If you own a pet Panthera pardus gecko , it is important to realise their diet so that you are certain to provide them with balanced nutrition . The type of food for thought that you feast your leopard gecko count on their age , and the amount of food provided is also of import . A well - balanced and nutrient diet will help keep your pet happy and healthy .

Basic Diet

Leopard geckos are omnivorous reptiles and will eat a variety of worm and small invertebrate . To keep your Panthera pardus gecko goodish , it ’s important to ensure they get enough protein from their diet . you’re able to achieve this by feeding them insects such as crickets or mealworm ( which are high in protein ) and supplementing withcalcium powder .

These small reptiles are not picky eaters and will use up almost anything that moves and that fits in their mouths . A skilful rule of thumb is to only feed your pet what it can consume in one posture so there is no waste depart behind , which might draw other plague , such as flies or ants , into your home .

Crickets

These insects are often the first live food choice to serve as a dietary staple for many leopard gecko keeper , mostly because they are so readily available and cheap . However , cricket alter in quality , depend on where they are purchased . Also , crickets may not be nutritionally complete , particularly if they have been kept in poor conditions at the pet store .

Crickets from reputable breeders and retailers are likely to be healthy and in honest condition . Even if they are in good shape , they are still not nutritionally suitable as the lone farseeing - term dietary basic for your pet . Either gut load your cricket with a commercially prepared cricket food at least 12 hour prior to feeding , or dust them with a calcium pulverization supplement before feed .

last , cricket typically do not experience for a long meter after you make for them home , unless they are well taken forethought of and maintain under appropriate conditions . For this reason , plan to buy only as many crickets ( of the appropriate size for your Panthera pardus gecko ) as you will feed in a week . Also , do not lead these insect in your pet ’s enclosure unsupervised . They can injure your leopard gecko if not ingest within a shortsighted amount of time .

Leopard gecko

bid roughly four to seven small cricket if your leopard gecko is a juvenile . For ripe leopard gecko , choose crickets that are larger , and offer a few more , or so five to seven , every three Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . If your Panthera pardus gecko does not feed within 10 to 20 minutes , murder the cricket and judge again afterward .

Dubia Roaches

These insects areincreasingly popularas a primary staple food source for leopard gecko . They are more nutritionally complete , and provide higher levels of protein , high levels of calcium , and lower levels of fat than nearly any other feeder louse that is promptly uncommitted . They are much more hardy than crickets , and can hold up and thrive for some meter in their own enclosure .

You still necessitate to feed dubia roach fresh vegetable or possibly even oat , whole - grain bread , or cereal grain , such as barleycorn , corn whisky , or millet . However , do not tip them meat , fish , weenie or cat solid food , or other food that main arrest artificial ingredients or that may harbor bacteria . This will keep your dubia roach salubrious and in top build for your leopard gecko .

You still demand to gut stretch your dubia roach by feast a commercially prepared nutritious powdered or colloidal gel - base food 12 hours before feeding your gecko , but this applies to all live feeder staples . In most cases , you should also dust your dubia roaches with a calcium and mineral accessory for each feeding . Put the pulverization on a fresh veggie , such as a piece of cut potato , to help increase your dubia R-2 ' water contentedness . Do not prey dubias that are expectant than ¼-inch long , as these may harm your Panthera pardus gecko if they get stuck in your pet ’s mouth .

Desert banded gecko

give your gecko two of these ¼-inch long dubia roach for each in of your darling ’s duration . This imply that , if your leopard gecko is 4 column inch long ( still a juvenile ) , you would feed roughly eight dubia roaches on a daily basis . If your Panthera pardus gecko is fledged and measures anywhere from 8 to 12 column inch long , feed between 16 and 24¼-inch long dubia roaches every other Clarence Day or every three day . determine your Panthera pardus gecko ’s weightiness and adjust alimentation amounts as necessary .

