Below, we’ve included a chart detailing the nutrition facts of leopard gecko’s favorite insects:
| Feeder Insect | Protein % | Fat % | Ca:P Ratio |
| Crickets | 19% | 5% | 1:9 |
| Mealworms | 19% | 9% | 1:7 |
| Roaches | ~20% | ~8% | 1:3 |
| Silkworms | 13% | 2% | 1:2.4 |
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. ...
Do geckos have to eat live crickets?
Geckos are typically insectivorous, so most species primarily eat insects like superworms, crickets, and roaches. Some will even eat certain arachnids! Additionally, many omnivorous and herbivorous species of geckos enjoy fruit, so you’ll often see them described as frugivorous. Day geckos are a great example of a fruit-eating gecko species.
What is the best thing to feed crickets?
What Do Crickets Eat?
- Organic plant matter. Crickets are naturally omnivores. ...
- Fruits and veggies. Crickets are happy to munch on fruits and veggies. ...
- Seeds and grains. These insects are also happy to consume several seed and grain types. ...
- Insects. Crickets often become omnivores when held in captivity. ...
- Dog food. ...
- Water. ...
- Cricket Diet Variations. ...
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 human food can leopard 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.
What household items can geckos eat?
House geckos should be fed a variety of small prey items. Crickets can make up the main part of their diet with the addition of fruit flies and other small flies, silkworms, the occasional mealworm, and other insects.
Do you have to feed leopard geckos live crickets?
Leopard geckos (also known as Leos) go crazy for a succulent mixture of worms and “gut-loaded” crickets — that is, live crickets that have been fed the vitamins geckos need.
Do leopard geckos eat besides insects?
Leopard geckos are opportunistic carnivores that will eat whatever they can catch. 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.
Can a leopard gecko eat fruit?
Can Leopard Geckos Eat Fruit? No, Leopard geckos are insectivores and feed primarily on insects. Since these reptiles are insectivores, their bodies are not designed to digest fruits and vegetables.
Can leopard 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.
Are crickets or mealworms better for leopard geckos?
They are a very active feeder insect, which helps to increase a feeding response in your animal. Crickets are easy to digest and are even more nutritionally superior to mealworms.
Can I feed my gecko dead crickets?
Leopard geckos are insectivores, meaning they only eat insects, and that too, live ones. So, if you try feeding your pet a dead roach or a dead and silent cricket, they won't eat it. Their diet is really important, and you need to be careful about their eating habits to maintain their health.
Are mealworms good for leopard geckos?
Baby Leopard Geckos should be fed 5-7 small crickets or mealworms every day until they reach about 4 inches. Larger food should be offered every other day until they become full grown in about 10-12 months. Adults can be fed 6-7 large crickets or mealworms 2 to 3 times a week.
What can I feed my leopard gecko if I don't have insects?
Leopard geckos will not eat fruits or vegetables of any kind. In captivity, leopard geckos thrive on a varied diet of commercially available insects: crickets, mealworms, superworms and roaches are excellent dietary staples.
What can geckos eat other than insects?
Some species of pet gecko eat fruit as well as insects. These geckos can eat pureed fruit mixes or prepared fruit mixes formulated for geckos. However, most pet geckos are primarily insectivorous, meaning they eat insects and other creepy crawlies.
What kind of fruit can leopard geckos eat?
Certain fruits are great for geckos, while others can be detrimental to their health. Fruits with a high calcium and low phosphorus content are best, such as apples, peaches, cantaloupe, papayas, mangoes, peaches, nectarines and apricots.
What do you put in a leopard gecko's food bowl?
Food Bowl (& alternatives) Most leopard gecko owners put their pet’s feeder insects in a deep bowl with smooth sides. This is especially helpful in the instance of feeding grubs and some roaches, as they are unable to escape from these bowls.
What is the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in a leopard gecko feeder?
Reptiles need an equal amount of calcium to process phosphorus. The ideal calcium to phosphorus (AKA Ca:P) ratio is 2:1. Most insects have higher phosphorus than calcium, which is why we coat them in calcium powder.
Why is meat bad for leopard geckos?
Meat is generally viewed as unhealthy for leopard geckos due to low calcium and high fat levels. Raw meat can carry dangerous bacteria, and cooking meat destroys its nutritional value. Pinkie mice may be offered to sick, underweight, or breeding leopard geckos as a source of additional fat and protein.
Why is my leopard gecko overweight?
If your leopard gecko’s tail is thicker than its neck or has bubbles of fat and tissue behind its arms, it is overweight. If you find your leopard gecko to be overweight, you’ll need to cut back on the number of insects offered and the feeding frequency to help it lose weight.
