African fat-tailed geckos are carnivorous reptiles that feed primarily on insects. Additionally, small quantities of fresh or frozen mice may also be provided as treats.
Make sure to provide them with a shallow water dish to help retain moisture, and gut load feeder insects before giving them to your gecko – this will increase their nutritional intake.
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Insects
Fat-tailed geckos use their tails for balance and to warn off predators, and losing one in an attack to protect themselves can regenerate itself within several weeks.
African fat-tail geckos depend on insects for sustenance. Baby geckos should be fed smaller crickets and cockroaches until they reach maturity. Before feeding them to your gecko, gut load (treat them with vitamin powder) them before hand; you can either purchase pre-made gut load formula or make your own from scraps.
All feeder insects should be lightly dusted with calcium and multivitamin powder such as Repashy Calcium Plus LoD to provide adequate calcium intake and multivitamin benefits.
Mealworms
Fat-tailed geckos are insectivores and solely consume insects; no plant materials whatsoever. Mealworms (the larvae of darkling beetles) are an integral part of their diet and can be purchased at most pet stores; however, raising your own can often be cheaper and healthier.
Your gecko should receive two appropriately-sized crickets or mealworms per inch of body length at each feeding. Other feeder insects like cockroaches and waxworms can also be introduced for variety in its diet, while any insect feedings should first be gut-loaded in order to maximize nutritional value before being offered as treats to lizards.
Mealworm Pellets
African Fat-Tailed Geckos require a diet consisting of insects such as mealworms. Gut loading (feeding your pet an insect-based food source 24 hours before feeding it back out again) may be recommended, though you could simply feed your lizard the insects themselves.
These lizards hunt at night in their natural environment, so their diet needs to meet the nutritional demands. Feeding solely mealworms could lead to vitamin deficiencies. Instead, provide your pet with a combination of crickets, roaches, wax worms, butterworms or hornworms – these will all provide great options. It should be fed twice each week.
Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers provide geckos with an excellent source of protein and fat, and should be fed on occasion as treats. Unfortunately, due to their high moisture content they shouldn’t become part of their regular diet as doing so could result in watery stool in certain geckos.
Geckos should only be fed insects that are smaller than the space between their eyes. Larger insects could choke or otherwise harm their health and should be avoided at all costs.
Gut-loading your gecko is highly recommended before bringing it home, but if time doesn’t permit this you can offer plain crickets instead. In any event, fresh water should always be available for them and this bowl should be changed regularly and disinfected weekly to keep their health at peak performance.
Beetles
African Fat-Tailed Geckos are popular reptile pets due to their ease of care and carefree personality. Primarily insectivores, African Fat-Tailed Geckos can be fed crickets, mealworms and waxworms that are readily available; your exotic vet can assist in creating a feeding plan tailored specifically to the requirements of your pet’s specific dietary needs.
These lizards require access to fresh water at all times in their enclosure, typically through droplets collecting on leaves; however, an open bowl should always be available as backup. Supplementation with calcium powder and vitamin powder containing Vitamin D3 is highly recommended.
Crickets
Crickets, an unrelated cousin to grasshoppers, can easily be found and eaten by captive African fat-tailed geckos, making them an essential component of ecosystem both ecologically and economically.
Geckos are predominantly insectivorous animals, so their diet will include crickets, cockroaches, mealworms and waxworms – each should be fed to adult geckos once or twice weekly for optimal health.
Gut-loaded crickets and reptile calcium powder should be provided as food sources. You can purchase these items at most pet stores or breed your own in your own home.
Fruits
Fat-tailed geckos in the wild are predominantly insectivores, feeding on an array of insects such as various types of worms, crickets, beetles and beetle larvae. Although not known to eat any plant material directly.
Provide them with an assortment of appropriately sized bugs to maintain good health and happiness. Avoid feeding fish as this would not be part of their natural habitat and its sharp bones could potentially cause choking or other complications.
Provide and keep clean a shallow water dish for your African Grey parrot to drink from, as they require fluids for their wellbeing as natives of Western Africa.
