Gargoyle geckos consume an array of insects, fruit and plants as food sources; additionally they require a steady source of fresh water – providing a water dish will ensure they receive enough liquid to remain hydrated and stay alive.
ZooMed offers meal replacement powders specifically tailored for gargoyle geckos that are designed to feed babies and juveniles daily while adults should receive one every 2-3 days.
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Insects
Gargoyle geckos are insectivores, feeding on live insects such as cockroaches, crickets, moths and beetles in their natural environment. In addition to eating insects they may consume other small vertebrates such as snakes or amphibians as food sources.
Make sure that you feed your gargoyle gecko insect prey regularly in order to provide them with all of the vitamins and nutrients found within these foods, in addition to supplementing their diet with various minerals and vitamins through dusting feeder bugs with nutritious food days before offering it to them. This way you ensure they receive maximum benefits.
Some keepers feed their geckos a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and powered food, which is generally acceptable. However, to ensure your gecko receives all of its necessary nutrition it’s also wise to provide it with feeder insects every so often as a treat – papaya or berries make great options that could potentially be given as rewards!
Fruit
Gargoyle geckos in the wild typically feed on fruits, insects and small mammals; these foods may be provided in captivity provided that suitable supplements are added to their food supply.
There are also pre-mixed powder diets designed specifically to meet the nutritional needs of gargoyle geckos. When combined with live food, these should provide all essential vitamins and minerals while stimulating natural hunting instincts.
Gargoyle geckos need lean insects with high protein-to-fat ratio, such as dubia roaches, discoid roaches, crickets and black soldier fly larvae as feeders. Hornworms and silkworms should only be offered occasionally as treats. All feeder insects should be dusted with calcium and vitamin supplements before offering to the gecko to allow it to take in all of its benefits while eating its sustenance. Ideally small, disposable feeder cups that can be easily placed within their habitat walls or ledges is recommended to offer food hung up nearer the gecko’s habitat walls or ledges will facilitate its consumption by their host gecko’s environment.
Supplements
Gargoyle geckos typically feed on insects and fruits in their natural environment. Although it may be tempting to provide your pet with solely fruits, for optimal health they require a balanced diet with adequate amounts of proteins and calcium; fruits should only be offered occasionally as treats.
Pre-mixed powdered foods are readily available at pet stores and online. These provide all of the nutrients that your pet requires in an easy-to-feed format; simply mix with water and feed as-is to your pet directly or add as a supplement when feeding live feeds such as feeder roaches, waxworms, mealworms or crickets.
Cleaning your pet’s feeding dish on a daily basis to inhibit bacteria and fungal growth is a must to keep their enclosure safe, as is providing additional sources of water like Repashy SuperCal Hydrolyte to mist over their substrate or providing misting sessions using liquid calcium powder such as Repashy SuperCal Hydrolyte misting systems.
Water
Gargoyle geckos can lick water drops off decorations in their enclosure, so it’s essential that their habitats are regularly misted with misting spray or misted with ReptiSafe to ensure enough hydration. As they will likely lick any drops that land on decorations in their habitats, having their own water dish ensures they drink enough. Providing tap, spring or filtered water safe for humans as well as being dechlorinated using ReptiSafe will also be effective.
Add fresh fruit to the enclosure for additional vitamins and minerals, choosing those high in calcium but low in phosphorous such as figs, apples or mangos. Some keepers also opt for pre-mixed crested gecko diet powders from companies like Allen Repashy that offer balanced blends of proteins, minerals, vitamins and fats for their crested gecko diets.
Baby and juvenile gargoyle geckos of similar sizes can cohabit if there are plenty of hiding spaces and food sources, but adult gargoyle geckos should never share a space together, as they are territorial creatures who may compete over resources.
