Leopard geckos, being insectivores, depend heavily on insects as a food source; such as crickets, mealworms, wax worms and Dubia roaches as sources.
Avoid feeding wild grasshoppers, flies and lightning bugs/fireflies as these could contain parasites which could be dangerous to your pet’s health.
Mealworms can be easily found at pet stores or produced at home for feeding your fish. Mealworms are cheap, nutritious, and easy to consume – perfect for gut loading!
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Crickets
Crickets are an easy and nutritious food source for pet reptiles, such as leopard geckos. A cricket keeper provides ample protein, calcium and other nutrients needed for young leopard geckos to grow properly and some keepers use multivitamin powder on crickets to ensure the gecko receives enough vitamins and minerals from them.
Baby leopard geckos have an exceptionally fast metabolism and should be fed frequently – approximately every 10 minutes or as needed – with any uneaten food removed immediately.
Other feeder insects, such as hornworms, silkworms, superworms and Phoenix worms should also be offered occasionally to add variety and offer diversity to leopard geckos in captivity. It is important that their diet closely mirrors that found in nature as this will provide greater chances for vitamin and mineral absorption by their bodies. Incorporating leafy greens as an additional means of increasing vitamin and mineral levels.
Mealworms
Leopard geckos are strictly insectivores, so their nutrition must consist of insects. You can provide your gecko with various feeder insects easily available for sale at pet stores and online.
One of the best choices is mealworms. Not only do they provide ample amounts of protein and other essential nutrients, they’re easy to consume, cheap, and come with minimal risk of impaction compared with crickets or superworms.
If live mealworms are unavailable to you, freeze dried mealworms make a suitable alternative. They’re easily available and inexpensive, without odour or bite like live ones; in addition to black soldier fly larvae and Dubia roaches; all these species offer good nutrition while being easy for leopard gecko to digest; their long lifespan makes stockpiling simple so your gecko doesn’t become bored with feeding time or health concerns arise from regular mealtime.
Waxworms
Waxworms, commonly found in beehives, are widely available and digestible feeder insects. High in fat content makes these treats appropriate for occasional treats only; similar to other feeder insects they should first be gut-loaded with vitamin and calcium powder before offering to your Leopard Gecko.
Baby and young Leopard Geckos require similar food as adults, yet with increased protein and lower fat. Feeder insects such as black soldier fly larvae, dubia roaches and mealworms are ideal. When feeding Baby/Young Leopard Geckos wild insects it should be collected from areas free from pesticides or outdoor chemicals as these may contain parasites that could harm them.
Tomato hornworms can also make for great alternatives, as they are both live or freeze dried purchases and easy to handle without developing a strong smell. As such, these creatures offer an excellent alternative to crickets which may become smelly over time and hide under terrarium accessories.
Other Insects
Some owners like to supplement the leopard geckos’ diets with other feeder insects. These may include nightcrawlers (which may be too large), silkworms, super worms and Phoenix worms (commonly referred to as black soldier fly larvae). All are good options so long as they’re dusted with calcium powder before feeding; additionally they should also be gut loaded to provide essential proteins, fats and other essential nutrients.
Feeder insects such as crickets or mealworms may be easier to acquire and keep alive in your gecko’s vivarium than mealworms; however, wild-caught insects could contain parasites or diseases harmful to reptiles that should be avoided at all costs.
Baby leopard geckos must be fed more frequently than adult versions and should be offered food using tongs or small dishes at least once daily, while their feeder insects must always be fresh and engulfed with supplements before being offered as food sources.
