Crested geckos require a diet rich in proteins and various other essential nutrients. Because mixing together your own baby food to mimic their natural diet would be inexact and wasteful, most reptile owners opt for commercial crested gecko diet (CGD) from Pangea Reptile, BP Zoological or Allen Repashy instead.
Contents
Ingredients
Whey protein isolate, the gecko’s primary protein source, tops the list. After that come whole fruit ingredients such as fig and blueberries to provide fiber. Finally there are plant-based foods such as kelp and algae which provide vitamins and minerals; lastly there is also acai and sunflower seeds as sources of healthy fats.
Crested geckos depend heavily on insects and worms in their natural environments for nourishment, so it’s essential that their premade diet includes these foods – mealworms and waxworms should certainly make an appearance here! For maximum efficacy, supplement with live insect food (roaches, beetles, crickets or dubia roaches that don’t have hard exoskeletons that could potentially cause impaction).
This formula features an ample supply of fiber to aid digestive health and maintain the colony. Furthermore, probiotics help strengthen their immune systems. Furthermore, this formula boasts an optimal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio essential for crested geckos to thrive.
Calorie Content
Crested geckos feed on insects both in the wild and when kept as pets in captivity. If fed an excessively protein or fat rich diet, however, their calories may become difficult to obtain and could put them at risk for metabolic diseases.
Lugarti CGD stands out as an innovative formula that uses whole fruit ingredients such as organic fig and powdered black mulberries to provide the proper balance between protein and fruit for their crested gecko food formulas.
This is an excellent idea, as these ingredients provide essential sources of fiber as well as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Furthermore, kelp and algae rich in iodine will also be included; their inclusion can help ensure proper metabolic functions as well as protect from illness. In order to provide extra hydration support a small quantity of water crystals is included as well.
Vitamins & Minerals
Maintaining the health and happiness of leos requires providing them with top-quality crested gecko diet (CGD), but some owners cannot purchase commercial CGD due to legal restrictions or import costs. Luckily, however, some passionate lizard lovers have taken matters into their own hands by making homemade crested gecko food!
These recipes usually involve mixing meal replacement powder with water to provide your gecko with its primary diet. Many include whole food sources of protein such as whey powder, dubia roach meal and dried fruits as well as algaes, vitamins minerals and probiotics for added health benefits.
Some brands are able to create diets that closely replicate the nutritional composition of wild Crested Geckos by including more insects in their diet, like Arcadia Sticky Foot Gold and Lugarti CGD; in comparison with Pangea and Repashy CGD which contain more fruit compounds. These diets include calcium carbonate, cellulose, L-Ascorbyl 2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), d-alpha tocopherol (Vitamin E), Beta Carotene Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) as well as blend of vitamins and minerals including iron.
Guaranteed Analysis
Crested geckos (and other arboreal reptiles) have unique diet requirements, making it difficult to replicate their wild diet with fresh food sources. Allen Repashy created the first commercial crested gecko meal replacement powder in 1994 – and it proved very popular.
This new formula takes the concept a step further by including more fruit than other CGDs, while also including whey protein isolate to increase protein without increasing phosphorus intake.
Finally, kelp and algae have been included for their high concentration of iodine content – making these essential foods for New Caledonian geckos! I’m pleased that they’re part of this formulation.
Notably, this MRP contains more calcium than similar products; while this may seem beneficial, too much calcium interferes with phosphorus absorption in certain reptiles and could actually pose problems.
