Gecko food

Comida para geckos: qué tenemos en la tienda

Todo lo que necesita tu gecko en un solo sitio, para gecko leopardo, gecko crestado y otras especies:

• Insectos vivos para la dieta base: grillos en tallas XS, S, M y L/XL y cucarachas Blaptica dubia en micro, S y L.
• Gusanos como complemento: tenebrio, mini tenebrio, gusano rey y gusano phoenix.
• Para crías y geckos pequeños: Drosophila hydei y Blaptica dubia micro.
• Suplementos: calcio con D3, calcio sin D3 y multivitamínico.
• Para mantener la comida viva en casa: pienso para insectos, salvado de trigo y gel de agua.

What does a leopard gecko eat?

The leopard gecko is strictly insectivorous: it eats only live, moving insects, and its staple diet is crickets and Blaptica dubia roaches, with worms occasionally. Blaptica dubia is high in protein, low in fat and has a good calcium to phosphorus ratio, and it is also silent and easy to keep, which is why it is one of the best options for an adult leopard gecko.

The rule for size is never to offer an insect larger than the distance between the gecko's eyes. In practice, an adult eats M (1.5 cm) or L/XL (1.8-2 cm) crickets and M Blaptica; a juvenile, S or XS crickets and micro or S Blaptica. Mealworms, mini mealworms and superworms are good as treats, but not as a staple, because of their high fat content.

What does a crested gecko eat?

The crested gecko eats fruit and nectar as well as insects: like the gargoyle gecko and the day gecko, it is a frugivorous species, and in captivity that part of the diet is covered with fruit purées or complete diets formulated for these species. Insects are the protein supplement.

By size, the most suitable prey for a crested gecko are small crickets (S, 0.9-1.3 cm), Drosophila hydei and mini mealworms. For newborn hatchlings, Drosophila hydei and micro Blaptica dubia (0.5-1 cm) are the best options, because they are small and soft. The crested gecko is nocturnal or crepuscular, like the leopard gecko, so it should be fed at the right time of day. If it has no UVB lighting, calcium with vitamin D3 is essential.

What calcium does a gecko need?

A leopard gecko or crested gecko without UVB lighting needs calcium with vitamin D3, because without D3 calcium is not absorbed, and without calcium metabolic bone disease is only a matter of time. Calcium with D3 is designed for nocturnal or crepuscular species that do not receive UVB.

If the terrarium has UVB, the gecko synthesises vitamin D3 itself, so calcium without D3 is used to avoid giving too much of this vitamin. In both cases, the powder is dusted onto the insects just before feeding them. As a complement, a reptile multivitamin provides vitamins, amino acids and trace elements that the diet does not always cover. The insects should also be well fed: what the cricket eats is passed on to the gecko. How to set up the terrarium, with or without UVB, is explained in our leopard gecko terrarium guide.

How do you keep gecko food at home?

Live gecko food is kept at home in a tall, ventilated plastic container at a temperature of 20 to 28 °C, with substrate, food and a water source for the insects. An unfed insect is just a chitin exoskeleton with no nutritional value, so how you keep them matters as much as what you buy.

• Substrate: wheat bran.
• Food: insect feed with calcium and protein, plus vegetables.
• Water: water gel, which stops the insects from drowning.
• After each feed: remove any insects the gecko has not eaten, because crickets have powerful mandibles and can bite it while it sleeps.

Live food is shipped within 24 hours to mainland Spain and Portugal, and shipping is free on orders over €49.