Leopard geckos need various nutrients from the feeder insects they consume, including calcium supplements to prevent metabolic bone disease. Therefore, it’s essential that these insects be gut loaded prior to being fed back to your reptile.
Feeder insects such as mealworms, dubia roaches and waxworms can be purchased from pet stores or online feeder stores and then prepared before feeding them to your Leopard gecko.
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Vegetables
Gut-loading allows a Leopard Gecko to gain more vitamins and minerals. In the wild, Leopard Geckos typically feed on insects and vegetables to meet their nutrient requirements; without this diversity in their diets, Leopard Geckos may experience deficiencies of calcium or vitamin A which could result in deficiencies.
Commercially raised mealworms, Moshi worms, Dubia Roaches and crickets often lack essential vitamins like calcium and thiamin (vitamin B1). To address this shortcoming, it’s advisable to gut load these feeder insects prior to feeding them to your Leopard Gecko pet.
Apple puree is ideal, but any type of fruit or vegetable will do. Just ensure it is free from pesticides to ensure its safety for your gecko pet. Furthermore, mealworms laced with calcium and vitamin powder should also be given as treats so as to be as nutritionally complete as possible for them.
Apple Puree
Gut loading your mealworms with fruit and vegetables can be an excellent way to provide more nutrients to your leopard gecko, but make sure that any you choose are suitable and not coated with harmful pesticides. While anything should work for gut loading your worms – but avoid lettuce as this has no nutritional value and could quickly turn moldy!
Feeder insects like crickets, dubia roaches and mealworms can usually be gut loaded with various kinds of food for easier feeding to your reptile. Some insects such as silkworms, hornworms and Black Soldier Fly Larvae require specific nutrient rich foods designed especially for them; silkworms must also receive their specific diet from time to time to maintain optimal health and prevent diseases like Metabolic Bone Disease. Ideally you should perform gut loading for at least 24 hours prior to feeding the feeder insect to your gecko.
Calcium Powder
Leopard geckos are insect feeders, so their diet must contain essential calcium and phosphorus-rich foods in order to thrive. Because feeder insects often fall short on this front, it is recommended to gut load for at least 24 hours prior to giving them to your gecko.
If you want to go the extra mile in supporting your pet’s overall health and preventing metabolic bone disease (MBD), calcium powder can be invaluable. Just be sure that it’s free from phosphates and D3. Not only will this supplement strengthen their bones but will help reinforce overall wellness and protect from MBD as well.
Crickets, dubia roaches and black soldier fly larvae do not require gut loading as their food sources provide enough nutrition. But for other feeder insects such as wax worms it may be wise to gut load them with vitamin powder so that their vitamins and minerals are properly absorbed while simultaneously decreasing intestinal impaction risk in reptiles.
Vitamin Powder
Feeding Leopard Geckos healthy, nutrient-rich foods is an integral component of their care in captivity. Doing this will ensure they get all of the essential vitamins and minerals they require for long, fulfilling lives in captivity.
Leopard Geckos have long been known to eat insects and other creatures as part of their diet, including commercially raised ones which may be deficient in certain essential nutrients like calcium and vitamin A, making it important to gut load them prior to giving them to your geckos.
To assist this, sprinkle feeder insects with high quality vitamin powder before feeding them to Leopard Geckos. Simply put them into a plastic bag, add the required amount of vitamin powder, and shake before feeding your animals – this will ensure they receive all their essential nutrition!
