Geckos have an acute sense of smell and taste, making them perfect prey to live insects such as mealworms, crickets and roaches. Their diet consists primarily of these prey items to ensure a steady supply of sustenance.
Dubia roaches are a favorite food item for leopard geckos because they contain high levels of protein and low amounts of fat. Plus, since they cannot fly or make noise like crickets do, keeping them is much simpler.
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Insects
Geckos often feed on insects. Not only are they nutritious and protein-rich, but a wide range of insects is necessary for their carnivorous diet.
Common feeder insects for geckos include crickets, hornworms, mealworms and waxworms. We suggest providing your gecko with a varied diet of these items every other week to prevent malnutrition and keep it healthy.
We strongly suggest gut loading your insects and worms before feeding them to your leopard gecko. This is a critical step that guarantees your leopard gecko gets the maximum nutritional benefit from their food intake.
Fruit
Geckos are insectivores, which means they feed on insects, flies and other small creatures as their primary source of nutrition. They utilize their highly developed senses such as sight and touch to hunt down prey items.
Crickets are a commonly-used food item among most pet geckos and they’re inexpensive, easy to obtain, and nutritious. Unfortunately, they’re not as beneficial for gut loading as other feeders so you should supplement them with other bugs instead.
Vegetables
Vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Plus, they provide a significant amount of fiber as well as being low in calories.
Your gecko’s age and health may dictate which vegetables they consume. Dark greens like kale, collard greens, and spinach are high in vitamins A, K, and C; on the other hand, other veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, red/orange peppers and winter squash contain plenty of antioxidants for enhanced protection against environmental stresses.
Geckos should be offered two appropriately sized insects per inch of their total length at least twice a week. Mealworms or crickets of similar size work best, but crickets or hornworms can also be utilized.
Seeds
Seeds are undeveloped embryos enclosed in a protective coat. With certain conditions, these embryos have the potential to germinate and grow into an entirely new plant.
Botany defines a seed as “an undeveloped plant embryo with its food reserve enclosed in an outer covering, usually the fruit of an ancestor and capable of growth under favorable conditions.”
Gecko keeping experts recommend providing leopard geckos with seeds as they are opportunistic carnivores that will eat anything small enough to fit into their mouths. Not only do they feed on insects and bugs, but also mollusks, lizards and baby mice.
Nuts
Geckos are highly adaptable hunters and will eat anything they come across – including small animals and insects as well as fruits, plants and vegetables.
However, due to their short digestive tracts and tendency to swallow whole foods, geckos should not be fed meat on a regular basis. Instead, pre-packaged gecko diet food products should be given several times per week as part of their regular meals.
Crickets are an inexpensive and easily available insect food choice for geckos that’s highly digestible. Plus, they’re low in fat.
Milk
Geckos are opportunistic carnivores that hunt and forage for food in the wild. They feed on beetles, crickets, spiders, small snakes and baby mice – often eaten together.
Geckos depend on their keen sense of smell to spot potential prey and detect predators. Furthermore, they possess a long tongue coated in sticky saliva.
Geckos are opportunistic hunters and should be provided with a variety of insect foods to stay healthy and strong. Stocking up on crickets, waxworms, mealworms and fruit flies is an effective way to provide them with this necessary sustenance.