You can feed your golden gecko a wide variety of foods. You can choose live insects, fruits and flower nectar, and a variety of substrates. You should choose items that are high in protein and low in fat. Then, you can provide a variety of substrates to make the food interesting and exciting for your pet.
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Live insects
Live insects are an essential part of the diet of golden geckos. For hatchlings, you should feed them several crickets every day. Once they grow older, you can feed them once every five to six days. It is important to feed the geckos as many crickets as they can swallow within 15 minutes. When feeding them live insects, be sure to feed them large crickets that are longer than their head. You can also give your geckos calcium and vitamin D3 supplements. Golden geckos can also be fed fruit mashes.
Typical live insects for golden geckos include mealworms, waxworms, crickets, and roaches. You can also give them occasional chunks of fruit and vegetables. It is best to gut-load the insects prior to feeding them so that the geckos are not left hungry. You should also supplement the insects with calcium at least once a week.
Fruit
One of the best sources of food for your pet gecko is fruit. However, it is important to wash the fruit thoroughly before feeding it to your pet. This helps get rid of pesticides and bacteria. Also, you should separate inedible parts from the fruit. You must also prepare the fruit before feeding it to your pet. Pureed fruit is easier for your gecko to eat.
Aside from fruit, golden geckos also like to eat insects. If possible, try to provide them with some live insects, like crickets and wax worms. You can also offer them roaches and mealworms. If you cannot find any live insects that your gecko loves, you can always use some commercial insect mashes.
Flower nectar
Flower nectar is an important food source for golden geckos. This lizard has four types of photoreceptors and is able to see the different colors in the nectar. The red color of nectar is due to the presence of nesocodin, a compound found in the nectar of certain plants. Its color changes one day after the flower blooms. This is why many day geckos are attracted to Nesocodon flowers.
The lizards visit the flowers of various plants to feed on nectar. In the study, geckos visited the flowers of flax and pohutukawa. They were found to frequent the same flowers for feeding several times. They spent an average of 8.4 seconds on each flower. They also touched the stigmas and anthers of flowers.
Substrate
The right substrate for your golden gecko is the key to its health. You should choose a substrate that retains moisture and rarely dries out. This will keep the humidity level in the tank high. Some substrates for golden geckos include coconut fiber, reptile bark, and soil. These substrates are usually available in the reptile section of pet stores. It is important to choose substrates that do not have sharp edges, because these can cause impactions in geckos.
Another choice for substrate is coco clay, which looks like natural sand and is inexpensive. Coco clay has antimicrobial properties and is suitable for both wet and dry environments. Unlike other substrates, it’s not necessary to buy two types for your leopard gecko.
UV lighting
Golden geckos need a certain amount of UV lighting to stay healthy. Fortunately, this type of light can be provided in a variety of ways. You can use a mercury vapor bulb, which pumps out UVB light for up to 12 hours each day. This is much safer for your gecko than overheating the tank, which can have a variety of negative effects.
Golden geckos are nocturnal, so UV lighting is especially beneficial. You can also use white incandescent bulbs during the daytime and a red or blue reptile night light during the night. In addition to the UV lighting, golden geckos should have a moderate to high humidity level. The ideal humidity level is 60 to 80 percent. Geckos will drink from mist, so keep your cage moist.
