Leopard geckos need various feeder insects in order to receive all the vitamins and minerals they require for good health, with mealworm being one of the most widely accepted feeder insects by leopard geckos.
Leopard geckos have long enjoyed Dubia roaches as a staple food source due to their long lifespan, ease of acquisition, high protein and calcium content, long lifespan and short mealtimes.
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Calcium
Leopard geckos require adequate calcium consumption for healthy bone development and metabolism; without it, metabolic bone disease could occur.
Feeder insects are the main source of calcium for leopard geckos, but they often lack this vital nutrient and tend to be high in phosphorus content. To ensure sufficient supplies of this essential mineral, it is advised to gut load feeder insects with multivitamin powder prior to feeding them to your gecko.
Placing a dish of pure calcium powder in the enclosure may also help. But beware! Licking too much could cause impaction, leading to serious illness for your lizard.
Calcium deficiency symptoms in breeding females may include soft or rubbery bones, difficulty with skin shedding and muscle tremors. Furthermore, breeding females require increased amounts of calcium for egg production as this process requires vast quantities. Therefore, to support egg production it is wise to feed your hen a varied diet including gut loaded insects topped off with multivitamin powder for each meal.
Vitamin D3
Leopard geckos need Vitamin D3 in their diets in order to absorb and use calcium effectively, and can find this vital nutrient from fruits, vegetables, algae and even sunlight. Unfortunately it may be hard for reptiles to get adequate amounts through their food alone.
ReptiVite is a powder supplement containing calcium, vitamin D3 and multivitamins in an optimal ratio, perfect for gut-loading feeder insects like superworms, mealworms, crickets, locusts or cockroaches. Simply mix some ReptiVite into food such as superworms, mealworms, crickets locusts or roaches before shaking before feeding.
Hatchlings and baby geckos should be fed a combination of gut-loaded and dusted insects with calcium and vitamin D3 on alternating days – three times each week in total for hatchlings/baby geckos, twice each week with calcium/Vit D3, then once with only gut-loaded insects if available. When feeding mature geckos this way.
Multi-Vitamin Powder
Leopard geckos require multivitamins for proper health and immune support. A high quality powder should contain both water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins; water-soluble ones protect cells while healing occurs, while fat-soluble ones help ensure immunity, vision and bone health are supported.
This powder contains many vitamins, such as beta carotene (vitamin A) to maintain eyesight and promote bone health, calcium to strengthen bones, vitamin D3 to metabolize and absorb calcium, Vitamin B1 for immune support and Niacin for digestion and nervous health. Furthermore, sulphur acts as a natural plant-based compound to facilitate calcium absorption.
Each time you feed insects, make sure each is fully coated in powder. Pound cleaned eggshells to get finer powder that better adheres to insects; some owners also use dehydrated dog or cat food to gut load their insects.
Dusting Insects
Leopard geckos feed on various insects found in nature as well as mineral deposits from rocks and surfaces, but their diet alone cannot provide enough vitamin D3 (which is required for calcium absorption). Therefore, many internet forums and veterinarians advise dusting feeder insects with multivitamin powder specifically made for reptiles; its formula makes absorption easier than plain powders.
Gut load diets are also highly recommended, which consists of a mixture of leafy greens, vegetables and commercial supplements fed to insects for 24-48 hours prior to offering it to your gecko – this way many essential vitamins and minerals will pass onto its new home when consumed by its new master!
Leopard geckos in the wild acquire some of their vitamin D by licking mineral deposits and salts; thus it is important that they have access to plenty of fresh water during hot days for drinking purposes.
