House geckos are insectivores that feed on insects. Most commonly they enjoy crickets and mealworms as feeder insects; however, other options could include hornworms, waxworms, fruit flies or even cockroaches if desired. All feeder insects should first be gut loaded with multivitamin powder such as Repashy Calcium Plus before being offered to your house gecko.
Feeding your pet a variety of insects provides more nutritionally balanced meals than feeding farm-raised crickets alone.
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Crickets and Mealworms
House geckos require insects for proper nutrition. Not only are they inexpensive and easy to store, they provide an ample source of protein, fats and vitamins. No matter which feeder insect is chosen; it is crucial that their contents vary over time to prevent nutritional imbalances arising – mealworms for instance can provide plenty of phosphorous but not calcium at the same time, thus necessitating high amounts of supplementation with multi-vitamin powder to offset their lack of calcium content – though feeding large quantities to leopard geckos can potentially result in metabolic bone disease!
Crickets are readily available from pet stores and may be an appropriate option for those seeking commercial products, however their excessive chirping may distract and disturb other geckos in their habitat, and they can hide unexpectedly to evade predators. As an alternative, Wild-caught Dubia Roaches or Black soldier fly larvae (calci worms) could offer greater nutritional variety for gut loading purposes.
Hiding Structures
Geckos don’t take up much space, but it is still important for them to have hiding spots both day and night. You can purchase cork structures at pet stores as hiding structures; try placing at least two in their tank.
House geckos can suffer an impaction if they ingest something they cannot digest, leading to lack of appetite and vomiting. If this occurs, seek medical assistance immediately by consulting with your veterinarian.
Hepatic lipidosis, also known as liver lipidosis, occurs when your house gecko eats too many high-fat foods like waxworms and superworms, leading to build-up in its liver that causes discomfort for its host.
Feed your house gecko a low-fat diet in order to prevent this condition from emerging.
Water Dish
Generalizing, tropical house geckos (Correlophus ciliatus) tend to be insectivores. Their diet typically consists of insects and small berries; more than 70% of their diet comes from insect sources.
Feed your house gecko prey that is smaller than its head to avoid choking and help ease chewing and digestion. This size also makes eating easier!
Your house gecko requires a water dish in its enclosure for proper hydration. Be sure to fill up its bowl regularly with clean and fresh water from a source like an aquarium filter system, adding hiding structures as necessary so your gecko has somewhere comfortable to hide during the day and relax at night.
Avoid offering your gecko green leafy vegetables and fruits that contain high concentrations of oxalic acid as this chemical hinders calcium absorption in their bodies, potentially leading to hypocalcemia. Furthermore, never feed citrus or star fruit as these species have been known to be poisonous for gecko consumption.
Misting
Mediterranean house geckos, unlike their counterparts in other species, only eat insects; they do not tolerate being fed anything else. A diet consisting of crickets, mealworms, waxworms and roaches will ensure your gecko gets all of his necessary vitamins and minerals from his food source. All feeder insects should be dusted with calcium/phosphorus powder prior to being offered as food (this process is known as gut loading); Repashy CalciumPlus LoD makes a good starting product in this regard.
Geckos can ingest soil and sand, leading to intestinal impaction or obstructions. Paper-based bedding such as reptile carpet sold in pet stores or shredded newspaper should be used instead, with regular changes taking place to prevent build-ups of waste such as urine and feces in their environment.
Misting geckos’ enclosures twice daily to increase humidity and provide them with droplets of water to drink. Since geckos also enjoy sipping at leaves and branches for drinking purposes, having some kind of clean bowl available (Exo Terra reptile fountain or Flukers rock dish are excellent solutions) would also be useful.
