Crested geckos are both omnivores and frugivores, yet require sources of protein in their diet. Dubia roaches make an excellent source, and can be purchased online retailers.
Zoo Med’s crested gecko food is another good solution; this powder can be mixed with water to form a complete diet of fruit, insects and vegetables for your gecko’s nutrition. This formula has been specially formulated by animal nutritionists.
Contents
Blueberries
Crested geckos are frugivores, meaning a significant part of their wild diet is composed of fruits. Unfortunately, domestic fruit may lack many essential vitamins and nutrients essential to their wild counterparts.
Supplement your crested gecko’s diet with mashed fruits like strawberries and bananas to prevent gut health problems from high-oxalic acid fruits like cherries. Also, ensure any larger feeder insects like superworms, nutri grubs or wax worms are broken up before giving to them to prevent choking hazards.
Mangoes
Fruit is an integral component of a crested gecko’s natural diet; however, they should only be provided as occasional treats rather than being the mainstay. Baby food also tends to contain excessive levels of sugar so only give as a top-up or occasional treat.
Vegetables provide your pet with essential calcium, so including vegetables like dandelion greens, escarole or alfalfa greens in their diet is highly recommended. Just ensure they contain no antinutrients such as oxalates.
Strawberries
Crested geckos are omnivorous animals, feeding on both fruits and insects in their natural environment. Many keepers feed their geckos commercial crested gecko paste as their staple food source, supplementing this with live insects such as crickets, dubia roaches, superworms Phoenix worms mealworms wax worms or silkworms to supplement their diet from time to time as top-ups.
Avoid feeding your crestie insects larger than their head size to prevent choking and impaction. Feed them at night, and remove any uneaten portion by morning.
Bananas
Crested geckos (cresties) enjoy eating bananas as a source of potassium and energy-packed carbohydrates, making them an excellent treat or dessert to help build weight quickly.
Your crested gecko should avoid eating kiwi fruit due to its high concentration of sugar and water, as this could cause digestive issues like diarrhea or loose stools.
When feeding fruits to your crestie, ensure they are cut into pieces no larger than the space between its eyes – this will prevent both choking and impaction.
Peaches
Crested geckos enjoy the delicious bananas that are high in potassium and provide energy, making a tasty treat or addition to a fruit smoothie. They can either be fed whole as treats, or ground into a fruit smoothie mix for optimal nutrition.
Plums are packed with vitamin C, folic acid and iron, but should only be given on rare occasions due to too much potassium which may hinder calcium absorption and lead to metabolic bone disease (MBD).
Papaya
Crested geckos are frugivores by nature, but they also need protein in their diets. Exo Terra offers pre-mixed food consisting of both fruit and insects to give crested geckos everything they require all in one convenient package.
This food also includes probiotics, kelp and algae as well as a vitamin/mineral supplement for maximum health benefits for geckos. Furthermore, there are no seeds, nuts, seed meal cereal grains or high oxalate fruits and vegetables – making this product an excellent solution for owners who wish to provide their geckos with an omnivorous diet without feeding live insects directly.
Kiwi
Crested geckos in the wild are frugivores, so fruit makes up a substantial part of their diet. Unfortunately, domestic fruits cannot provide their counterparts in terms of protein, vitamins and minerals, often becoming too sweet and often too much sugar for these reptiles to handle.
Stay away from citrus fruits as they contain oxalic acid which could harm your crested gecko. Kiwi, in particular, contains too much Vitamin C and could potentially lead to diarrhea in an animal.
Greens provide crested geckos with essential nutrition. Rich in calcium and low in phosphorous, these veggies are free from anti-nutrients like goitrogens. Before offering feeder insects for feeding, dust them liberally with quality calcium supplements for maximum effectiveness.
Watermelon
Watermelons provide crested geckos with essential vitamins, minerals and fiber while being an ideal treat with its low fat and sugar content. Watermelon treats make an excellent addition to a healthy reptile’s diet!
Crestie food contains calcium, magnesium, copper and potassium – essential nutrients to their health and growth. Cresties may enjoy it as a tasty treat or mix it in with other fruits to diversify their diet.
Grapes should only be fed sparingly to crested geckos as their high potassium content can hinder calcium absorption and lead to osteoporosis or MBD in some species. As such, they should only be provided as part of a variety of fruits as part of a supplement meal plan.
