Diet is essential to the wellbeing of tokay gecko’s, as nutritional imbalances may result in serious illnesses or diseases.
Tokay geckos feed on an assortment of invertebrates and small vertebrates found in nature; therefore, while in captivity they should be provided with various feeder insects for sustenance.
Waxworms and mealworms contain high amounts of fat, so should only be fed occasionally as treats or to help regain weight in a gecko.
Contents
Fruit Baby Food
Fruits provide your tokay gecko with both sweetness and essential nutrition. While carbohydrates such as sugars may contribute, fruits also provide essential vitamins and minerals like cantaloupe are abundant with vitamin A & C and juicy mandarins provide potassium which supports nervous system health. And blueberries boast powerful antioxidant benefits that may benefit eyes, brain & urinary tract health!
Soft fruits such as avocados and bananas don’t need to be cooked before being blended into a puree. Other fruits, like apples and pears, can be baked or steamed to make mashing or pureeing easier. Beware of potential choking hazards in fruit such as hard or stringy parts!
Carrot Puree
Tokay geckos are known to be agile predators in the wild, feeding on any insects they come across during hunting sessions. Their diet typically consists of invertebrates such as spiders, grasshoppers and flies as well as vertebrates like mice or reptiles. When kept captive they can be fed a range of feeder insects as well as plant-based foods to supplement their hunting sessions.
As another source of fiber and digestion aid, baby tokay geckos should also be offered steamed vegetables such as carrot puree to increase their fiber consumption and aid digestion. Carrots are non-toxic foods which are safe for all lizard species.
Before placing feeder insects into their enclosure, it is crucial that they are dusted with calcium/vitamin D3 powder in order to achieve an appropriate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. Repashy Calcium Plus LoD or another multivitamin product may be suitable.
Mealworms
Mealworms can often be overlooked by beginners when starting out their reptile keeping hobby, yet mealworms make an excellent staple diet for any reptile. High in protein and with an impressive nutritional profile, mealworms are easy to gut-load while remaining budget friendly.
Tokay geckos require various feeder insects for their diet, including soft-bodied and low chitin content hornworms, butterworms, dubia roaches and BSFL insects. When selecting wild-caught insects for feeding your reptile it’s wise to do your research as these could contain dangerous chemicals, parasites and diseases which could make them ill.
Mouth rot is another serious health condition for tokay geckos that can ultimately cause their demise, with symptoms including reddish inflammation around the mouth and milky discharge. Prevention of mouth rot is key, especially since stress or poor environmental conditions could be contributing factors.
Insects
Tokay geckos in the wild are invertebrate feeders that tend to favor moths, grasshoppers and crickets as food sources; they occasionally consume small vertebrates such as mammals or reptiles as well. Being adaptable hunters, Tokays take advantage of any available opportunity in their natural surroundings when feeding on prey items.
An abundant diet in captivity is crucial to the wellbeing of any pet lizard or reptile, and should include gut-loaded crickets, mealworms and dubia roaches as staples – but other feeder insects may provide valuable vitamins and nutrients that help support their overall wellbeing.
Supplementation is also crucial, particularly with calcium and vitamin D3 for proper bone development. Tokay geckos enjoy eating fruit as part of their insect-based diet; however, treats should only be offered once or twice every week as treats to prevent any potential choking hazards. Ideally, organic fruit baby food would provide additional nutrition.