How long can a leopard gecko go without food?
This situation simply requires patience. New leopard geckos can go over a week without accepting food. Avoid handling your new pet for the first week, or until it’s eating consistently. Even after the first week, some stressed-out geckos may be finicky eaters for several more weeks.
What happens if you keep a leopard gecko on substrate?
Symptoms include: Food refusal. Regurgitation. No bowel movements. This is an EMERGENCY and can be fatal if left untreated.
Where do leopard geckos live?
Leopard geckos (opens in new tab) are small, insectivorous lizards native to the deserts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Iran. Their cute appearance, small size, and easy husbandry requirements make them a popular pet for reptile keepers. Unlike many other lizards, which may require varied diets from different food groups ...
What kind of worms do leopard geckos eat?
Hornworms . Hornworms are perhaps the oddest looking feeder you might offer your leopard gecko. gif (1×1) Like butterworms and waxworms, they are more of a treat than something you want to make a regular part of your leopard gecko’s diet.
What do mealworms give leopard geckos?
Mealworms are available in a variety of sizes, but most pet shops and online sellers will have the following options: Choosing what size and how many mealworms to feed your leopard gecko mostly comes down to how big your reptile is.
Why are crickets so popular?
The reason crickets are such a popular food is that they provide fairly good nutrition for the money. In fact, of all the insects listed they are the most financially efficient. Leopard geckos need a lot of protein and crickets supply a very efficient protein to fat ratio.
What size crickets are good for a pet feeder?
Crickets come in a variety of sizes, but most pet shops and online sellers will have the following options: pinhead. 1/8 inch. 1/4 inch. 3/8 inch. 1/2 inch. 5/8 inch. 3/4 inch.
Do leopard geckos need calcium?
Calcium with D3 – Leopard geckos can suffer from metabolic bone disease if they don’t get enough calcium.
Can a baby gecko eat mealworms?
but the larger sizes are generally bred for other reptiles, like bearded dragons. Also like crickets, your pet can eat on average two mealworms per inch of gecko length.
Do leopard geckos eat insects?
Leopard geckos are insectivores. As you can probably figure out that means they only eats insects. You should never try and feed your leo non-insect meals like greens or meat because they do not have the enzymes to properly digest such food. Luckily, you have a fair amount of insect options that will do the job.
What do leopard geckos eat?
As stated above, leopard geckos eat a lot of different insects besides crickets but once I tell you about the ones that they eat while out in the wild, you might just be surprised. These insects include locusts, earthworms, and sometimes even other leopard geckos.
Do leopard geckos eat crickets?
Crickets are some of, if not the most, popular insects given when it comes to a leopard geckos diet. But because they can be a hassle for some owners to keep for multiple different reasons, continuing to buy and feed them to our leopard geckos can sometimes be tough.
Can dubia roaches eat other insects?
In addition to dubia roaches, there are a ton of other insects out there that can be given to them as well. The only catch to this though is that not all insects that they are allowed to eat can be given to them as often as dubia roaches can.
What is the most common staple food for leopard geckos?
When pet owners use the phrase “staple food,” they mean a food source that can make up most of or all the diet of the pet. With leopard geckos, cricket is the most common staple food. Mealworms are a close second. But why use crickets?
What is gut loading for geckos?
Gut loading is when you feed the insect high calcium and high nutrient meal 24 hours before feeding them to the gecko. This allows for extra calcium to be in their systems when eaten. It’s a more effective and healthy way to get extra nutrients for your pet.
Do leopard geckos die from calcium deficiency?
In this disease, the skeletal structure is so weakened the leopard geckos bones will break and deform much easier. In the worst cases, the leopard gecko may die.
Is cricket a good food source?
Higher Protein, Lower Fat. First, the crickets are healthier than many other “pest” insects. Protein is an essential nutrient to get from insects. Insectivores like the leopard gecko need a lot of protein. Most insects will offer reasonable amounts of protein, but how much fat there is in the insect also needs to be considered.
Do leopard geckos eat crickets?
Leopard geckos love to eat crickets , and these insects will provide a good balance of protein to their diets. Leopard geckos should eat every other day, and each meal should consist of 2 correctly-sized crickets for every inch the gecko is long. For more details on this topic, check out the rest of the article.
Can crickets be used as pets?
Pets need to eat all the time, so an expensive insect may not be the best choice for those on a budget. Crickets are one of the top choices for so many pets, and as such, pet stores and online dealers have built an abundant supply.
Can crickets live in containers?
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Crickets can keep in containers with many other crickets. They only require a little feed and stay alive for quite a while. For most owners, the last thing they want to worry about is caring for the food they’re giving their pets.
