Crickets are often overlooked when it comes to feeding leopard gecko lizards. While they might not look appealing, crickets provide essential protein-packed powerhouses that keep your lizard in optimal health.
Pet food pellets are inexpensive, high in protein and easy to find at most pet shops or online. Refrigeration extends their shelf life even further while they can also become highly nutritious when dusted with calcium supplement powder.
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Gut-loading
Gut-loading refers to the practice of providing feeder insects with a nutritious diet several hours prior to feeding them to Leopard Geckos. This process helps prevent your feeder insects from rotting and spreading bacteria and fungus throughout your Leopard Geckos enclosure, and also prevent impaction, which occurs when indigestible materials build up in their digestive tract and prevent digestion.
Crickets and Dubia roaches make excellent feeder insects for this method of feeding; these insects are readily available at pet stores and online, are inexpensive, high in protein content and have long lifespans that can be extended further by refrigeration.
As they’re very low in fat and digest easily, gecko-friendly treats like crickets make for easy feedings. Mealworms may also work, though you might have trouble convincing your gecko to eat them! Furthermore, mealworms have the tendency to wiggle and chirp too much; dusting them with calcium powder could reduce this problem.
Feeding method
Your Leopard Gecko should receive a variety of feeder insects. While crickets may be most commonly preferred, other choices like mealworms and waxworms can add both flavor and nutrition. Other insects may even provide additional calcium intake and help your gecko better absorb essential vitamins. Cultured dubia roaches are becoming increasingly popular as a less hassle alternative that doesn’t require a dish.
To prevent mold growth and overfeeding in gecko enclosures, keep feeder insects in a separate container from where your pet lives. Water should also be provided to avoid them overeating too quickly or becoming overweight. An effective solution would be using bug gel such as Fluker’s Cricket Quencher which contains essential vitamins to increase gut load while making feeder insects even tastier for your gecko!
Feeding frequency
Leopard geckos are insectivores, and crickets make an excellent food source. Crickets provide plenty of protein while being rich in calcium and containing vitamin D3 – essential components in processing calcium and other essential nutrients. Just be sure that the bugs purchased at your pet store are suitable for your reptile; many insects found outside may carry harmful pesticides which could pose risks.
As well as crickets, your leopard gecko should also receive other feeder insects like mealworms, waxworms and dubia roaches in its diet. Feeding these feeder insects once every week allows your reptile to enjoy something new; but make sure not to overfeed as this could lead to obesity. Furthermore, make sure that any crickets provided as supplements contain calcium supplements as too much can lead to mineralization of organs and blood vessels as well as neutralize digestive enzymes resulting in organ mineralization or neutralize digestive enzymes for digestive enzyme neutralization or neutralization!
Feeding size
Crickets are an essential source of protein, calcium and nutrients. Plus, their high moisture content provides important hydration. Unfortunately, crickets tend to live only a short lifespan and it can be challenging to source sufficient amounts.
Make sure that when feeding crickets to your gecko, they are appropriately sized – no larger than the space between its eyes – to prevent choking and ensure that your gecko receives enough nutrition.
If your leopard gecko’s diet needs improving, try supplementing his food with other feeder insects such as mealworms or silkworms to provide more variety than crickets and help balance his diet. They require less preparation and can easily be found online or at pet stores; in addition, fruits and vegetables provide additional nutrition – just remember to wash any produce well before feeding it to your reptile!
