What should I feed my leopard gecko?

What should I feed my Gecko?

Leopard Geckos eats insects. The most common insects available commercially are crickets, mealworms, super worms, wax worms and silk worms. If you use crickets and mealworms as the primary food and wax worms as treats, you should have a happy Gecko.


Crickets

Crickets are a good source of food and nutrition in your Leopard Gecko’s diet. You should “gut load” your crickets before feeding them to your Gecko. “Gut loading” is making sure the crickets are well fed. This way they pass the maximum amount of nutrients to your Gecko. You can feed the crickets’ commercial cricket food and liquid or just use a piece of potato and some oats. Crickets are very resourceful and are sometimes difficult for the Gecko to catch. If this is the case, you may have to remove the rear jumping legs of the cricket. It is always a good idea to leave a small piece of potato, carrot, or apple for the crickets to eat. The food will also draw out the crickets and make them easier to catch.


Mealworms and wax worms

Mealworms are another good food source for your Gecko. Feeding your Gecko mealworms is also a much easier task since they can be placed in a bowl. The bowl must be smooth to prevent escape. This way the mealworms are available whenever your Gecko is hungry. Leopard Geckos likes wax worms, but the worms are too fatty to be a part of the main diet. Wax worms makes an excellent treat and are a good way to fatten up a female after she has laid eggs.

Supplementing the diet

Vitamin and mineral supplements are an important part of your Leopard Gecko’s diet. Calcium is the most important mineral and should be available to your Gecko at all times by placing a dish with calcium powder in the cage. The feeder insects should also be coated with calcium powder prior to feeding. For adult Geckos coat the insects 1 to 2 times per week. For babies, juveniles, and breeding females coat the insects daily. Vitamins are also a necessary part of the gecko diet, but should be used sparingly and not on the same day as calcium. Feeder insects should be coated with vitamins once every 7 to 10 days. To coat the insects place them in a bag or cup with the vitamin or mineral powder. Shake the container around until all the insects are dusted with powder.

Geckos need water

Your Leopard Gecko needs water so keep a shallow dish with water in the cage. Water dishes that are too deep tend to trap and drown crickets, wasting the insect and fouling the water. It is best to use a dish that is shallow in order to give the insect a better chance of escape. You should clean the dish every few day to help prevent bacteria and fungus from growing.

Hope you've enjoyed these feeding tips!

As always...here's to your leopard gecko care success!!