Leopard geckos are carnivores and require an insect-rich diet in order to thrive, yet many new owners fail to realize this requirement. Feeder insects that contain essential digestive acids must also be provided as part of this food source in order for your leopard lizard to flourish and survive.
Feed your gecko lean and nutritious foods such as crickets, dubia roaches and hornworms to maintain its weight. Avoid feeding mealworms, superworms and waxworms which could lead to an overweight animal.
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Mealworms
Mealworms are an easy, straightforward food source for leopard geckos to enjoy, providing them with plenty of protein and calcium while being easily raised in their habitats. Unfortunately, though, mealworms are very susceptible to mold growth so must be kept in an enclosed medium such as wheat bran bedding or 6qt shoebox containers to ensure safekeeping.
Crickets are another easily available feeder insect used by leopard geckos, and should be housed in an appropriately designed cricket keeper and dusted with vitamin powder for maximum efficiency. They’re easy to keep and breed, providing protein, calcium, and essential nutrients – they should even make for great photo opportunities!
Online stores specialize in reptile-specific feeder insects that are specifically bred for reptiles and can often offer them at lower costs than local pet stores, with direct from-breeder products often coming directly from breeders. Many people also prefer this form of shopping because you can gut load (a separate method from supplementation) the insects before feeding them to your reptile – this involves feeding premium, nutrient-rich food sources such as dubia roaches and mealworms for 24 hours prior to giving the insects to your reptile – prior to giving it to them or supplementation!
Crickets
Crickets are an ideal source of food and can easily be found at pet stores. Easy to keep, crickets offer plenty of water as well as protein and calcium sources. Furthermore, their fast growth rates provide quick food sources for leopard geckos; however they have an unfortunate habit of producing runny stool which could negatively impact its health.
Before feeding them to your leopard gecko, feeder insects such as dubia roaches and crickets should be gut loaded using an effective commercial gut loading diet, such as Repashy Super Load. This will give the insects extra nutrition which will benefit both their bodies as well as that of the gecko when consumed.
An ideal rule of thumb is to offer 2 appropriately sized bugs per inch of length of your gecko, or as many as they can consume in 15 minutes. As an extra boost for their health, dust the feeder insects with calcium and vitamin powders immediately prior to offering them to them.
Dubia Roaches
Dubia roaches make an excellent part of a well-rounded diet for leopard geckos. Like crickets and mealworms, dubia roaches can be purchased from exotic pet stores as well as online. Breeding them yourself at home is also possible and provides an economical solution to feeding multiple reptiles at the same time.
Dubia are nutritious feeder insects that offer high levels of protein, low levels of fat and contain healthy doses of calcium and phosphorus. As with all feeder insects, dubia should be gut loaded (with leafy greens, vegetables and fruits) along with dusting powder for maximum impactful nutrition for reptiles.
These cockroaches require heat and room to thrive, so house them in a container with a lid, in a dark location in your home. Misting regularly should help them remain hydrated – you could provide either polymer water crystals or provide them with their own water dish in their enclosure – they should be maintained between 70 to 90 degrees F for best results.
Other Insects
Leopard geckos are predominantly insectivorous and should only be fed insects as part of their regular diet, though they will occasionally consume other small prey such as worms and beetles as well. For the best feeding results, domestically raised Dubia roaches, mealworms and crickets make excellent feeder insects.
Feeder insects should be dusted with multivitamin powder designed specifically for reptiles, and gut loaded prior to feeding them to Leo. Gut-loading involves feeding your feeder insects salad for several days prior to giving them to Leo.
Your leopard gecko should never feed on wild insects as this could contain parasites and diseases that could prove fatal for him or her. Additionally, they could contain pesticides or fertilizers from where they were caught which can also harm his health. This practice should always be avoided to ensure his longevity.
Some breeders may suggest providing your leopard gecko with an occasional newborn rodent called a “pinkie,” in order to provide it with some of the necessary protein it requires to stay healthy and thrive.
