Mealworms make an excellent food choice for Leopard geckos as they’re packed full of protein; however, excessive intake may lead to serious health complications in these reptiles.
To avoid this problem, it’s advisable to gut-load mealworms before giving them to your gecko pet. This method involves mixing their feeder insects with healthy ingredients like vegetables or fruits before feeding them to him/her.
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They’re a good source of protein
Leopard geckos are insectivores, meaning they need an abundance of protein in their diet. Therefore, many owners opt to feed live insects such as crickets, mealworms, waxworms, and dubia roaches for feeding to their leo. While keeping and breeding these insects are straightforward endeavors that provide essential sources of nutrition – calcium and vitamin powder may need to be supplemented accordingly to make sure you pet gets all of its nutritional requirements met.
Alongside mealworms, other feeder insects may also provide your cat with essential nutrition. Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL), for instance, are highly nutritious insects that are easy and inexpensive to find while also low in fat and provide great calcium sources.
Feeder insects for leopard geckos should always be gut loaded before being offered as food, with nutritious sources like fruit, vegetables and leafy greens providing maximum nutrition.
They’re a good source of calcium
Mealworms make an ideal food source for leopard geckos because they’re easy to store in large amounts without emitting smelly or noisy emissions. However, to provide your leopard gecko with variety in its diet it may also benefit to add other feeder insects into its daily meals such as crickets.
Feeder insects such as crickets, cockroaches and silkworms make an excellent part of a leopard gecko’s diet if fed occasionally and not exclusively. Each feeder insect offers different nutrients which will benefit your leopard gecko.
Your leopard gecko should not rely solely on mealworms for sustenance as this can result in vitamin deficiencies. Mealworms provide high protein and low fat nutrition; however, their high chitin content could cause constipation as well as calcium/phosphorus imbalances in its diet. Furthermore, mealworms can bite; to ensure their safety crush their heads first!
They’re a good source of phosphorus
Mealworms are easy to breed and keep, offering many essential nutrients. Leopard geckos often find mealworms an attractive feeder as their movement triggers natural hunting behavior in leos. It’s important that mealworms be fed sparingly so as to not lead to obesity and low calcium-to-phosphorous ratio, potentially resulting in metabolic bone diseases such as metabolic bone diseases.
When selecting a mealworm supplier, choose one who breeds their worms near where you reside – this will decrease exposure to temperatures that could harm them and make feeding and handling simpler.
Hornworms should only be fed as treats occasionally to young and adult leopard geckos due to their large size which could lead to choking or impaction. Furthermore, it’s essential that you find an experienced breeder and supplier to ensure that your worms remain fresh and without contamination.
They’re a good source of fat
Dried worms provide your leopard gecko with micronutrients at a similar level to live mealworms, while still providing essential amino acids and crude proteins easily digested by their digestive systems. Furthermore, dried worms contain fat which leopard geckos need for health. However, you must monitor how often you give him these treats so he does not become obese.
Your leopard gecko should receive a variety of feeder insects to encourage hunting behavior and maintain its optimal hydration level. Dried foods may impact in their digestion or not provide as much hydration; butterworms also often become Chilean moth hosts; so for your own safety it may be wise to irradiate them prior to feeding them to your gecko.
