How to Feed Leopard Geckos
Decide what types of insects to feed your leopard gecko., Go to your local pet store., Buy insects., Keep insects in a separate container from your gecko., Buy nutritional supplements., Cover insects in nutrient powder., Feed your leopard gecko...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide what types of insects to feed your leopard gecko.
Leopard geckos can eat a wide variety of insects.
The most commonly available insects are mealworms, waxworms, and crickets.Geckos can also eat mealworms and superworms.
However, these aren't the best feeders so hey shouldn't be used as a staple diet.
Waxworms should only be used as treats as they are very fatty and addictive.
Crickets and Dubia roaches provide better nutrition.
Other options are hornworms and silkworms.
Different insects give your gecko different nutrition.
This is why it is a good idea to vary the insects you are feeding your gecko. -
Step 2: Go to your local pet store.
Any pet store should have the insects you will need to feed your gecko.
These insects are fed to a variety of types of pets, such as frogs, iguanas, and other types of lizards.
Just to be sure, however, feel free to call the pet store before you go to make sure that the insects you want are in stock.
Don't just try to collect bugs outside.
Feeding your gecko random bugs will not give it the nutrition that it needs.
Another problem with bugs from outside is that they may contain parasites, which you definitely don't want to feed your leo.
Additionally, buying bugs at a pet store will guarantee that you have enough to keep your gecko well fed. , How many insects you buy will depend on how often you want to go to the pet store and how long the insects live.
In general, you will only feed your gecko a few insects at a time, every other day.
To begin with, only buy enough insects for a week or two.
This will allow you to learn how long they live and how to extend their lives.
As you get used to dealing with the insects, you can gradually buy more.
If you want to buy crickets in bulk and keep them alive, you will need to give them food and water and keep them warm.In fact, crickets need to be gut-loaded before they are fed to your gecko.
Many crickets bought at a pet store are practically starving.
This means feeding them a high-quality food, so that they pass on that nutrition to the gecko when they get eaten.Mealworms, on the other hand, can simply be kept in the refrigerator in a substrate material, such as wheat bran. , You will need to feed the insects you bought to the leopard gecko gradually.
This means that they should be kept in a separate container from the one that the gecko lives in.
Depending on how many and what kind of insects you bought, you will need different types of containers.
For example, crickets need to be kept warm and in a container with a lid to keep the crickets inside.
Mealworms, on the other hand, can be kept in the refrigerator and only need a lid to keep the smell in. , The insects that you can buy at a pet store do not completely fulfill the nutritional needs of a gecko.
In order to rectify this, you will need to give the gecko supplements, specifically a supplement that gives the gecko more calcium.
These supplements come in powder form.
Get a calcium supplement and a multivitamin supplement.
The calcium supplement should include calcium and vitamin D3, which helps the gecko absorb the calcium.
Dust insects in calcium every other feeding, and multivitamins every three feedings.Not giving supplementation can have very adverse affects on your gecko.
In general, it can lead to weight loss and digestive issues., Before you feed the insects to your leopard gecko, you should cover them in supplement powder.
Put the amount suggested on the packaging of the supplement into a plastic bag.
Then place the specific insects you are going to put in the cage into the plastic bag.
Shake the bag around to cover the insects in the powder.The goal is to cover the insect entirely in the powder.
Then, when the gecko eats the insect, it will also be ingesting the supplement.
For young geckos, every feeding should be dusted.
For older geckos, you can dust the insects every two to three feedings. , Young geckos need more calories in order to grow, so they should be fed every day.
Older geckos, on the other hand, need fewer calories to thrive, so they should be fed every other day.If you find that your gecko is ignoring insects that you place in its cage, you may be feeding it too often or too much.
Try spacing feedings further apart, by a day or so, and see if your gecko is more interested in its meals. , You only want to give the gecko as many insects as it will eat in 15 to 20 minutes.
You do not want a bunch of insects living in the cage, not getting eaten.
This can cause disease and dirtiness to build up in the cage.If you are feeding mealworms, you should place them in a food bowl.
This will allow the gecko to easily access them.
If you do not place the mealworms in a dish, they will simply burrow under the tank bedding and the gecko may not be able to find them.
Crickets should be placed as close as possible to the gecko. , Geckos should be supplied with a dish of water that they can drink.
Make sure that the water is replaced and the dish cleaned on a regular basis, ideally every day.This water should not be very deep, so that there is little chance of the gecko drowning in it. , An overweight gecko is not a healthy gecko.
Check to make sure that there is no area of fat gathering around the areas where the limbs connect to the body.
It is good for your gecko to have a nice fat tail, but if it is wider than the rest of your gecko's body, then the gecko needs to be fed less.
This will be a gradual adjustment to find the perfect diet for your gecko.
Don't make sudden, extreme changes.
Just decrease the amount you are feeding your gecko a little at a time.
This can be done most easily by decreasing the amount of insects you give to your gecko but keeping the number of feedings the same. -
Step 3: Buy insects.
-
Step 4: Keep insects in a separate container from your gecko.
