Jelly Pots are a wonderful way to add an assortment of fruit varieties to the diets of crested geckos. Not only can they help gut load feeder insects more effectively but can also act as an ambient moisture source in humid settings.
Citrus and Banana jelly pots should only ever be offered occasionally as treats! As these foods don’t provide a balanced diet, these should only ever be provided on rare occasions!
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Fruit
Crested geckos are frugivorous reptiles and require a diet rich in insects and fruit to remain healthy. Many keepers feed their crested gecko commercial diet powder as the staple food source, but providing additional fruits and insects as enrichment for your reptile can add further enrichment. It’s essential that keepers understand which fruits and vegetables are safe for their cresty as some can be toxic or cause nutritional imbalance. Kiwi contains high levels of oxalic acid which could block calcium absorption while grapes also contains high amounts oxalic acid so should only be given occasionally as treats!
Crested geckos can safely consume various fruits such as bananas, strawberries, mango, pineapple and watermelons; it is essential that all fresh fruit be thoroughly rinsed in order to eliminate bacteria and pesticide residues. Apples make an ideal selection as they are low in oxalates with a good Calcium-to-Phosphorus ratio.
Insects
Crested geckos are insectivores that feed on insects like crickets, cockroaches and millipedes in their natural environments. Captive crested geckos owners commonly feed them insects such as crickets, roaches and millipedes; owners also often offer mealworms in captivity but these may cause impaction issues. Waxworms offer safer options due to having soft exoskeletons.
Feeding them provides an excellent source of protein and fat-soluble vitamins A and E to support immune function, skin health, eyesight, reproduction and other bodily processes. Furthermore, they contain carotenoids which can be converted to retinoids – an essential nutrient which cannot be overdosed on.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is vital for maintaining good health in crested geckos. A high-quality complete food or homemade mixed diet is an ideal way to provide this vital element. By including vegetables such as kale, Swiss chard, arugula, escarole and alfalfa in their diet will add additional calcium, iron and other vital vitamins into its composition.
Veggies
Crested geckos are frugivores, meaning they require a wide variety of fruits and veggies for sustenance. Unfortunately, most store bought fruits are much lower in terms of protein, vitamins and minerals compared to wild counterparts, and often higher in sugar content as well.
Add vegetables to your crested gecko’s diet for improved nutrition and to increase his appetite. Kale, broccoli, bok choy and other leafy greens may provide essential nourishment; other options could include squash, sweet potato or carrots.
Cresties can grow bored of eating the same old powdered diet, so adding live feeder insects like crickets and locusts to their meals can add excitement and variety. Hornworms make an excellent treat; just be sure to remove their hairs first as overfeeding could cause digestive issues for cresties.
Meal Replacement Powder
Cresties geckos typically feed on insects, nestling birds and their young, pollen, soft seeds and decaying fruit like figs in the wild, as well as pollen from pollinator gardens and pollen from soft seeds in captivity. Pangea and Repashy offer complete crested gecko diets that can be mixed with water into a paste-like consistency for feeding their captive cresties – they seem to love it!
As an extra treat for their geckos, some owners offer live feeder insects. Crickets and dubia roaches make great staples; wax worms, black soldier fly larvae, and hornworms may be offered as treats as well. When using live feeders as treats be sure to gut load them for at least 24 hours prior to dusting them with high-quality calcium powder before giving to your crestie.
Crested geckos need daytime lighting to regulate their day/night cycle, stimulate appetite and support healthy cellular development. A linear fluorescent lamp with 5% UVB output would work nicely.
