Leopard gecko owners understand the importance of providing their feeder insects with variety. Many owners supplement them with multivitamin powder before feeding.
Crickets & dubia roaches make excellent feeders for gut loading purposes, while hornworms should only be given as treats due to their hard chitin exoskeletons. A UVB lamp is an effective way of providing vitamin D.
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Superworms
Pet owners typically feed their geckos a selection of different feeder insects to ensure a balanced diet of proteins and fats. As feeding just one species could potentially leave their gecko deficient in certain essential vitamins, supplementing their diet is vitally important.
Mealworms are easy and affordable food options for Leopard Geckos to consume, providing essential protein and other essential nutrients without creating high amounts of fat content in their diets.
Dubia roaches resemble crickets in terms of nutritional profile, yet don’t jump or make noise like crickets do. As they don’t require light to survive indoors, dubia roaches make excellent pets for beginners as well as experienced geckos alike.
Waxworms contain high fat contents, and should only be fed occasionally as treats or to encourage eating in sick geckos or those that recently lost their tails. Butterworms may also provide tasty treats but should only be offered sparingly as too frequent doses could contribute to obesity.
Black Soldier Fly Larvae
The Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) is an ideal feeder insect for Leopard Geckos, easily found in stores, online or even the wild. Easy to feed and filled with calcium and other vital nutrients; Black Soldier Flies make an excellent alternative to mealworms as feeders for Leopard Geckos!
Another advantage of BSFLs is their shorter life cycle than mealworms – egg to larva to pupa to fly – making them an increasingly sustainable food source for reptiles and humans alike! In contrast with mealworms, however, BSFL can be fed almost anything – some farmers have discovered they can even use brewery waste and byproducts from ethanol production as feed for their larvae!
Some owners like to dust their feeder insects with multivitamin and calcium powders to ensure that their Leo is receiving all of his essential vitamins. Others opt for leaving out a calcium bowl so their Leo can access his nutritional needs as needed.
Butterworms
Leopard Geckos feed on various insects in their natural environment, including mealworms. As pet reptiles’ feeder insects, mealworms provide easy purchase and storage; affordable feeding; safe for feeding (if fed at appropriate size); high protein/low fat nutrition profile profile and many advantages over alternative options.
Mealworms make an excellent alternative to crickets for gecko care. Not only are they easier to feed without jumping, but their lower risk of impaction means easier storage – an added plus if your gecko is young or sick!
Other feeder insects for geckos to eat are Superworms, Phoenix Worms and Hornworms – though harder to come by they have excellent nutrition profiles and can help your gecko gain weight quickly. It is best to gut load feeder insects 24 hours before giving them to your gecko so they have an increased source of essential vitamins and minerals than would normally exist in their natural environments.
Waxworms
Leopard geckos in the wild are strictly insectivores – meaning they only eat insects. Their digestive systems don’t contain enough enzymes to digest plant matter such as grains, vegetables or any other plant matter, plus plant matter lacks protein and calcium content; so when providing non-living food items it should always come pre-loaded with gutload and dustings of calcium for maximum efficiency.
At least 24 hours prior to feeding them to your gecko, feeder insects should be gut-loaded with enough essential vitamins and nutrients for optimal health and growth. This is particularly important when feeding juvenile leopard geckos who require more nutrients to support their rapid development.
Some owners also choose to dust feeder insects with multivitamin and calcium powders to ensure that their pet receives all of the minerals required for optimal health, providing a great alternative to leaving out a calcium bowl in their tank – saving both time and energy while being safer for your fish.
