Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Whether your gecko is pink, green, blue or yellow, you need to feed it the same basic staple of nutritious insects such as crickets and mealworms. Crickets are the most nutritious, but geckos enjoy the occasional mealworm as well. The amount and frequency of food you feed your pet gecko will change as it gets older, so make sure to keep track of its age.
Crickets are a readily available source of food for pet reptiles like snakes and lizards. While they are easy and cheap, crickets straight from the pet store are not nutritious enough for your animals on their own. They may be starved or dehydrated, and eating these crickets over an extended period of time can lead to malnourishment for your pet. Gut loading is process designed to imbue the crickets with more nutritive value before you feed them to your animal.
Geckos are lizards classified under the family Gekkonidae, due to their ability to vocalize in squeaks or clicking noises. Numerous gecko species are sold as pets; the most common in the United States include the leopard gecko, the day gecko and the crested gecko. While many individual geckos may enjoy sampling small amounts of fruit, not all species require fruit in their diet.
Keeping lizards as pets is not the mindless task it might first appear. Lizards require meticulous care, and one of the most challenging tasks is proper nutrition. Mealworms are a diet staple for many species, and the worms must be properly fed to provide adequate nutrients to your lizards. Feeding mealworms, also known as gut loading, is a necessary step in keeping your lizards healthy and happy.
Leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are carnivorous lizards native to the Middle East. In the wild, leopard geckos feed on a wide variety of prey including other lizards, insects, scorpions and spiders. Their distinct color pattern along with their ease of care make them a popular reptile pet. In captivity, leopard geckos are generally fed easy-to-cultivate insects such as crickets and wax worms. However, you can easily supplement your leopard geckos' diet by capturing and offering any unwanted nonvenomous spiders found in your home.
Leopard geckos and many other species of reptiles enjoy mealworms as a staple part of their diet. Mealworms are darkling or tenebrio beetle larvae, so store the worms correctly to prevent larvae turning into pupae and hatching into beetles. You can leave mealworms in the shop container and add a piece of apple to provide moisture, but for a more nutritious box of live food, transfer the worms into a new container and provide appropriate food to gut load the mealworms before feeding them to your leopard gecko.
Mealworms are not true worms but the larvae of the beetle species Tenebrio molitor. Feeder crickets or mealworms can be used as a staple diet for Leopard geckos, or Eublepharis macularius, as long as the insects have been eating nutritious food often sold as feeder cricket diet or gut-loading diet. Otherwise, the gecko will just fill up its stomach with the reptile equivalent of junk food. Mealworms are sold in plastic containers that can be used as a mealworm home. Small containers can be placed in the refrigerator. If there are only a few gut-loaded mealworms, place them directly into…
Hypocalcemia is an extreme lack of calcium. In reptiles, it is commonly referred to as a calcium deficiency or metabolic bone disease (MBD), and it is fairly common in reptiles kept as pets in captivity. While hypocalcemia is treatable, its effects are usually irreversible. If not treated, hypocalcemia can result in death.
Repashy Crested Gecko Diet is a powdered meal replacement that is specifically tailored to the dietary needs of the crested gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus). According to the book Rhacodactylus: The Care and Selection of Crested Geckos, crested geckos are omnivorous, meaning they eat insects as well as fruit in the wild. Repashy Crested Gecko Diet is nutritionally complete, and therefore it can be fed alone as the gecko's exclusive food. Alternatively, it can be a part of a feeding schedule that also includes crickets.
Raising a gecko can be a rewarding experience, but it's important to feed it properly. There are a variety of gecko types available, and some require specialty diets. Following the basic diet below will get you started with a healthy baby gecko.
Insects are the main diet for a leopard gecko. Learn what to feed leopard geckos with tips from a reptile expert in this free exotic pet care video.
Leopard geckos can make great exotic pets. Learn about what to feed a leopard gecko to keep your lizard happy and healthy in this free reptile care video.
