Geckos make great pets, but they require a varied diet to stay healthy. One of the best ways to do this is by offering them a variety of gecko powder food.
Repashy Crested Gecko Diet and Pangea Gecko Diet are two of the most popular gecko powders out there. These powders can be mixed with water to create a slurry of fruits, vegetables and insects that your gecko will love!
Contents
Multi-vitamin carnivorous reptile powder
One of the most important nutrients to ensure a healthy reptile is a multi-vitamin that includes all essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements. You should choose a product that contains calcium, vitamin D3, and phosphorus.
Thankfully, this supplement is very easy to find on the market. There are many different types, but the best one for carnivores is Miner-ALL (Indoor/No D3 or Outdoor/D3 & Calcium).
This calcium powder contains only human-grade calcium and 50 vital trace minerals to ensure optimum health and bone strength in your reptile. It is a fine powder that adheres well to any feeder, and it also comes with a measuring scoop for easy administration.
Magnesium is a key mineral for energy production and muscle function. It is difficult to meet the RDA for magnesium by eating animal-based foods alone, so supplementation is necessary.
Calcium powder
Calcium is an essential mineral for your geckos to have, especially since they are polyphyodonts, animals that need to replace their teeth frequently. This means they require high levels of calcium in their diet to keep up with their teeth’s replacement cycle and maintain healthy skeletal structure.
Adding calcium powder to your gecko’s diet will help boost their intake and ensure they get the necessary amounts of this critical mineral. It can be added to their gut-loaded insect diet or dusted on feeder insects before they are fed.
It’s important to note that geckos need vitamin D3 as well, to help their bodies absorb and use the calcium they eat. Without this, they can’t properly digest the calcium and could suffer from a calcium overdose that can lead to death.
Repashy Calcium Plus is a high-quality, all-natural calcium powder with additional vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D3. Many leopard gecko breeders recommend it to promote healthy growth in young and breeding females.
Vitamin powder
If you have a gecko that needs more vitamins than what is found in its regular diet, you can supplement it with vitamin powder. This is a special multivitamin that contains calcium and vitamin D3 in addition to other vitamins and minerals.
These supplements are available in powder form and should be dusted onto feeder insects before feeding your gecko them. You can also gut load your gecko’s food with a multivitamin or other nutrients 24-48 hours before you feed them.
For hatchlings and babies, you should supplement them with calcium and vitamin D3 three times a week. For juveniles, you should do the same and also give them a general multivitamin once a week.
Some owners opt to supplement their geckos with a UVB light to ensure they have sufficient vitamin D in their system. This may be a good idea if your gecko isn’t basking in the sun, but remember that UVB light can be harmful to your gecko’s sensitive skin and eyes.
Calcium dust
Calcium dust is an excellent way to ensure your geckos are getting enough calcium in their diet. It can be used on vegetation or live food in their food bowl, or placed in a plastic bag with your feeder insects and shaken gently before offering.
Calcium is essential for leopard geckos as it supports heart function, circulation, nerve function, bone mass and teeth. It also helps support regeneration of body parts, including the heart (cardiomyocyte proliferation).
Using calcium powder as part of a varied gecko diet is recommended for all age groups. It’s also an important addition to the diet of breeding female leos as it can prevent bone deficiencies, a condition known as metabolic bone disease.
The best way to make sure your geckos are getting the calcium they need is to dust their feeder insects with it before they eat them. It’s especially important to use a high-quality calcium supplement with vitamin D3 as phosphorus levels in many geckos can interfere with their ability to absorb this mineral.
