What do Leopard Geckos eat?

Leopard Geckos are mostly insectivorous and benefit from eating a wide variety of captive-bred live food. In order for your Leopard Gecko to be healthy, you need to ensure their food is dusted in supplements according to a set schedule, and that they have access to UVB and basking opportunities.

Gutloading

Feeding live prey has the unfortunate side effect of having to keep live prey in your house.

Ensuring your leopard gecko's prey is adequately fed is extremely important - feeding starving insects is about as good as feeding no insects at all. Each species will have its own needs and ideal environment. You don't have to be a pro, and once you know what they like it becomes second nature to set aside your veggie scraps or cleaned-off chicken bones for the insects. I'm not an expert on insect nutrition, so I recommend finding websites run by those who are and taking their advice on the specific insects you feed. Please note it is absolutely crucial that all insects are gutloaded and appropriately dusted with supplements prior to feeding.

Staple Foods

The following insects can be fed reguarly, as a part of your Leopard Geckos varied diet. Variation is key, we recommend feeding your gecko at least 3 species of insect reguarly.

Dubia Cockroaches

Pros

• Very easy to keep alive

• Cannot climb or fly, so don't escape easily

• Cannot reproduce without more heat and humidity than British houses provide in the event of an escape

• Don't smell

• Very nutritious

• Quiet

• Can be fed veggie scraps and cat food

Cons

• Many people dislike the idea of keeping cockroaches

• Difficult to release into an enclosure, as they don't move around much and will burrow into soil.

• Relatively expensive

Buy Dubia Roaches

Locusts

Pros

• Easy to keep alive

• Relatively slow-moving (easy to catch)

• Can be released into an enclosure, allowing for hunting enrichment

• Cheap to buy

• Can be left unattended in an enclosure, unlikely to bite

• Quiet

• Can be fed veggie scraps and cat food

Cons

• Can jump so escapes more likely

Buy Locusts

Red Runner Cockroaches

Pros

• Nutritious

• Fun for your gecko to hunt

• Silent

• Easy to keep alive

• Very cheap to buy

• Can be fed veggie scraps and cat food

Cons

• Many people dislike the idea of keeping cockroaches

• Can breed in your house if they escape, although only at around 27°C sustained so low but not impossible risk.

• Bad smelling

• Smaller size so your gecko will need to eat more

Buy Red Runners

Silkworms

Pros

• Very nutritious

• Leopard Geckos love them

• Don't smell

Cons

• Expensive

• Difficult to keep alive

• Difficult to breed

• Can only eat mulberry leaves (you can buy paste)

Buy Silkworms

Mealworms

Pros

• Very cheap

• Somewhat nutritious (hard exo-skeleton)

• Very easy to keep alive

• Can be fed veggie scraps and cat food

• Most geckos from breeders will be established on mealworms

• Can be left in a bowl so geckos always have access

Cons

• Can have a smell when large amounts are kept

• Often used as a geckos only food source, which isn't ideal

• If allowed to pupate, they will become darkling beetles which Leopard Geckos don't like to eat

Buy Mealworms

Crickets

Pros

• Nutritious

• Great for hunting enrichment

• Very cheap

Cons

• Difficult to keep alive

• Smell bad

• Quite loud (even 'silent' varieties chirp)

• Good at escaping

Buy Crickets

'Every Once in a While' Foods

The following insects can be fed semi-reguarly, as a part of your Leopard Geckos varied diet. I don't recommend feeding these more than once a week

Superworms / Morio Worms

Pros

• Leopard Geckos (mostly) love them

• Very cheap

Cons

• Not the healthiest

• Can bite - some people squash their heads, I personally just feed them head first

Buy Superworms

Fruit Beetle Grubs

Pros

• Add interesting variety to your geckos diet

• Reasonably easy to keep alive

Cons

• Very powerful jaws, 100% need to have their heads crushed before feeding

• Messy

• A tad expensive

Buy Fruit Beetle Grubs

Calci-worms

Pros

• Add interesting variety to your geckos diet

• Nutritious

• Cheap

Cons

• Quite small, so some leopard geckos won't eat them

• Difficult to gutload

Buy Calci-Worms

Treat Foods

The following insects can be fed occasionally, as a part of your Leopard Geckos varied diet. I don't recommend feeding these more than once every few weeks.

Waxworms

Pros

• Add interesting variety to your geckos diet

• Cheap

• Geckos LOVE them

Cons

• Geckos can refuse to eat anything else if fed too often

• Very fatty

Buy Waxworms

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