Diet is an integral component of tokay gecko health and well-being. While proper foods can help your pet flourish, nutritional imbalances can result in serious health concerns for him.
Mealworms are an integral component of Tokay Gecko diets, as they contain lots of important vitamins and are easy to digest.
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Mealworms
Diet is essential for keeping a tokay gecko healthy and active, and mealworms provide high levels of protein, essential dietary minerals and other important vitamins. Mealworms should always be purchased from an established reptile store rather than being wild-caught as this could expose it to bacteria and other toxins that can harm its wellbeing.
Wild tokay geckos are insectivores, eating insects such as crickets, moths, grasshoppers, dubia roaches silkworms and pinkie mice. Additionally, they also consume plant-based food and even fruits occasionally.
Feeding your tokay gecko only one type of insect will have serious repercussions for its health and well-being. A balanced menu of feeder insects should be provided in order to stimulate his natural hunting instinct and ensure optimal health. Gut-loading the feeder insects prior to offering them to your gecko will ensure they contain more essential vitamins and nutrients; this process involves feeding specially-formulated, nutrient-rich food for 24-48 hours prior to offering them up as food for your pet.
Fruits
Tokay geckoes may occasionally enjoy eating fruit, though this should never comprise a substantial part of their diet. Instead, offering fruits as part of puree form supplements any nutrient deficiencies they may have in their diets.
Pinkie mice may be an acceptable part of your tokay gecko’s diet, but only as an occasional treat. While high in protein and fat content, their bones and hairs can make digesting difficult resulting in potential impaction issues for your gecko.
Dubia roaches are another reliable food source that are easy to load into their stomachs without the need for additional lighting, while providing essential calcium sources that aid healthy bone development in captivity. Tokay geckos may also benefit from powdered vitamin D3 and calcium supplements which should be lightly sprinkled onto their food items shortly before feeding time in order for maximum absorption.
Veggies
Captive Tokay geckos require vegetables as part of their diet in order to obtain essential vitamins and minerals, but these should only form part of their overall meal plan. Butterworms can also be fed, but due to being high in fat they should only be given occasionally or mixed into their meals alongside other insects.
Tokay geckos may enjoy snacking on pinkie mice (also referred to as fuzzy mice). However, pinkie mice should only be fed occasionally because they contain bones that could choke the tokay gecko and are too high in fat and protein content for their diets.
Powdered supplements are also an integral component of Tokay Gecko food and should be sprinkled onto all food items for maximum nutrition. Such supplements include calcium powder, vitamin D3 powder and multivitamin powders. Although captive Tokay geckos don’t get to enjoy tropical fruit purees such as banana, papaya or others as part of their natural diet, captive ones will love snacking on an occasional teaspoon or two of fruit baby food like this!
Baby Food
Wild tokay geckos generally feed on invertebrates such as moths, locusts, grasshoppers and spiders; however, they will occasionally consume vertebrates such as small reptiles and mammals. When kept as captive pets in captivity it is recommended to feed their diet consisting of feeder insects, plant-based foods and pinkie mice to maintain an optimal environment.
Feeder insects should be gut-loaded for 24 to 48 hours prior to feeding them to lizards, to ensure that they contain plenty of the essential vitamins and nutrients required for good health.
Feeder insects for tokay geckos include dubia roaches, superworms and silkworms due to their balanced nutritional profile, easy gut-loading capabilities and safe housing environments.
Finding feeder insects from an experienced breeder is recommended, as they will most likely know which veterinarian best meets the care requirements for reptiles they breed and provide guidance on how to feed your pet correctly.
