Leopard geckos are insectivores, and an optimal diet should include at least 50% insects. While they will consume some fruits and vegetables as part of their meals, this should only represent a minor part of their meals.
Mealworms make an excellent staple food source for geckos, but should also be fed alongside foods containing less fat such as Dubia roaches and waxworms. Before feeding these insects to your gecko, be sure to gut load them first to maximize digestion.
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Crickets
Crickets are an ideal source of protein-rich and low-fat nourishment for leopard geckos. Cheaply available at pet stores, crickets are easily overfed resulting in bloat, weight gain and dehydration if fed too frequently. However, their biteiness poses some potential threats which should be considered before overfeeding your leopard gecko with crickets.
Dubia roaches are an excellent food choice, providing your gecko with protein, calcium, phosphorus and fiber while being low in fat and chitin content. In order to maximize their nutrition value, it’s recommended gut loading these insects by feeding them nutrient-rich food for 48 hours prior to offering. Also adding in calcium supplement dusting before offering is advised for optimal results; mealworms may prove more difficult.
Mealworms
Leopard geckos and other insectivores require a diet consisting of live insects such as mealworms, earthworms, fruit flies, crickets, moths and grasshoppers in order to thrive. Mealworms should ideally be dusted with multivitamin powder to increase their nutritional content before being fed daily to their respective reptiles.
Mealworms are a popular feeder option due to their long lifespan and easy gut loading for geckos. Available at pet stores or online, these feeders can also be found for relatively affordable costs. Unfortunately, mealworms contain high levels of fat which could cause obesity if fed exclusively; black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), available from most online pet stores, is another low-fat option with plenty of protein and calcium but minus extra chitin found in mealworms.
Fatty Waxworms
Waxworms, larvae of greater wax moths, are popular feeder insects for reptiles, amphibians, fish and birds alike. Waxworms provide more protein and calcium than mealworms while having minimal risk of impaction as well as being easy to add into their gut-load for an additional dose of vitamins and minerals.
Spiders are also significantly cheaper than crickets and don’t tend to escape or chirp as frequently, making them perfect for use as feeder insects in smaller containers of oats or in shallow containers filled with alpine bedding if necessary for storage in your refrigerator (or wine cooler, if applicable) for up to two weeks if desired. Be sure to dust them regularly with calcium powder before feeding as they don’t require high humidity environments like other feeder insects do.
Superworms
Leopard geckos and most species of reptiles are insectivores, meaning their diet should include feeder insects like crickets, earthworms, waxworms, mealworms, fruit flies, moths and grasshoppers.
Dubia roaches make an ideal feeder insect for leopard geckos. Easy to raise, these long-lived feeder insects provide leopard geckos with food that’s both readily available and enjoyable!
As these insects reach the penultimate stage of development, they begin the pupation stage. At this time, they curl into themselves and remain almost inactive while being protected by silk cocoon from predators and environmental threats. This period usually lasts two weeks before emerging as adults.
Flies
Geckos are insectivores, making them easy to feed and a great addition to any reptile tank. Just be sure to dust any feeder insects with calcium powder prior to offering them to your gecko – this helps prevent metabolic bone disease which may lead to obesity in their lives.
Many leopard gecko owners choose dubia roaches as their go-to feeder, as these healthy insects offer high protein, low fat content, no bad odor, don’t bite and are relatively inexpensive compared to crickets – easily purchased online or bred at home for optimal nutrition value – plus can even be gut loaded for additional nutritional benefit – just ensure there is also water available nearby to avoid dehydration!