Recent figures show that 4.5 percent of US households now include at least one pet reptile. Among them, leopard geckos are one of the most popular choices for American reptile owners.
Leopard geckos are small and easy to care for. Adult geckos are around 5 to 10 inches long and can live up to 15 years if provided with a clean environment, good health care, and the right leopard gecko diet.
But what should you feed a gecko? Keep reading to learn more.
Offer Live Insect Prey
Leopard geckos are insectivores. This means that their diet is 100 percent bugs with no fruit, vegetables, or meat.
Geckos prefer feeding on live insect prey. The movement of live prey stimulates a leopard gecko’s natural hunting instincts and appetite.
Leopard gecko food includes all kinds of live insects. Some of their favorites are silkworms, mealworms, waxworms, and Dubia roaches—which you can click here to buy.
The size of the live insect prey matters when feeding your gecko. As a rule of thumb, you should not feed lizards such as leopard geckos live food that’s bigger than the distance between their eyes.
Time It Right
Unlike many other pets, leopard geckos won’t expect to eat several times a day. You should feed juvenile geckos every 1 to 2 days and adult geckos 2 to 3 times per week.
Something to bear in mind when feeding your pet leopard gecko is that these lizards are crepuscular. In the wild, they prefer to hunt out prey once the sun starts to set. To accommodate their natural feeding habits and environment, dim the lights in your home and feed them in the early evening.
Supplement Their Diet
Calcium is an essential mineral for proper gecko nutrition. To introduce more calcium into your leopard gecko’s diet, you can dust live insects with a little phosphorus-free calcium powder before feeding. You can also provide a shallow dish of calcium powder to ensure that your gecko always has access to calcium.
Another option is to “gut-load” the prey you will feed to your gecko. This process involves feeding prey items a high-quality diet of fresh greens for at least 24 hours before your gecko eats them to improve their nutritional value.
Provide Clean Water
A regular supply of drinking water is a pet care must for most animals—and leopard geckos are no different. Provide your leopard gecko with a shallow container of clean, fresh water and change it daily to keep your pet hydrated and happy.
In Summary
While we’re all familiar with the kind of pet food you feed dogs and cats, few of us would have any idea what to feed a leopard gecko.
With this guide, it should now be a lot easier to provide your pet with the perfect leopard gecko diet.
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