Dubia roaches are more expensive than some other live self-feeder insect . However , you typically have to eat fewer of these insects because they are more nutritionally complete and overall better for your reptilian . They do not start and are not the escape artists that crickets are . Also , they wo n’t die off after a week at your dwelling house like crickets will . Lastly , dubia roaches do not smell closely as bad as crickets do , they do n’t make dissonance , and because they generally do n’t elude ( at least , very easily ) , you wo n’t find yourself hunting for a rogue cricket protagonist who has decided to take up hall in your kitchen and serenade you at 2 a.m.

Mealworms

Do not feed mealworms as your gecko ’s principal dietetic raw material . mealworm are an excellent source of protein and can be feed to your gecko as a treat , just about once a week . They do not have any calcium or vitamin D3 , so you should not feast mealworm alone on a even basis . Feeding too many mealworms will have your gecko to become overweight , which may lead to wellness problems . Mealworms also dribble mites that can inconvenience your leopard gecko , so be thrifty about how many of these you feed .

Mealworms are delicious for Panthera pardus gecko , but they need to be address with care . The mealworm can bite or sting the Panthera pardus gecko and escape from its cage when not the right way contained in an insect - secure container .

Waxworms

caveat ; feed waxworms only as an occasional treat to your Panthera pardus gecko , and do not rely on these as your reptilian ’s primary food beginning . Waxworms are a fatty treat that you should feed your leopard gecko only twice a calendar week . feed too many waxworms can causeobesity , which can lead to other wellness problems . Only extend one or two waxworms at a time , and your pet should have plenty of exercise space so they do n’t get bored and overeat . If your pet has been eating too many waxworms , dispatch all solid food from their terrarium for two days before reintroduce the worms .

As with crickets , there are live mealworm culture available online if you do n’t want to purchase them from your local pet store . you may also buy quick-frozen mealworms online or at some specialty stores , such as PetSmart or Petco ( some localisation may only sell them frozen ) .

Food to Avoid

Your Panthera pardus gecko should not deplete any worm that is too big for it to handle . While a few crickets may be fine , it ’s significant to invalidate feed your gecko large louse such as roaches or grasshoppers . This is because the cutis of these larger insects can break off while inside the breadbasket and become deposit in the creature ’s pharynx , causing choking or suffocation . However , dubia roach that are ¼-inch long or small are safe for leopard gecko , and are considerednutritionally superiorto crickets .

You should also avoid insects that have been treated with pesticides . These pesticides have been exhibit to cause serious health complications in leopard gecko and other reptiles . Your best stake is to buy your insect from a reputable breeder who does n’t use pesticides on their stock .

Another broker most people do n’t realize is that many commercially cover dirt ball are fed animal products like heart or dairy products as part of their diet , include some species that are normally considered vegan - friendly ! The good news is you’re able to buy vegetable - based feeder from many on-line companionship .

Leopard gecko

Leopard geckos should solely eat worm . Contrary to pop belief , they should not be offered veggie or fruits . Theylack a blind gut , which is the part of the body necessary to let on down the cellulose in works thing . Their jaws and teeth are also design to eat insects and would have difficulty with fruits and vegetable .

Supplements

To keep your preferent intelligent , there should be a sufficient amount of essential mineral , Vitamin D3 , and atomic number 20 in yourleopard gecko ’s dieting . These compound are necessary to prevent a stipulation unwashed to reptile know asMetabolic Bone Disease . If you believe your gecko is deficient , you may purchasepowdered vitaminsandcalcium , generally available at the local positron emission tomography store , and pour the mixture in a container . Then , add up the worm prior to feeding and sway gently so the insect become coated in the pulverization .

you could then carry on to feed them to your Panthera pardus gecko . Dusting should be done free-base on the gecko ’s geezerhood . Many keepers opt to junk with a supplement contrive to put up a balanced mix of minerals , Ca , and vitamin D3 at every meal . Consult with your local reptile store retail staff and survey manufacturer recommendations for the supplement you expend .

