Feeding crested geckos mealworms doesn’t need to be complicated, but knowing the appropriate dosage is crucial. A general guideline for feedings would be 2 worms for every inch in length of gecko.
Gut-feed the worms with calcium and vitamin supplements so your gecko can get maximum nutrition from their diet. However, they shouldn’t serve as their main source of protein.
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High in protein
Mealworms can provide your crested gecko with an excellent source of protein. However, due to their high fat content and potential health concerns such as impaction, they should only be fed occasionally. Instead, crickets provide much lower levels of fat while being easier for your pet’s digestion.
Crested geckos are both omnivorous and frugivorous. To maintain a balanced diet of insects and fruit, as well as vegetables. When wild, their feeding patterns shift between eating more fruit than usual and hunting insects for sustenance.
Mealworms (Tenebrio Molitor) are larvae of darkling beetles. Because they burrow deep into substrate, mealworms make ideal meals for crested geckos; however, due to choking hazards and possibly getting stuck in digestive tracts. To minimize risk and ensure safety for their creatures, keepers should only offer mealworms sparingly – while also making sure mealworms are gut-loaded and dusted with calcium; some use powdered food that must be mixed with water before each feeding while others simply dust their feeders with calcium before each feeding.
Low in calcium
Crested geckos require a diet rich in proteins, and mealworms provide this source. But to ensure they get all of their necessary vitamins and nutrients from food sources such as crickets or roaches.
Feed crested geckos mealworms sparingly as they contain high amounts of fat and have a low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, and can even impede digestive processes by being too hard exoskeletoned and potentially leading to impaction issues and digestive distress.
To prevent such issues, it is recommended to gut-load and dust mealworms before offering to your crested gecko. Furthermore, evening feedings may be optimal as crested geckos tend to be most active at that time of day. Finally, never feed citrus fruits because these non-natural substances interfere with their ability to absorb calcium; instead give your crested gecko figs as a nutritious treat!
High in fat
Mealworms contain both protein and fat, so it’s wise to treat your crested gecko as treats rather than making mealworms a part of their regular diet.
Ideal nutrition for crested gecko pets should include powdered foods, live feeder insects and fruits. Doing this will provide them with all of the essential nutrients they require to remain healthy while providing mental stimulation through variety in their diets.
Crested geckos can either be omnivorous or frugivorous, depending on their environment. When in the wild, they will sometimes hunt and consume insects as well as roots and other vegetation while other times only eating fruit.
Before offering mealworms to your cresties, always gut-load and dust them with calcium powder in order to hydrate and prevent dehydration while providing enough energy for hunting. This will also prevent dehydration occurring and ensure they have enough energy.
Not safe for all reptiles
Crested geckos enjoy eating mealworms as treats to keep them happy. Make sure that the live mealworms you provide to your crested gecko are marked so you know when they’re about to expire, to decrease the chances of your reptile eating expired food. Furthermore, offer other live or dried feeder insects so your crested gecko has some variety.
Mealworms contain a hard exoskeleton composed of chitin that may be difficult for crested geckos to digest, making them unsuitable as the sole food source for crested gecko diets. Furthermore, they’re high in fat content and their Ca:P ratio makes them inappropriate as a staple diet staple for crested gecko caretakers; feeding too many mealworms at once may lead to digestive or impaction problems – potentially life-threatening – meaning mealworms should only ever be given out as treats once gut loaded or supplemented.
