Leopard geckos are predators who will devour virtually anything they find. When kept as pets, hobbyists commonly feed crickets, mealworms, dubia roaches, and waxworms for feeding pleasure.
Gut loading feeder insects is recommended before feeding them to reptiles, meaning coating the insects with a nutritional powder such as T-Rex Calcium Plus food or Mazuri Hi-Ca Cricket diet.
Contents
Feeding
Leopard geckos are strictly insectivorous. When selecting feeder insects for them to consume, it is important to include those from wild-living insect species so as to enrichment their diet with all necessary vitamins and minerals.
Baby leopard geckos require more frequent feedings of higher quantities of bugs than adults to prevent weight gain, and should be fed on an established feeding schedule.
Crickets are an easy and accessible food option for your pet, providing protein, calcium and vitamins at an excellent nutritional value. Before feeding them to your pet it’s essential to gut-load them; simply place the crickets into a tub filled with powder and shake to coat each insect – Zoo Med Reptivite with D3 can work perfectly as an efficient gut loader!
Though generally it isn’t advised, some keepers feed their leopard geckos wild-caught prey as a means of diversifying its diet and increasing variety. While this might increase diversity of nutrition for their gecko’s diet, its actual effect remains questionable since there may be risks involved such as disease transmission, parasite infestation or chemical pesticides and fertilizers being consumed by it.
Supplements
To help prevent malnutrition, gastrointestinal issues (like impaction), respiratory infections, eye problems and other health conditions in gecko’s, it’s essential to supplement their diet with calcium and vitamin D3 multivitamin powders. You can do this by dusting insects you feed your gecko with these powders.
As well as offering their leopard geckos powder food, some owners add a dish of pure, calcium-rich dirt into their enclosure for them. This helps them feed on grubs, worms and certain types of roaches which might otherwise escape shallow bowls.
Powdered multivitamins should be sprinkled onto your gecko’s feeder insects at each feeding (for juveniles up to one year old) and at a minimum once every week for adult leopard geckos. Some breeders also dust their gecko’s feeder insects with small pieces of newborn rodent (“pinkie”) for additional nutrition during growth sprouts – though most leopard geckos should avoid this option due to too fatty young mice being used as snacks.
Habitat
Although pet stores and even veterinary clinics sometimes advise placing sand in their tanks because leopard geckos hail from desert environments, more natural substrates like coconut fiber or lava rock may provide greater health benefits for this reptile species. Sand can wear away at its paw pads over time leading to cracked skin on your gecko’s feet.
Provide your lizard with a water dish that is shallow enough that they won’t drown but large enough for it to hold its head beneath the surface and drink from. Some dishes even feature steps that could assist your pet should it get stuck!
Many keepers have begun providing leopard geckos with full spectrum light during the day, an often-practiced practice among heliothermic reptiles such as leopard geckos. While it remains controversial as to whether this helps these reptiles produce Vitamin D necessary for strong bones, many keepers have noted an overall improvement in health as a result of doing this.
Care
Leopard geckos have evolved in harsh desert environments and mountainous grasslands, so they’ve developed great strategies for finding food when their natural environments don’t provide it. A varied diet in captivity is vital to ensure its wellbeing.
Mealworms are an ideal feeder insect choice for leopard geckos as they are easily found, high in protein and inexpensive to rear. In addition, their long lifespan and refrigeration allow for extended storage periods. Crickets on the other hand may chirp and escape which may trigger your gecko’s instinct to hunt; additionally, they contain higher fat contents making digesting these harder than mealworms.
Mealworms and crickets should both be dusted with calcium/vitamin supplements like Repashy Super Load to provide your gecko with all of the essential vitamins and minerals found in its natural environment. Incorporating gut loading will allow your gecko to benefit from any additional nutrition lost during production and shipping processes.