Leopard geckos are insectivores and must receive a steady diet of insects to remain healthy and happy. There are various methods for providing their daily needs in this regard.
Crickets and mealworms are among the most sought-after food options for gecko feeders, as both offer relatively low amounts of fat while stimulating his or her hunting instinct.
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Crickets
Leopard geckos require a varied diet of insects in order to stay in good health, adding vitamin/mineral supplements may be helpful but won’t completely replace natural sources in their native habitats.
Crickets are an ideal staple feeder insect for leopard geckos and other reptiles. You’ll find them readily available both at pet stores and online – not to mention being excellent value.
Leopard geckos find these insects more nourishing than mealworms due to their higher protein and lower fat content, and higher calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.
Crickets make a good food source for leopard geckos as they’re easily available and cost-effective; also providing ample moisture content that helps the leopard gecko stay hydrated.
One drawback of crickets is their low calcium and nutrient levels, so it is essential to provide your pet reptile with extra dietary supplements like calcium powder to maximize its nutrition intake. You could also give extra doses of crickets each time.
Mealworms
Leopard geckos are insectivores, so providing them with an assortment of insects such as crickets, dubia roaches and mealworms are important. While crickets tend to be the preferred food source for leopard geckos, other options can include dubia roaches or mealworms as well.
Mealworms should not serve as the main diet for reptiles, but can provide essential protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
Live mealworms can be purchased from most pet stores or ordered online, and should always be gut loaded before giving to your gecko so they can absorb all of their essential vitamins and nutrients.
Your gecko needs insects depending on their age; for baby geckos this means daily meals; as for adult geckos it should be once every other day.
Waxworms and superworms make great treats, but too many could lead to obesity in your gecko. Butterworms may also make an interesting treat but as they contain unhealthy calcium levels they may become the preferred snack and cause addiction in some geckos who refuse other forms of nutrition.
Dubia Roaches
Diet is extremely essential to maintaining overall health and well being for leopard geckos. They are insectivores, therefore should receive a variety of insects to feed on.
Dubia roaches make an ideal diet choice for leopard geckos because of their nutritionally dense composition and easy digestion, as well as being less likely to cause choking than crickets or mealworms.
Reptile feeder insects provide energy to their reptile owners as they contain high levels of protein while lacking in fats, along with essential vitamins and minerals often lacking from other feeder insects.
Although dubia roaches are abundant in nutrients, you must still supplement them with calcium supplements in order to provide your leopard gecko with all of the nutrition it requires for good health. You can purchase calcium supplements at pet stores in powder or liquid form that you can sprinkle onto dubia roaches before placing them into their habitats.
Supplements
Leopard geckos require various supplements for healthy growth and maintenance, especially Calcium and Vitamin D supplements that contribute to proper bone formation and shed. These substances also support healthy eggshell development.
Multivitamin powder can provide all of the vitamins that your gecko needs without oversupplementation or risk. It is often an easy and hassle-free way to supply their reptile with essential micronutrients without risk of overdose.
Your gecko may require extra nourishment to thrive, and another method for doing this is gut loading feeder insects with high-nutritional dust for 24 to 48 hours before adding them to its habitat.
Overfeeding your leopard gecko with vitamins can carry risks. In particular, too much vitamin D3 could result in serious kidney damage or failure and too little vitamin A could lead to skin conditions and poor shedding; moreover it may even lead to eye issues, including blurry vision or swollen lids.
