How to Feed Leopard Geckos

Co-authored by Audra Barrios

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References Approved

Leopard geckos can be great pets, due in part to their gentle dispositions and beautiful coloring. However, to keep your gecko happy and healthy, you will need to learn how to feed it correctly. Leopard geckos in nature eat other lizards, insects, spiders, and scorpions. To make up for the difference of its diet in captivity, you need to feed it the right things, supplement its diet, and make sure it is staying healthy.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Feeding a Leopard Gecko

1
Cover insects in nutrient powder. Before you feed the insects to your leopard gecko, you should cover them in supplement powder. Put the amount suggested on the packaging of the supplement into a plastic bag. Then place the specific insects you are going to put in the cage into the plastic bag. Shake the bag around to cover the insects in the powder.
- The goal is to cover the insect entirely in the powder. Then, when the gecko eats the insect, it will also be ingesting the supplement.
- You can dust the insects every two to three feedings.
2
Feed your leopard gecko. Young geckos need more calories in order to grow, so they should be fed every day. Geckos 6-12 months of age can be fed every other day. Geckos that are over a year old, on the other hand, need fewer calories to thrive, so they should be fed every 3-4 days.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Audra Barrios
Marine Biologist & Reptile Specialist
Expert Interview. 18 August 2020.}
- If you find that your gecko is ignoring insects that you place in its cage, you may be feeding it too often or too much. Try spacing feedings further apart, by a day or so, and see if your gecko is more interested in its meals.
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3
Place the insects in the gecko's habitat. You only want to give the gecko as many insects as it will eat in 15 to 20 minutes. You do not want a bunch of insects living in the cage, not getting eaten. This can cause disease and dirtiness to build up in the cage.^{[2]
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- If you are feeding mealworms, you should place them in a food bowl. This will allow the gecko to easily access them.^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Audra Barrios
  Marine Biologist & Reptile Specialist
  Expert Interview. 18 August 2020.} If you do not place the mealworms in a dish, they will simply burrow under the tank bedding and the gecko may not be able to find them.
- Crickets should be placed as close as possible to the gecko.
4
Give your leopard gecko water. Geckos should be supplied with a dish of water that they can drink. Make sure that the water is replaced and the dish cleaned on a regular basis, ideally every day.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Audra Barrios
Marine Biologist & Reptile Specialist
Expert Interview. 18 August 2020.} Provide tap water treated with Reptisafe, tap water left out for 24 hours, or spring water. Never distilled as this lacks minerals. If your tap water doesn’t contain chlorine (which is the case in countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany)it can be given to your gecko as it is. ^{[5]
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- This water should not be very deep, so that there is little chance of the gecko drowning in it.
5
Adjust the amount you feed, if necessary. An overweight gecko is not a healthy gecko. Check to make sure that there is no area of fat gathering around the areas where the limbs connect to the body. It is good for your gecko to have a nice fat tail, but if it is wider than the rest of your gecko's body^{[7]
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Research source}, then the gecko needs to be fed less.
- This will be a gradual adjustment to find the perfect diet for your gecko. Don't make sudden, extreme changes. Just decrease the amount you are feeding your gecko a little at a time. This can be done most easily by decreasing the number of insects you give to your gecko but keeping the number of feedings the same.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Getting Supplies For Feeding

1
Decide what types of insects to feed your leopard gecko. Leopard geckos can eat a wide variety of insects. The most commonly available insects are mealworms, waxworms, and crickets.^{[8]
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- Geckos can also eat mealworms and superworms. However, these aren't the best feeders so they shouldn't be used as a staple diet. Waxworms should only be used as treats as they are very fatty and addictive. Crickets and Dubia roaches provide better nutrition. Other options are hornworms for treats and silkworms and Phoenix worms (a.k.a Black Soldier fly larva or calci-worms) for variety. Variety is very important in a leopard gecko’ diet.
- Different insects give your gecko different nutrition. This is why it is a good idea to vary the insects you are feeding your gecko.^{[9]
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2
Go to your local pet store. Any pet store should have the insects you will need to feed your gecko. These insects are fed to a variety of types of pets, such as frogs, iguanas, and other types of lizards.
- Just to be sure, however, feel free to call the pet store before you go to make sure that the insects you want are in stock.
- Don't just try to collect bugs outside. Feeding your gecko random bugs will not give it the nutrition that it needs. Another problem with bugs from outside is that they may contain parasites, which you definitely don't want to feed your gecko. Additionally, buying bugs at a pet store will guarantee that you have enough to keep your gecko well fed.
3
Buy insects. How many insects you buy will depend on how often you want to go to the pet store and how long the insects live. In general, you will only feed your gecko a few insects at a time, every other day. To begin with, only buy enough insects for a week or two. This will allow you to learn how long they live and how to extend their lives. As you get used to dealing with the insects, you can gradually buy more.
- If you want to buy crickets in bulk and keep them alive, you will need to give them food and water. ^{[10]
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  Research source} In fact, crickets need to be gut-loaded before they are fed to your gecko. Many crickets bought at a pet store are practically starving. This means feeding them a high-quality food, so that they pass on that nutrition to the gecko when they get eaten.
- Mealworms, on the other hand, can simply be kept in the refrigerator in a substrate material, such as wheat bran.
4
Keep insects in a separate container from your gecko. You will need to feed the insects you bought to the leopard gecko gradually. This means that they should be kept in a separate container from the one that the gecko lives in.
- Depending on how many and what kind of insects you bought, you will need different types of containers. For example, crickets need to be kept in a container with a lid to keep the crickets inside. Mealworms, on the other hand, can be kept in the refrigerator and only need a lid to keep the smell in.
5
Buy nutritional supplements. The insects that you can buy at a pet store do not completely fulfill the nutritional needs of a gecko. In order to rectify this, you will need to give the gecko supplements, specifically a supplement that gives the gecko more calcium. These supplements come in powder form.
- Get a calcium supplement and a multivitamin supplement. The calcium supplement should include calcium and vitamin D3, which helps the gecko absorb the calcium. Dust insects in calcium every other feeding, and multivitamins every three feedings. Be sure to not use D3 if using UVB and do not leave D3 in the tank. Repashy Calcium Plus and ReptiVite are two all in ones that include both calcium and multivitamins. If you use one you won’t need any other supplements.
- Not giving supplementation can have very adverse effects on your gecko. It will cause metabolic bone disease. ^{[11]
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- Do not mix the calcium and multivitamin supplement together, this is very unhealthy for your gecko.

Expert Q&A
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Question

What is the best way to feed a leopard gecko?

Audra Barrios
Marine Biologist & Reptile Specialist
Audra Barrios is a Marine Biologist and owner of Lick Your Eyeballs, a business offering experiemces, reptiles, supplies and plants. With over 15 years of experience, Audra specializes in reptiles and exotic animals, environmental education, marine biology, conservation issues, and animal husbandry. Audra earned a BASc in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and studied Natural Sciences at the College of Marin. She is the founder and Executive Director of Things That Creep, a non-profit dedicated to herptile conservation through education. She has spent the last nine years working as a biologist at the California Academy of Sciences.

Audra Barrios

Marine Biologist & Reptile Specialist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

While you can hand feed your gecko, it's possible that they may bite you. The safest option is to place your gecko's food in a bowl and place it in the tank.
Question

Can meal worms be kept outside of the refrigerator?

Community Answer

Yes. Leaving them out of the fridge also allows the meal worms to grow large and act more alive, boosting the predator instinct in your gecko.
Question

My gecko is just ignoring the crickets I put in. Should I just leave them in, or take them back out?

Community Answer

Take them back out, and try feeding it different foods.