Gut Loading

Gut loading is the practice of feed in worm with nutritive food before declare oneself them to your pet . This will aid increase the nutritional time value of insects for your pet . Sweet potato is full nutrient for gut - loading cricket because it ’s in high spirits in sugar and amino group acids , making it great for conditioning their bodies .

devise 24 time of day ' worth of sweet tater slices . Cut up enough slice to feed your crickets once per daylight for a calendar week . Place the crickets and the cut in a separate container away from your gecko . Once they have eat for a week , you may think them gut - dilute and ready to feed to your gecko .

Feeding Frequency

The measure of food depends on the age of your Panthera pardus gecko . sister and jejune gecko should eat day by day . Leopard geckos that are one year older or older , as a oecumenical guideline , should be fed every two to three days . Once their shadow are wider than the gecko ’s neck opening , tack to every five day .

find out the appropriate cricket sizing to feed your leopard gecko base on the sizing of your pet ’s nous . They should eat bugs that are no larger than the breadth between your gecko ’s eye . The turn of worm you fee can be base on the duration of their torso . just about two insects for every inch of body length is appropriate .

Another method to regulate the amount is simply to permit the leopard gecko to run through for 15 to 20 minutes prior to remove the food from their home ground . This unconscious process allow them to eat to sate their stomach without over - feeding .

Leopard gecko

These reptiles also prefer to be fed at Nox due to their natural inherent aptitude to run while it ’s dark . If you are feed during the day and your leopard gecko wo n’t exhaust , changing the time of Clarence Day you feed may be necessary to reflect their natural behavior .

Overfeeding and Obesity

Leopard geckoobesityis a vulgar trouble for many owners . The problem is that leopard geckos are of course very modest , and their metamorphosis is very fast . This means that they do not need to eat a lot of food to remain healthy . However , if you flow your leopard gecko too much food for thought , they can become fleshy and have health issues .

The first step in preventing this from happening is to ensure your leopard gecko does not overeat . You should only give your gecko as much intellectual nourishment as they can eat up within one sitting . If you note that your leopard gecko is not eating all of their nutrient , you should cut back on the amount that you are feed .

Once you have determined how much food for thought your leopard gecko involve to eat , you’re able to start originate a feeding schedule . If they seem athirst between alimentation , try offering more frequent minor meals instead of fewer big ones .

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Keep an eye on your darling ’s hind end . This is where they store avoirdupois , which is why it can be difficult to tell if they ’re becoming obese . Unless they have late eaten , their stomach should be flat with a tail end that is encompassing than the breadth of their body from side to side . If you note unenrgetic doings or regurgitation , this is another sign they can be over - eating or you’re able to be over - give .

Similarly , if your Panthera pardus gecko ’s tail look emaciated or very flimsy , you are probably underfeeding , or your Panthera pardus gecko has an underlying wellness stipulation or disease that is keep it from gaining weight unit . Adjust your eating regimen as a first step and essay veterinary assistance from a veterinary surgeon who specialise inexotic animal medicineif the problem die hard .

Water

Leopard geckos should have a shallow weewee roll in their home ground . To insure it ’s always fresh , take a look throughout the day and convert the water if soil . Unlike with other reptiles , their water should n’t be treated witha conditioneras these are not healthy for this particular reptilian . The pipe bowl must be shallow enough so the lounge lizard does n’t get stuck inside , and made of aheavy - enough materialthat it will stay upright and not be tip over when they ’re entering or die .

Simple Steps for a Balanced Diet

With a little attention to detail , your Panthera pardus gecko will live a long and glad life with you . They are easy pets to care for and are entertaining companions . Their dietary needs are not complicated but do involve some persuasion so that they get the proper counterpoise of sustenance . Paying close attention to their consistency to stave off obesity , gut - debase their insects , and dusting to add on will provide them with the optimal diet .

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