Crested geckos must consume fresh and high-quality food that contains twice as much calcium than phosphorus to prevent their hard, brittle exoskeletons from hardening within their bodies and becoming calcium rich.
Crested gecko diets that consist of insects are extremely popular among their owners and breeders, as these feeders make life easy while stimulating the animal’s instinctive hunting instincts.
Contents
Ingredients
Crested geckos in their natural environments rely on an intricate combination of fruits, vegetables, and insects for sustenance; recreating this diet at home is difficult and sometimes harmful to their health; therefore having a carefully designed crested gecko diet (CGD) is essential to ensure your animal thrives.
Lugarti, Pangea and Arcadia have developed CGDs that closely mimic their wild counterparts without the need for additional live insect feedings. Their diets contain all of the required nutrients in an ideal balance for crested gecko care.
ZooMed and Flukers CGDs contain more artificial additives that are less nutritiously beneficial to your crested gecko. Instead, these brands utilize natural ingredients such as coconut and flaxseed oils as healthy fat sources – something crested geckos depend on to absorb and utilize various other nutrients found in their diets. Furthermore, honey serves as a natural sweetener. In comparison, ZooMed and Flukers CGDs tend to include more artificial additives that could compromise its nutrition value.
Flavors
Crested geckos are omnivorous animals; in nature their diet consists of both plant and animal sources. This variety ensures they receive all of the necessary vitamins and minerals as well as relieving stress or boredom, so introducing multiple CGD formulas regularly for your crested gecko will provide both nutritional variety and sensory enrichment for their wellbeing.
Lugarti has designed this formula, featuring a mix of whey protein isolate, dried fruits, algae, kelp and spirulina to provide your gecko with an array of flavors and textures. If possible, mix this with popular brands like Pangea Repashy Leapin’ Leachies for optimal nutritional variety and sensory stimulation.
One unique trait of this food is its high fiber content. While most reptiles do not digest fiber well, it can actually help promote digestive health through regulation of blood sugar and bacteria populations in the gut.
Nutritional Analysis
Reptile owners often face difficulty formulating diets for their animals on their own, yet this can sometimes be necessary – especially in countries where CGD (compound feed-grade diatomaceous earth) import is difficult or cost prohibitive.
However, it’s essential not to overfeed treats or supplements to your crested gecko. Too much of the fatty or sweet fruits and worms could strain his digestive system and potentially lead to health complications for him.
Pangea’s Gecko Diet with Watermelons is an excellent supplemental food that can be easily mixed in with other foods, like powdered mash or fresh veggies. You can feed this diet dry or wet; adding water will intensify its natural flavors and aromas to stimulate crested gecko appetites. It provides a balance of proteins from 20% insects and 60% fruit sources and boasts high fiber levels to support gut flora development and digestion.
Overall
Hobbyists may try different recipes when making crested gecko food at home, but only one diet (the Crested Gecko Diet (CGD)) meets its specific dietary requirements – an arboreal lizard’s needs can be hard to replicate through homemade mixtures of food. CGD provides an optimal ratio of nutrients that cannot be replicated using DIY diet mixes.
Crested gecko diets should include an abundance of whole food proteins for proper nourishment. Crested geckos in nature get most of their protein from insects and small vertebrates; CGDs that depend solely on whey protein isolate will fail to meet their dietary requirements and can result in malnourishment or metabolic bone disease (MBD).
Utilizing multiple sources of protein can increase its amino acid profile while simultaneously improving taste. Including foods like fig and kelp is especially helpful, since New Caledonian geckos feed on them in the wild.
