Crested geckos are omnivorous pets that enjoy eating both insects and fruit. Many owners opt to feed their critter meal replacement powders such as the popular Repashy crested gecko diet or Pangea crested gecko food which requires mixing with some water to create an edible fruit, insect and vegetable smoothie.
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Origin
Crested geckos are nocturnal arboreal animals, spending most of their time hiding among trees to avoid predators. Native to New Caledonia’s rainforests, crestted geckos tend to live alone in the wild; highly intelligent individuals are adept at hiding from potential threats with ease.
Cresteed geckos kept in captivity are fed meals consisting of meal replacement powders, pellets, and fruit. These nutritious powders are easy to prepare while offering variety. Furthermore, fresh fruits and vegetables can also be mixed into their meals for additional textures and flavors.
Pangea and Repashy are two reputable brands of crested gecko diet powders on the market, both offering quality products. Pangea provides more flavors and fragrance than Repashy; furthermore, Pangea boasts higher minimum values for protein and fat than Repashy while still producing comparable growth results and nutritional results; Pangea additionally has longer shelf life at room temperature as Repashy tends to mold quickly.
Habitat
Crested geckos feed on insects and fruits when living in the wild, but owners can supplement their pet’s diet in captivity by offering overripe and soft fruit such as mangoes, bananas, strawberries, figs or watermelons as dietary supplements. Citrus fruits should be avoided due to high citric acid concentration.
Crested geckos also enjoy dubia roaches and mealworms as food options, although these insects tend to be more expensive than crickets and can be harder to locate in pet stores. Still, they offer extra nutrients while providing additional enjoyment.
Meal replacement powders (MRP) can be another great way to feed crested geckos. When mixed with water, these powders provide an alternative source of nutrition in place of insects in their diet – Pangea and Repashy offer such MRP diets which offer complete and balanced meals to replace insects entirely – perfect for both online purchasing as well as pet store sales.
Diet
Crested geckos in the wild are omnivorous feeders, feeding on both insects and overripe fruit. Pet geckos typically receive both live insects and powdered diets – commonly referred to as complete meal replacement powders (MRP), these diets have long been sold by companies like Repashy and Pangea.
Crested geckos in the wild hunt by biting and squishing their prey; in captivity they tend to hunt at night when fed live crickets or dubia roaches gut-loaded with vitamins for extra nutrition before being eaten by their prey. In captivity cresties may also be fed live crickets that have been “dusted” with vitamins so as to transfer some of those essential vitamins directly into their system before consumption.
Cresties like to supplement their diets with freeze-dried fruits and vegetables such as banana, date, fig, watermelons and flower petals from marigolds or hibiscus plants as well as flower petals, herbs like marigold or hibiscus flowers or marigold leaves, vegetable protein sources or supplements of their own choosing such as Repashy MRP’s high quality food that their geckos seem to love the taste of. Many owners report using Repashy MRP and find it is enjoyed by both geckos and owners! Many owners report high quality results when combined with fresh produce.
Competition
Crested geckos are arboreal animals, meaning that they primarily spend their time hiding in trees to avoid predators. Wild crested geckos feed on insects and overripe fruit while using their tails to grip surfaces – most are active at dawn and dusk.
Reptile enthusiasts typically opt for commercial food for their crested geckos, such as Repashy or Pangea powders containing real fruit as their main ingredient; Pangea offers additional benefits due to oxalate-free formulation.
While crested geckos will readily consume any bug, be wary not to offer too many. Their stomach may reject food that is too large; typically insects should no wider than your gecko’s eyes and be gutloaded with fresh veggies to help digest their insects more easily and reduce any risk of impaction.
