live insects to feed your gecko.
Can you make your own fruit mix for geckos?
You can purchase prepared fruit mixes for day geckos and crested geckos, making things a bit easier. In fact, most new gecko owners shouldn’t try to make their own fruit mix for their geckos. It’s just too tricky to track your gecko’s calcium and other health factors when you’re a new gecko owner.
Can geckos eat crickets?
It’s best to avoid feeding your pet gecko wild insects—you just don’t know which ones might be toxic or covered in harmful chemicals from the outdoors. Day geckos eat a mixture of the insects listed above, especially crickets, and gecko diet mix. Similarly, crested geckos generally eat a mix of insects and powdered crested gecko food .
How much humidity do geckos need?
Humidity. House geckos need a moderate to high humidity level in their enclosure so aim for 60 to 75 percent relative humidity which you can measure with a hygrometer.
Where are house geckos native?
Health Problems. Selection. Similar Species. Back to Top. Originally native to southern Europe and northern Africa, 1 common house geckos make interesting pets. Common house geckos have established breeding populations in many warm climates of the world. They are thought to have become an invasive species largely by hitchhiking on ships ...
Why do geckos drool?
These geckos also get respiratory infections, including pneumonia. If your gecko is drooling or wheezing or has excess mucus around its nasal passages, these symptoms likely indicate a respiratory infection. Seek out an exotic animal veterinarian who specializes in reptiles and especially lizards.
How hot can a gecko get?
Try to maintain a daytime temperature gradient of 75 to 90 F with a nighttime low of 65 to 75 F. Heat can be provided by utilizing ceramic heating elements or reptile bulbs in a reflector fixture.
What is the disease of a gecko?
All geckos can develop a metabolic bone disease (MBD), which is the result of insufficient dietary calcium and vitamin D. Geckos with MBD have a poor appetite, exhibit tremors, and sometimes, they can even develop painful limb deformities. These geckos also get respiratory infections, including pneumonia.
How to know if a gecko is shedding?
Before you acquire a common house gecko, inspect its skin for any sign of dry patches, which could indicate problems shedding. If possible, arrange to watch the animal eat to ensure it has a healthy appetite before taking it on as your pet.
Where do geckos live?
Common House Gecko Behavior and Temperament. While common house geckos can live in wild ecosystems, they are commonly found around human habitation, including on the walls and ceilings of houses in tropical climates, which is how they got their name.
What should a gecko eat?
18 August 2020. Your gecko should have a diet that is high in protein, consisting of crickets, mealworms, waxworms, silkworms, and roaches. The insects should be no longer than the width of your gecko’s head to ensure he can stomach them.
How to keep a gecko healthy?
1. Provide at least a 20 US gal (76 L) tank for your gecko. One single house gecko does not need much space to be happy and healthy. A deeper tank, with high walls, is ideal for a gecko. Use a glass tank with a screen lid so the gecko gets enough ventilation in his tank.
How to keep geckos tank humid?
House geckos are tropical species and they respond well to a humid environment, about 70% - 90% humidity. You can ensure the tank stays humid by misting the tank with water once to twice a day. Use a clean misting bottle and fresh chlorine free water.
What happens if a gecko gets too much heat?
If a reptile has too much heat they may overheat and become sick or die. Your house gecko’s tank should have a heat gradient, with a heat lamp at one end of the tank. This will allow your gecko to get heat during the day and less heat at night, when you shut off the heat lamp.
What is a house gecko?
House geckos, also known as Mediterranean geckos, are great reptiles for beginners as well as experienced reptile owners as they are cheap to buy and easy to care for. These hardy little lizards are named after their propensity to hide and live indoors, making them ideal pets for an enclosure in your home.
How to get old skin off a gecko's toes?
If your gecko has trouble getting old skin off his toes, tail, or head, you can assist him by spraying the area with water and gently massaging the skin until it peels off on its own.
How to care for a young house gecko?
If you need to care for a young house gecko, feed it 5 to 6 meals a week. Choose high-protein meals like crickets or mealworms, and make sure they are no longer that the width of the gecko’s head so it can eat them. For extra nutrition, dust the insects in a calcium supplement before giving them to the gecko.
What Are House Geckos?
The title “common house gecko” encompasses not just one gecko species but several gecko species that are non-venomous and not of any danger to humans. Common house geckos are part of the Hemidactylus genus, containing 183 gecko species.
How Big do House Geckos Get?
