When it comes to live foods for leopard geckos, you have a few options. There are silkworms, earthworms, and hornworms. Each of these animals contains high levels of calcium and phosphorus. They also contain low fat, making them an excellent choice for a healthy diet. However, silkworms can be expensive, and you may want to consider other options before committing to buying silkworms.
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Silkworms
Silkworms are a great way to feed your leopard gecko and they are also easy to store. They are high in protein and calcium, and are low in fat. They also contain a mild analgesic called serrapeptase, which is great for your gecko if it gets a sting. Silkworms can live for only one month, so you can’t keep them as a constant source of food. Silkworms should be kept at a temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tomato hornworms are another live food option. They are large and soft and are easily digested by the gecko. Make sure to gut load them first before feeding them. Adult leopard geckos can easily eat up to three inches of a tomato hornworm.
Mealworms
Mealworms have great nutritional value, but they also pose some problems for your gecko. Their hard exoskeleton can make them difficult for your gecko to chew on. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help your gecko digest mealworms.
Mealworms are less noisy and stinky than crickets and are less likely to cause impaction. You can keep them in the container that they come in if you only feed them a small amount, or you can buy larger containers and supplement them with other live foods. Mealworms have a high fat content, which makes them more difficult to digest than crickets.
Mealworms are the most common insect that you can feed your gecko. They’re also inexpensive and easily available. You can also breed your own mealworms to cut the cost of purchasing them. However, mealworms have a slightly higher fat content and a low calcium to phosphorus ratio.
Earthworms
Earthworms are one of the best live foods for Leopard Geckos. They are widely available and contain lots of nutrients, which make them an excellent choice for your pet. However, you must keep in mind that mealworms can be toxic for your pet because they can infect it. Therefore, if you want to avoid the risks of impaction, you should feed your gecko mealworms only when you’re sure that they’re not going to get sick from them.
You can feed your pet earthworms once or twice per week, but they don’t provide the best nutrition. For optimum health, you should use a good insect mix. Superworms, hornworms, silkworms and crickets are also suitable live foods for Leopard Geckos. However, you should avoid feeding them with earthworms as they can be harmful to your pet. It’s also best to avoid feeding your gecko waxworms as these can be high in fat and can lead to obesity in your gecko.
Hornworms
Providing your leopard gecko with a diet that includes a variety of live insects is essential for its health. While reptiles do not require as much food as animals, they still need a varied diet, which includes mealworms, hornworms, waxworms, and other bugs. Ideally, they should be fed at least once a week. However, they can go longer without eating, and it’s best to monitor their appetite for any problems.
Hornworms are highly nutritious, containing protein, calcium, and other essential nutrients. They also have a low fat content and soft skin, making them safe for your gecko to eat. In addition, they contain a high amount of moisture, which is very beneficial to your gecko’s health.
Dubia roaches
When determining the appropriate amount of live food for your pet, a good rule of thumb is to feed your leopard gecko two to four dubia roaches every day. A smaller gecko might eat as many as four insects a day, but larger animals will require more than a half-dozen insects daily. If you are unsure how much food your pet needs, you can always supplement it with some vitamins and minerals. You can also place a small amount of powder in a closed bag and shake it lightly to coat the insects. However, be careful not to let the powder fly into your pet’s eyes! You can also use the lid of a jar to store their subsistence. This way, your pet can lick out the powder whenever they need to.
You can also use dubia roaches if you have smaller leopard geckos. They take about six months to grow to adulthood, and should be about the size of the space between your gecko’s eyes. In addition, dubias are easy to breed and grow quickly. Because they are so easy to rear, dubia roaches are an excellent choice for feeding multiple reptiles.
