Crested geckos can be fed a range of live insects, such as dubia roaches and crickets. Other options may include superworms, hornworms, mealworms and wax worms.
Avoid feeding crested geckos citrus fruits like oranges as these contain high concentrations of oxalic acid which interferes with calcium absorption.
Some keepers supplement their crested gecko’s diet with powdered crested gecko food (CGD). When selecting products with no additives or preservatives, look out for quality assurances to avoid problems later.
Contents
Insects
Crested geckos in their natural environment consume insects as part of their diet, providing your pet with mental and physical stimulation while adding extra protein and nutrition.
Crickets and dubia roaches make excellent live feeder insects for crested geckos, since they contain high concentrations of protein, calcium, and phosphorous.
Hermetia illucens larvae make an excellent selection as feeder insects, boasting an excellent Ca:P ratio without needing to be gut loaded or dusted prior to feeding.
Hornworms (caterpillars belonging to the Manduca genus) make excellent feeder insects for crested geckos, with high protein contents but, if fed in excess, could lead to obesity issues in reptiles.
Fruit can make an excellent addition to a crested gecko’s diet, provided all seeds and pips have been removed prior to feeding the fruit to prevent choking or impaction. As citrus fruits can be harmful for reptiles, be wary when choosing varieties with them as these could prove fatal for reptiles.
Fruits
Cresteed gecko diets should consist of 60-70% fruits. Fresh fruit is cost-effective, easy to digest and rich in essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – ideal choices include papayas, figs, berries, mangoes, bananas and strawberries which contain calcium with relatively little phosphorus compared to their phosphorus content; apple and pear varieties may also make great options; cut small enough so your crested gecko can eat or blend into a smoothie-like consistency to avoid large seeds being removed from apples or cherries as pits are present when feeding fruit as seeds may become problematic over time.
CGD powder offers an ideal alternative to fresh fruit as a nutritious smoothie-style diet for crested geckos, provided it does not contain citric fruits or ingredients that could lead to metabolic bone disease and FTS in crested geckos. A variety of brands is available; please make sure that none contain citric fruits that could contribute to metabolic bone disease and FTS in crested geckos.
Vegetables
A crested gecko’s diet should consist of insects and fruits; however, most in-home keepers find it challenging to create such an diet from scratch due to domesticated fruits lacking essential proteins, vitamins and minerals as well as often having high sugar contents.
To help mitigate this, many in-home keepers add commercial crested gecko food as an additional food source, which usually meets with great acceptance. Doing this ensures your pet has a nutritionally complete diet.
Mango, bananas, figs, strawberries, raspberries and watermelons should be provided as supplements to small reptiles as part of their diet. Pineapples should be avoided since they contain high levels of oxalic acid and vitamin C which interferes with calcium absorption by the body; avocado contains persin toxins which may prove fatal for small reptiles.
Mealworms
Crested geckoes need both live prey and vitamin-packed fruits as part of their diet, but mealworms are an easy and accessible source of protein for these lizards.
However, mealworms contain hard exoskeletons which may be difficult for crested geckos to digest, thus necessitating cautious feedings of such food items in moderation. Furthermore, mealworms could upset their calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and contribute to metabolic bone disease in crested gecko populations.
Supplement your crested gecko’s diet with other feeder insects like Dubia roaches, Phoenix worms (Calci worms), black soldier fly larvae and pupated adult flies and moths for optimal results. Always offer foods in moderation and dust them all with calcium powder supplement to provide your gecko with essential nutrition – dusting should especially be done when feeding young, older lizards or underweight crested geckos.