Common house geckos tend to grow to a maximum size of around 5 inches, as is seen with Mediterranean house geckos and Asian geckos. They grow to this size within a year of being born, which is quite a rapid growth rate (roughly 0.1 inches per month) and should be monitored carefully when considering how small they start.
Creating a House Gecko Habitat
Whether you decide to have a single house gecko or multiple house geckos, you need to ensure you are creating a habitat large enough for them to be comfortable; the more space you can give them, the better (would you rather be locked in a single room or an entire mansion?).
Exercising a House Geck
Though geckos do love a good basking surface and will spend hours relaxing in the heat, they do also require some exercise at least once a week. However, exercise should never occur immediately after eating as a gut loaded with feeder insects would not particularly agree with excessive motion while trying to digest.
Feeding a House Gecko
Geckos live on a diet of appropriately sized insects, all of which need to be alive. The following insects are ideal for the average house gecko diet:
How to Handle a House Gecko Properly
Geckos are extremely agile built to escape predators – this means if you were to mishandle your gecko, there is a high chance they will attempt to escape you as a self-preservation response. Therefore, it is not recommended that you handle your gecko unless necessary. If this is the case, then you should take the following advice into account:
Grooming a House Gecko
Fortunately, house geckos don’t require a lot of grooming. They naturally shed their skin, much like snakes, which is a process they will undergo on their own without any real need for assistance.
Minimum terrarium size for house geckos
The absolute minimum terrarium size for a single house gecko is 12”L x 12”W x 18”H. Of course, larger is always better! These geckos like being up high and having plenty of vertical space.
Do house geckos need UVB?
Technically they can live without it, but we still recommend using it for house geckos. UVB lighting helps provide a clear day/night cycle, provides all of the vitamin D that your pet needs, strengthens the immune system, facilitates better digestion, and other benefits.
Best temperature for house geckos
House geckos should have a basking temperature of around 90°F, as measured by a digital probe thermometer with the probe placed on the basking surface. In order to allow for proper thermoregulation, the enclosure should also have a cool area that stays between 75-85°F. Nighttime temps can drop as low as 72°F.
Best humidity levels for house geckos
House geckos like to live in a moderately high humidity environment of 60-75% humidity. Humidity should be measured via digital probe hygrometer, with the probe placed in the middle of the terrarium.
Best substrate for house geckos
Providing a layer of naturalistic substrate (“bedding”) will help maintain correct humidity levels and also helps make your enclosure more attractive! We recommend the following substrates for house geckos:
How to decorate a house gecko terrarium
An empty terrarium makes for a bored gecko, reducing their quality of life. You will also see fewer natural behaviors from them, which makes them less interesting to watch. Keep your pets entertained and stress-free with the strategic use of décor items.
What to feed to a house gecko
House geckos are insectivores, which means that they need to get the majority of their nutrition from insects. Juveniles should be fed daily but fully-grown adults can be fed three to four times/week. Offer four to five appropriately-sized insects per gecko, with each insect being slightly smaller than the gecko’s head.
Do geckos eat crickets?
In fact, for most geckos, that’s all they eat. Even pelleted food probably won’t satiate, and your new friend most likely wants to hunt down his own crickets, too. That means you’ll need to be prepared to buy live insects for feeding, so make peace with that part before you dive in. Options include: Crickets. Worms.
Can geckos eat lettuce?
But here’s where it gets tricky: Most pet geckos cannot eat anything that you like to eat ( unless you enjoy crunchy insects). In fact, even the fruit or lettuce other lizards snack on will seriously harm or kill your leo. They simply cannot digest it because they lack the chemicals to do so in their little tummies.
Do geckos need calcium?
Make sure they chow down on it, though they almost always do. On top of this, geckos need calcium in large supply. Some of that will come from the gut loading or the bugs themselves, but we also recommend calcium powder. You can find this at any pet store and will need to dust it on their prey before they go hunting.
What Do Geckos Eat?
Why Do You Need to Gut-Load?
- Okay, so you’ve purchased some crickets, worms, roaches, and flies, for starters. Now what? As his parent, one of your tricky jobs includes getting your gecko the right nutrients, and, unfortunately, you will need to add a little something to his meal to do so. In the wild, bugs eat practically constantly and therefore contain all the needed vitamins in their bodies when they ar…
How Do You Feed them?
- If you bring home a baby or juvie, you’ll start by feeding him every day. Since many geckos are nocturnal (the day gecko being an obvious exception), they prefer a nighttime meal. You’ll want to get into the habit of feeding him at about the same time every evening. Once your pet gets a little bigger, you’ll switch to about every other day. And finally, at a year, you’ll cut it down to three tim…