My leopard gecko, Shrek, on a paper towel

Leopard geckos have one thing they really love to do. And that is eating. 🙂 Well, they also love sleeping too. But you can see really them get excited whenever they see food. In this article I hope to teach you everything you need to know on feeding your leopard geckos. After reading this you will know the proper food you should be feeding them.

Leopard geckos eat insects only. This makes them insectivores. This doesn’t mean you can feed them any and everything you find in your garden though. In fact, if you do that there is a good chance your leopard gecko could get impacted and possibly die. Always be safe and buy the right foods for them.


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How To Feed Leopard Geckos?

Now that we know leopard geckos are insectivores; you might be wondering how do you feed them?  You can’t just drop dried up insects in your leopard gecko’s tank and expect them to eat it. A lot of pet stores sell dried crickets and mealworms but leopard geckos will not touch them. Why? Because, if the insect is not moving it does not interest them.

Leopard Gecko’s can be very picky eaters. At times my geckos won’t eat either mealworms, superworms, or crickets. They might prefer crickets one week and then mealworms the next week. Really there is no rhyme or reason to it. They’re just fussy so you need to mix things up and keep it interesting for them.

How Often Should You Feed Leopard Geckos?

As you will soon learn crickets are a good idea to feed them as a staple diet. For hatchling or juvenile leopard geckos I would feed them daily. For adults I would feed them every other day.

It’s important to note that leopard geckos can go 3 weeks without eating because they do have a very slow metabolism.

Leopard Gecko Eating
Picture from reptilesmagazine.com

When I feed my leopard geckos I tend to give them crickets mostly. The only problem with crickets is if they are not eaten within 20-30 minutes then your leopard gecko could be bitten by them while sleeping. This doesn’t really harm the gecko, but does annoy them (would you want your sleep disturbed by someone nibbling at you!).

It’s a good idea to drop in 5-9 crickets and see if your gecko eats them all. You can adjust that number depending on how many crickets your leopard gecko usually eats. You can also leave some mealworms or superworms in a bowl for them to eat if they do get hungry. Worms will not harm or bite your leo.

Can Leopard Geckos Overeat?

No, leopard geckos can not overeat like fish. Instead they will stop eating when they are no longer hungry.

Fat Leopard Gecko
Picture from geckosunlimited.com

You can always check your leopard gecko to see if they are overweight. When a leopard gecko is overweight they will have a big bulge in their stomach or their tail will be even thicker than their body.

What To Feed Leopard Geckos?

Whenever you feed your leopard gecko make sure the food is never bigger than the space between their eyes. Otherwise they do run the risk of choking or getting impacted.

For years and years I wasted hundreds on food for my leopard geckos. I would buy their food from the local pet shop. I didn’t realize that I could get top quality LIVE food for far cheaper on eBay. Shipped to my house, super easy.

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Here’s what to feed them:-

Crickets

Cricket

These are the most popular insects to feed your leopard geckos. They have a lot of nutritional value. I really don’t like to buy them from PetCo, PetsMart, etc. because they are very expensive that way. 50 of them would cost around $9. Instead, I like to buy live crickets in bulk on eBay.  You can get 1,000 of them for around $30, and can even choose what size of crickets you want. Perfect.


Mealworms

Mealworm

These are a very good option for a staple diet for your leopard gecko. Don’t confuse these with Superworms because they are much smaller. They are nutritionally good for your gecko. Again, they are rather expensive at PetCo, PetsMart, etc. At the stores they will cost you $5 for 25 of them. However, you can get them on eBay far cheaper.


Superworms

Superworm

Superworms are also great for leopard geckos. You can feed them to your leo daily. This is the staple diet that I use to feed mine. They love them. Superworms are very expensive at the pet stores though. 25 of them can cost you $10. Get live Superworms here on eBay instead and save loads.


Waxworms

Waxworm

Think of these as treats. I wouldn’t feed these to your leopard gecko daily. They contain a lot of fat and can easily make your gecko fat. Or you can end up where they will want to starve themselves to hold out just for waxworms! So only give your leopard gecko 3 of these per week. Good supplier here.


Silkworms

Silkworm

These are very good for your gecko. They are kind of expensive though. But do provide your gecko with some variety in their diet. So if you want to treat them, buy some silkworms just occasionally.


Dubia Roaches

Dubia Roach

These are very good for leopard geckos and they breed very quickly. A lot of leopard gecko owners will start a colony of dubia roaches so they never have to spend money on food again. However, some people will be creeped out by having roaches in their home. You can get them on eBay too, but it will take them a while to start breeding and get yourself a decent colony going.

What NOT To Feed Leopard Geckos?

Geckos can be a bit like young kids sometimes – just because they will eat something doesn’t mean that they should!

Lightning bugs, fireflys, or any other bugs that light up

Bugs that have anything that makes them light up are toxic for leopard geckos. They can kill your gecko within hours of eating them. So always avoid lightning bugs, fireflys, or any bug that lights up.

Insects that you caught outdoors

Don’t make the mistake of catching any old bugs outside and feeding them to your geckos. This can be a very bad idea because a lot of times these bugs will have parasites or have been sprayed with pesticides. They could even be toxic to leopard geckos. So play it safe, and feed them what you now know is good for them.

What Vitamins Do Leopard Geckos Need?

Insects don’t always have the best nutritional value for your leopard geckos. Depending on the bug you feed them you will require some extra vitamins to make sure your leopard gecko is healthy.

To make sure they are getting the proper nutrition you’re going to either want to gut load their food or dust their food in calcium with D3.

Gut Loading

Gut Loading Crickets

Think of gut loading as feeding your leopard geckos food before your gecko eats them. I always try to gut load my crickets at least 4-12 hours before I feed them to my leopard geckos. This insures that all the best nutrients are inside the crickets. I do recommend Flukers gut loading for your crickets. It really helps fatten up your crickets before your leopard gecko then eats the nutritionally boosted crickets!

If you are feeding your leopard geckos mealworms or superworms I would recommend gut loading those at least 12-24 hours before your gecko eats them. I typically use carrots or potatoes for gut loading my worms. Optionally, you can leave a little carrot in the geckos dish which the worms and crickets will eat. This also helps the mealworms move more which sparks the leopard geckos interest. They usually are not that interested in food if it isn’t moving.

You Can Get Flukers Cricket Quencher on Amazon Here

or Find It On Ebay Here

Dusting

Calcium Powder

It is a good idea to dust your crickets or mealworms with calcium powder with D3. To do this I typically use a plastic baggy or glass jar. I put the crickets in there and then gently shake up the jar or bag before putting them in the leopard geckos tank.

It is a good idea to dust their food every time you feed them when they are a juvenile. Once they get bigger you can dust their food every 2 or 3 feedings.

You Can Get RepCal Calcium Supplement on Amazon Here

or Find It On Ebay Here