Proper nutrition is crucial in keeping your gecko healthy, active, and alert. Like us, geckos require a balanced diet to achieve physical fitness. Feeding them anything you want is not ideal. In this guide, you will learn about various options to nourish your pet.

What Do Geckos Eat?

Insects are the primary source of food for most geckos, including leopard, Tokay, and crested geckos. Popular choices are crickets, mealworms, wax worms, locusts, and silkworms. Many pet owners opt for crickets because they provide all the nutrients that a gecko needs and are readily available in most pet stores at a lower cost. Crickets are also versatile and can improve your pet's hunting skills, as they are attracted to moving objects. However, avoid putting too many crickets inside the terrarium, as they can become aggressive when hungry and may bite your gecko, causing wounds. If you plan to leave your pet unattended for a day or two, you can feed it more crickets, but it's advisable to leave some grated apple in the tank so the crickets have something to eat. When not hungry, your gecko may ignore crickets, so it's essential to check the tank regularly for any dead crickets or leftovers. Dried crickets are not very attractive to geckos, especially Tokay geckos.

To add diversity to your pet's daily diet, you can consider other feeding options. Geckos crave variety, just like humans. Mealworms are an excellent choice, but they have thick skin, which may be hard to digest. If you're feeding young Tokay or leopard geckos, make sure to give them only small-sized mealworms to avoid digestive problems. Wax worms are fascinating to many geckos, but they should not be their regular meal since they are high in fat, which may lead to future health issues.

Supplementation

To ensure your gecko's optimal health, it's best to supplement its diet with vitamins and minerals available over the counter. Examples are calcium, vitamin D3, and others. Before feeding crickets to your Tokay or leopard gecko, feed the crickets first for at least 24 hours. This process is called gut-loading, where you feed the insects with lots of proteins, vitamins, and minerals, so your gecko can obtain the same nutrients. You can also supplement their diet with fruits like oranges for added vitamin C. Fore more supplements and information about geckos you can visit taphibians