Leopard geckos are insectivores and lack the capability to digest fruits and vegetables due to a lack of cecums required to break down plant fibers found within their diets.
Feeder insects can be gut-loaded with various ingredients to provide high-quality nutrients and vitamin content, with crickets being popular as they are both cheap and readily available; also low in fat content and can even be dusted with calcium powder before feeding.
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Crickets
Leopard geckos are insectivorous lizards and, when in the wild, hunt a wide range of insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, flies and caterpillars. Additionally they opportunistically feed on smaller lizards snakes and newborn rodents.
Feed the lizard prey that does not exceed the width of its eyes as an effective guideline. Insects too large could become lodged in its throat and cause it to choke, which should serve as a useful measure.
Crickets are easy to find and affordable food sources that provide high nutritional value, but their noisy behavior may disrupt lizards. Mealworms or dubia roaches offer superior nutrition without disturbing lizards’ peace. Furthermore, mealworms or dubia roaches can easily be fed with tongs without creating noise pollution; additionally they can be gut loaded to add an extra vitamin boost into their diet for diversity purposes. Dubia roaches may cost more but also offer many perks; easy to breed high protein/low fat/gut loaded to add diversity. Finally dubia roaches cost more but offer additional perks; easily found and breed high protein/low fat food, plus gut loading extra nutrients into their diet for diversity as well.
Mealworms
Leopard geckos in the wild consume a wide range of insects for nourishment; therefore feeding your gecko insects from commercial breeders (including crickets, cockroaches and hornworms) that lack calcium, thiamin (vitamin B1) and vitamin A may provide adequate dietary needs. Therefore, feeder insects such as crickets should be gut loaded (with high calcium/nutrient dense foods like Repashy SuperLoad diet) 24 hours prior to being offered to your gecko as feeder items.
Mealworms make an excellent pet for many reasons: they’re readily available and easy to breed; have long lifespans that can be extended with refrigeration; are low in fat content and noise levels; plus provide essential protein sources!
Mealworms may help stimulate appetite in some geckos more effectively than crickets and roaches; however, due to being high in chitin content they are difficult for babies and juveniles to digest; therefore it’s recommended that mealworms only be fed once weekly when their tail has fully regenerated – at least four inches is ideal.
Dubia Roaches
Dubia roaches are leopard gecko’s preferred feeder insects. Not only can you feed them a wide range of foods without them being smelly, they’re more nutritious than crickets and cockroaches; providing more protein. While this feeder insect does provide some essential nutrition, it still won’t provide all that’s necessary – therefore it is necessary to provide your leopard gecko with extra fruit, veggies and mineral supplements in their diet.
Dubia roaches offer many benefits to leopard geckos, yet some may not show an appetite for them. One way to tempt leopard geckos to consume dubia roaches is by dusting them with calcium-rich powder placed at the end of their nose; this way they will lick it off in order to access food and supplements; it’s an easy and effective way of making geckoes consume dubia roaches; aim for two insects per inch of body length as this ensures maximum participation by your gecko!
Other Insects
Leopard geckos are insectivores, meaning they feed on insects for sustenance in the wild. To ensure optimal nutrition for your leopard gecko pet, provide them with a diverse diet at home as this will ensure proper care.
Mealworms can be an ideal choice to add variety to leopard gecko’s diet. However, it’s essential that they be selected appropriately so as to avoid choking and impaction risks.
Hornworms (Sphingidae) are another favorite feeder insect for leopard geckos. They’re low in fat, contain plenty of protein-to-calcium ratio, and don’t smell compared to crickets or other feeder insects like waxworms. As with all insects, it is recommended to gut load hornworms prior to feeding – either through multivitamin reptile powder sprinkled onto them before exposure or by submersion in calcium and vitamin D3 water for better absorption of all nutrients contained within their food sources.
