Mediterranean house geckos are hardy creatures that thrive with proper diet, temperature and humidity conditions. Since they enjoy hiding spots, make sure their terrarium has something like reptile bark or shredded coconut fiber bedding to retain moisture for them to use as shelter.
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Insects
At dusk, these nocturnal lizards come out in search of insects attracted by porch lights. Though native to Southeast Asia and North Africa, their insect-eating abilities have spread worldwide due to porch light illumination.
Adult geckos should receive five to ten crickets daily while baby geckos should consume up to twenty small crickets daily. Calcium powder should be added for optimal nutrition. Gut-loading their insects (feeding them a nutritional diet 24 hours before feeding) also increases nutritional value.
Some geckos enjoy enjoying an occasional treat of fruit such as papaya, berries, watermelons and bananas. Provide an occasional fruit treat and be sure to wash the fruits thoroughly prior to giving them out!
Fruit
Some species of geckos – crested, gargoyle, chahoua and day geckos among them – enjoy snacking on fruit as well as insects. Offer these frugivorous geckos fruit such as figs, berries, mango, banana, apple guava or papaya as treats.
These nonvenomous lizards may bite if threatened and have the ability to puncture skin. While typically harmless, Hemidactylus frenatus has been known to displace native gecko species by taking over urban and household environments in warmer climates due to their ability to cling onto surfaces in search of food and shelter, enabling it to avoid predators while accessing more habitats.
Mealworms
The common house gecko is an adaptable reptile. Commonly referred to as the Mediterranean house gecko, Asian house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard or chipkali; this versatile species is well known for stowing away in produce shipments but thrives indoors too – hiding during the day and feeding at night!
House geckos usually prefer feeding live crickets or mealworms from pet stores or fished from ponds as their food source. Make sure that each cricket is gut-loaded prior to feeding it to your gecko, then dust them with multivitamin powder such as Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or Zoo Med Reptivite with D3.
Always bear in mind that the common house gecko is a semitropical species and provides appropriate temperature and humidity conditions in their enclosure. They should have plenty of hiding places so they can hide during both daytime activities as well as at night time.
Greens
The common house gecko’s ability to cling onto vertical surfaces gives it access to crevice spaces for refuge or egg deposition, as well as giving it the capability of hiding undetected in cargo containers and shipping vehicles.
Vegetables can provide geckos with some essential vitamins and fiber, but should generally only be fed in small amounts as part of a varied diet, due to insufficient calcium-to-phosphorus ratios or being high in oxalic acid or goitrogens which could cause an iodine deficiency.
Many owners supplement their lizard’s diet with fruits, veggies and live prey such as crickets or mealworms from Amazon to increase hydration and nutritional density in its diet.
Repashy Calcium Plus LoD
Leopard geckos must take calcium supplements regularly in order to avoid deficiency issues. Repashy offers several varieties, but the low-D3 formula should be utilized.
Hornworms and butter worms should only be fed occasionally as they contain high levels of moisture and phosphorus that can result in watery stool if consumed as staple food sources. Wax worms can also be offered occasionally as treats.
Repashy SuperCal LoD is a microfine calcium supplement intended for reptiles with lower vitamin D requirements (like leopard geckos), such as leopard geckos. Lightly dust feeder insects before feeding. Humidity should be kept between 30-40%; humid hides are ideal. Water can be provided through daily mistings or through shallow water dishes which should be scrubbed weekly using reptile-safe disinfectant solutions.
