Golden geckos feed on insects, fruits and vegetables and should be fed daily when hatchlings and every five or six days as adults. Be sure to dust their feeder insects with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements in order to prevent metabolic bone disease (MBD).
Establish a humid hideout in their enclosure using moss, sphagnum or reptile bark as a humidifying element. Regular misting helps regulate humidity levels and avoid dehydration.
Contents
Insects
Golden geckos are generally omnivorous creatures that occasionally enjoy snacking on fatty wax worms or roaches as treats. Their diet should consist of commercially raised crickets, mealworms and wax worms; make sure their gut load before each feeding session. You may also add occasional wild insects if possible as long as they’re free from pesticides.
Keepers often offer feeder insects supplemented with calcium powder before every feeding or every other feeding, to combat metabolic bone disease – a serious threat among reptiles that do not receive sufficient amounts of calcium in their diet.
Golden geckos generally don’t enjoy being handled, as they become restless and easily stressed. Handling may lead to bites from them as a form of defense; their tails may even drop as an act of defiance.
Vegetables
Cresteed geckos should only receive vegetables as an occasional part of their diet, such as escarole, endive, spinach and alfalfa greens. You could also feed your pet dandelion greens collard greens and kale that are low in phosphorous but high in calcium content.
Pears can provide your lizard with a rich source of Vitamin C and fiber, though their firm texture makes them difficult to chew and digest. Make sure that when offering pear as food for consumption that they are first removed from their skins before being crushed up before offering.
As with anything, baby food should only be given in moderation as many varieties contain preservatives and sugar that should only be given occasionally.
Fruits
Golden geckos have the potential to live for up to 15 years in captivity with proper care, unlike some other reptiles that require large enclosures or constant monitoring. Their terrarium should remain at an average daytime temperature before gradually decreasing overnight to recreate their natural habitat and maintaining an appropriate humidity level by spraying their enclosure daily with fresh water and monitoring humidity with a hygrometer.
Golden geckos are carnivorous reptiles and should eat a variety of live insects such as crickets, mealworms, wax worms, roaches or butter worms (pesticide-free). Fruit may also make up part of their diet such as bananas with high amounts of calcium or any fruit rich in other dietary benefits like high amounts of potassium or fiber content. Every few weeks or so it may also be wise to dust their enclosure with multivitamin supplements in order to assist with nutritional absorption.
Calcium & Vitamin D3 Supplements
Geckos require a varied and supplemented diet in order to remain healthy, with insufficient calcium and Vitamin D3 often becoming an issue among captive leos, leading to Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), leading to tremors and deformities of their legs and limbs.
Zoomed’s ReptiVite provides a complete solution, providing calcium in the proper proportion with all necessary vitamins and minerals needed for healthy geckos as a pet.
An appropriate substrate for gecko habitat should retain moisture, such as reptile bark or shredded coconut fiber bedding. A sand/reptile dust mix that’s free from antinutrients like phosphate and oxalates is also an appropriate choice; some keepers recommend dusting after every meal while others believe this practice may not be necessary if diet diversity exists.
Water
Golden geckos can be found throughout a wide range of habitats in nature, from tropical rainforests to arid deserts. To mimic their natural surroundings and provide them with optimal living conditions, their cage should be at least 20 gallons tall with enrichments like branches, ledges and vertical surfaces for climbing on with special toe pads – along with an accurate hygrometer that monitors humidity levels in their environment.
Golden geckos, like most reptiles, can be very timid creatures that dislike being handled. When stressed or upset they may bite. Therefore, feeding tongs should be used to hand-feed their insect prey directly; and a shallow dish containing fresh, clean non-chlorinated water for drinking and soaking should also be provided; regularly disinfect this space using reptile-safe disinfectants to keep the environment safe for their welfare.