-
Step 5: Buy nutritional supplements.
-
Step 6: Cover insects in nutrient powder.
-
Step 7: Feed your leopard gecko.
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Step 8: Place the insects in the geckos habitat.
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Step 9: Give your leopard gecko water.
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Step 10: Adjust the amount you feed
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Step 11: if necessary.
Detailed Guide
Leopard geckos can eat a wide variety of insects.
The most commonly available insects are mealworms, waxworms, and crickets.Geckos can also eat mealworms and superworms.
However, these aren't the best feeders so hey shouldn't be used as a staple diet.
Waxworms should only be used as treats as they are very fatty and addictive.
Crickets and Dubia roaches provide better nutrition.
Other options are hornworms and silkworms.
Different insects give your gecko different nutrition.
This is why it is a good idea to vary the insects you are feeding your gecko.
Any pet store should have the insects you will need to feed your gecko.
These insects are fed to a variety of types of pets, such as frogs, iguanas, and other types of lizards.
Just to be sure, however, feel free to call the pet store before you go to make sure that the insects you want are in stock.
Don't just try to collect bugs outside.
Feeding your gecko random bugs will not give it the nutrition that it needs.
Another problem with bugs from outside is that they may contain parasites, which you definitely don't want to feed your leo.
Additionally, buying bugs at a pet store will guarantee that you have enough to keep your gecko well fed. , How many insects you buy will depend on how often you want to go to the pet store and how long the insects live.
In general, you will only feed your gecko a few insects at a time, every other day.
To begin with, only buy enough insects for a week or two.
This will allow you to learn how long they live and how to extend their lives.
As you get used to dealing with the insects, you can gradually buy more.
If you want to buy crickets in bulk and keep them alive, you will need to give them food and water and keep them warm.In fact, crickets need to be gut-loaded before they are fed to your gecko.
Many crickets bought at a pet store are practically starving.
This means feeding them a high-quality food, so that they pass on that nutrition to the gecko when they get eaten.Mealworms, on the other hand, can simply be kept in the refrigerator in a substrate material, such as wheat bran. , You will need to feed the insects you bought to the leopard gecko gradually.
This means that they should be kept in a separate container from the one that the gecko lives in.
Depending on how many and what kind of insects you bought, you will need different types of containers.
For example, crickets need to be kept warm and in a container with a lid to keep the crickets inside.
Mealworms, on the other hand, can be kept in the refrigerator and only need a lid to keep the smell in. , The insects that you can buy at a pet store do not completely fulfill the nutritional needs of a gecko.
In order to rectify this, you will need to give the gecko supplements, specifically a supplement that gives the gecko more calcium.
These supplements come in powder form.
Get a calcium supplement and a multivitamin supplement.
The calcium supplement should include calcium and vitamin D3, which helps the gecko absorb the calcium.
Dust insects in calcium every other feeding, and multivitamins every three feedings.Not giving supplementation can have very adverse affects on your gecko.
In general, it can lead to weight loss and digestive issues., Before you feed the insects to your leopard gecko, you should cover them in supplement powder.
Put the amount suggested on the packaging of the supplement into a plastic bag.
Then place the specific insects you are going to put in the cage into the plastic bag.
Shake the bag around to cover the insects in the powder.The goal is to cover the insect entirely in the powder.
Then, when the gecko eats the insect, it will also be ingesting the supplement.
For young geckos, every feeding should be dusted.
For older geckos, you can dust the insects every two to three feedings. , Young geckos need more calories in order to grow, so they should be fed every day.
Older geckos, on the other hand, need fewer calories to thrive, so they should be fed every other day.If you find that your gecko is ignoring insects that you place in its cage, you may be feeding it too often or too much.
Try spacing feedings further apart, by a day or so, and see if your gecko is more interested in its meals. , You only want to give the gecko as many insects as it will eat in 15 to 20 minutes.
You do not want a bunch of insects living in the cage, not getting eaten.
This can cause disease and dirtiness to build up in the cage.If you are feeding mealworms, you should place them in a food bowl.
This will allow the gecko to easily access them.
If you do not place the mealworms in a dish, they will simply burrow under the tank bedding and the gecko may not be able to find them.
Crickets should be placed as close as possible to the gecko. , Geckos should be supplied with a dish of water that they can drink.
Make sure that the water is replaced and the dish cleaned on a regular basis, ideally every day.This water should not be very deep, so that there is little chance of the gecko drowning in it. , An overweight gecko is not a healthy gecko.
Check to make sure that there is no area of fat gathering around the areas where the limbs connect to the body.
It is good for your gecko to have a nice fat tail, but if it is wider than the rest of your gecko's body, then the gecko needs to be fed less.
This will be a gradual adjustment to find the perfect diet for your gecko.
Don't make sudden, extreme changes.
Just decrease the amount you are feeding your gecko a little at a time.
This can be done most easily by decreasing the amount of insects you give to your gecko but keeping the number of feedings the same.
About the Author
Rebecca Stevens
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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