Feeding your leopard gecko can be daunting task, so this article focuses on some popular choices such as mealworms, Dubia roaches, crickets and waxworms – these should all make excellent selections.
These fish have an extended lifespan and easy maintenance; not to mention being highly nutritious without needing additional gut loading.
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Crickets
Crickets are one of the most frequently fed feeder insects to Leopard Geckos. You can purchase them at most pet stores; however, be wary when purchasing from certain sellers who sell pesticide-laden crickets that could harm your reptile and contain dangerous pathogens.
Addition of crickets to a Leopard Gecko’s diet should be carried out under careful observation. Otherwise, they could rot away, introduce bacteria or fungus into its habitat, and nibble at sleeping gecko while they doze off.
Gut-load your crickets for 48 hours prior to feeding them to your leopard gecko, this will ensure they contain sufficient vitamins and minerals for his wellbeing. Furthermore, dust your crickets with calcium powder – but be careful not to over-supplement his cricket diet with calcium!
Dubia Roaches
Dubia roaches are an ideal feeder insect choice for reptile, amphibian, and bird owners. Packed with protein while low in chitin content and boasting an ideal calcium/phosphorus ratio ratio; dubia roaches also tend to be less expensive than their competitors and can easily be kept in a shallow dish or on cardboard for convenient feedings.
At each feeding, offer your leopard gecko two appropriate-sized dubias for every inch of its length. Use either commercial roach chow or organic dark leafy greens; be sure to provide water in its own dish or mist them regularly.
Blaptica dubia roaches in their natural state are cannibalistic creatures, feeding on fungus, bacteria and dead insects they come into contact with – making them unsuitable as feeder insects like crickets and mealworms.
Mealworms
Mealworms provide leopard geckos with a good source of protein and should form part of their well-rounded diet, but due to being high in fat and lacking key vitamins needed by their bodies they should first be gut-loaded before feeding to one.
Mealworms that have recently shed their chitin shell should be the preferred mealworms to feed geckos as these will be easier for them to digest. Also make sure they are the appropriate size as larger foods may lead to choking or impaction issues in their digestive systems.
Feeding too many mealworms to your gecko can lead to obesity and nutritional deficiencies. To protect their wellbeing, provide a variety of feeder insects in their diet for maximum effectiveness.
Superworms
Superworms are a favorite feeder insect for reptile owners, though only occasionally. Because their pincers could potentially injure young, old, or physically weak geckos when fed regularly; mealworms provide safer options with no pincers present and so are generally preferable choices for most reptiles to consume.
Feeding leopard gecko superworms too frequently may lead to health issues and stomach inflation, so it’s essential that you provide them with a variety of feeder insects and regularly rotate them. If you do choose to feed your reptile superworms, consider gut loading them instead (see below) by supplementing with gut-loading powder, which helps increase nutritional value through providing extra calcium and other essential minerals.
Waxworms
Waxworms make an excellent treat for Leopard Geckos and have even been known as “Gecko crack.” However, owners should avoid feeding large quantities as these insects contain high levels of fat content.
Your leopard gecko may become obese if fed too frequently; therefore, feedings should only be offered as treats once or twice weekly as treats are essential for their overall health and preventing metabolic bone disease.
Waxworms should be gut-loaded 24 hours before feeding them to ensure maximum nutritional benefit and should be dusted with calcium and multivitamin powder for maximum nutritional value. It is not advised to feed waxworms to younger Leopard Geckos due to risk of chitin impaction in their small intestine. Also, for optimal performance store them in the fridge to prevent pupation.