Do you have to purchase live insects for your gecko? Or better yet breed live insects? The answer is yes!
However, it's not as simple and straight forward as you think. Some of these reptiles also eat fruit.
The Spruce Pets tells us,
"Some species of pet gecko eat fruit as well as insects. These geckos can eat pureed fruit mixes or prepared fruit mixes formulated for geckos. However, most pet geckos are primarily insectivorous, meaning they eat insects and other creepy crawlies. African fat-tailed geckos, house geckos, and leopard geckos are all purely insectivorous. Crested geckos and day geckos, however, are frugivorous. That means they eat fruit."
There are basic essentials and all-new gecko owners should take notes! Always ask the staff at your local pet store about the best way to proceed based on the type of gecko you're bringing home as different geckos have a variety of dietary needs.
What do geckos eat?
You must love bugs!
Love to Know shares that geckos eat insects and roaches, crickets, locusts, mealworms, morio worms, and waxworms.
"Geckoset suggests it's difficult to overfeed a gecko, although your pet can become obese if he eats too much fatty gecko-candy (i.e. waxworms). Feed juvenile geckos every day, but your adult gecko can skip meals and have 'starve' days. When feeding, offer as much food as the gecko can eat in 10 to 15 minutes."
The experts explain you must pre-feed the bugs on juicy vegetables or fruit, and dust them with calcium powder. You also should sprinkle calcium powders over the bugs. Chasing and catching the insects also provides excellent mental stimulation for the gecko.
When do geckos eat?
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Most geckos are nocturnal, so you should feed them at night.
Baby geckos and juveniles should be fed every day but adults can skip a day. As we mentioned above the gut-loaded insects should be dusted with calcium. Gecko food should be live food! The guidelines above will provide geckos with the nutritional value needed.
It's so important to feed a slightly different diet to different species so make sure you're clear on what's needed. They should always have fresh water.
What about crested geckos?
Crested geckos feed on both fruit and insects in the wild. Pangea and Repashy fruit mixes offer a tailored and excellent staple for these geckos. It's stored as a powder, and it can be mixed with water in a squeeze bottle and offered in a small plastic feeding cup.
They can also be fed crickets.
Fun facts?
A gecko's tail: The tails on a Crested Gecko don't grow back! Crested geckos may drop their tails if handled roughly or to attempt to get away, but unlike other geckos, they will not regenerate their tails.
A gecko diet should consist of a high-quality food source and the amount of food is also a factor. Remember to talk to a reptile expert about the species of gecko you are bringing home!
Do you live with a gecko? What essentials did we miss? Please leave us a comment below!
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