Leopard geckos are predominantly insect feeders and do not need any greens as food sources1.1
They should receive two appropriately-sized insects per inch of length each day.
Feeder insects can either be live or pre-killed, but should never be wild caught as these may carry parasites or herbicides that could prove hazardous for human health. Offering various species as an enriching activity provides much-needed nutrition.
Contents
Crickets
Crickets are an essential staple for most reptile diets and make an excellent starting food source for your leopard gecko. Easy and cost-effective to source, they provide vital nutrition. Give him leo crickets of appropriate size dusted with some calcium powder.
As a general guideline, two crickets should be offered per inch of body length of your gecko. Make sure they receive appropriate-sized insects regularly.
Avoid feeding your gecko wild insects from backyards as you don’t know their source or if they could contain contaminants. Also, it is very important to gut load feeder insects a day prior to giving them to your leo.
Mealworms
Leopard geckos are skilled hunters with sharp vision and keen senses of smell. When hunting, leopard geckos use tail vibration to scare their prey into moving before striking quickly to kill it; after which, they may taste-test any dead insects to determine their edibility before eating it themselves.
Mealworms offer several advantages over crickets: they don’t run away and chirp loudly; they are easily available at most pet stores; are relatively inexpensive, high in protein content, can easily reproduce themselves and breed easily. Zoo Med Reptivite with D3 (available from Northampton Reptile Centre) makes an ideal vitamin, mineral and amino acid supplement that should be dusted onto them before feeding to leopard geckos to avoid being licked or rubbed off quickly.
Reptiles require gut-loaded feeder insects in order to obtain all of their essential vitamins, as they cannot digest plant matter. This is particularly crucial for young geckos to avoid Metabolic Bone Disease and breeding females to ensure optimal egg production.
Dubia Roaches
Dubia roaches make an excellent food choice for feeding leopard geckos as they contain high levels of protein, calcium, fiber and phosphorus while being low in fat and chitin content. Easy to breed, dubia roaches offer an effective alternative to higher fat sources like BSFL or waxworms which may otherwise be consumed.
Dubia can be purchased from many online retailers as well as pet stores specializing in exotic pets. Furthermore, breeders may sell them directly. Prior to feeding (see below), it should be gut loaded in order to provide your reptile with all of its nutritional requirements.
They’re quiet compared to crickets, cockroaches and mealworms as they don’t make noises like crickets or mealworms; moreover they are less expensive but more nutritious and have lower parasite risks compared to other feeder insects such as crickets. Feed them as the sole staple or alongside other less fatty staples like hornworms for less fat content in diet. Furthermore they won’t scurry around and serve as an ideal replacement for freeze-dried food which may lose micronutrients through processing processes.
Hornworms
Leopard geckos require high-quality insects as part of their daily diet to remain in top condition, so avoid feeding dried food to them as this has lost much of its micronutrients and may lead to obesity in geckos.
Hornworms are slow-moving caterpillars with brightly-colored bodies that make a nutritious treat for Leo. Packed full of calcium, these tasty insects have no chitin content making them the ideal snack choice for babies and hatchlings alike.
Leopard geckos in their native habitats are strict insectivores and consume an array of insects and worms; however, some new lizard owners tend to feed their geckos only mealworms and crickets which contain low levels of protein and calcium.
Change up his feedings of feeder insects regularly so he remains engaged with his food source and gets all of the essential vitamins and minerals from them. Also make sure they contain gut-loads with calcium or vitamin powder before being fed as this will ensure your reptile receives all the necessary nutrition from his diet.
