What Can Leopard Geckos Eat? What Three Vet Sources Say

Live insects are almost the whole menu

Leopard geckos are insect eaters, and the vet sources used here do not list any plant food as part of their diet. MedVet does add pink mice for adult females, covered in the trays below. VCA Animal Hospitals says they feed primarily on live, moving insect prey, and MedVet calls crickets a staple part of the diet.

Southlake Animal Hospital says to always give live bugs and to offer variety. The PLOS ONE feeding trial on this species points the same way from the nutrition side: its authors write that feeding a variety of insects should ease concerns about the nutritional gaps of an exclusive black soldier fly larva diet.

The feeder list, sorted

The sources name slightly different lists, so the trays below merge them. VCA names commercially raised crickets first, with smaller numbers of silkworms, dubia roaches, mealworms, superworms, waxworms and other live insects. Southlake adds hornworms and black soldier fly larvae. MedVet adds earthworms.

Where the sources pull in different directions, an item goes in the stricter tray, which is why wild-caught insects sit under avoid.

How often and how much

VCA puts juveniles at every 1 to 2 days and adults at 2 to 3 times per week. MedVet gives adults a slightly wider window of every 2 to 4 days, and the two ranges overlap.

For portions, Southlake suggests about 2 bugs per inch of gecko and says sizes and schedules change as the animal grows, so ask your vet. It also says to remove any insects left uneaten after about 15 minutes. MedVet suggests a feeding station, a heavy ceramic bowl holding a few crickets, which makes cleanup easy and lowers the chance of the gecko swallowing loose substrate.

Calcium, and feeding the feeders

VCA says feeders should be lightly dusted with a phosphorus-free calcium powder before feeding, and that a shallow dish of calcium powder should stay in the enclosure so the gecko always has access to it. MedVet is more specific: dust with a calcium and vitamin D3 supplement twice weekly, and use a multivitamin every other week.

Gut-loading means feeding the insects a good diet first. VCA and Southlake both say at least 24 hours before they are fed to the gecko. VCA suggests greens such as turnip greens, collard greens, parsley, carrot tops or broccoli for crickets and mealworms, and MedVet warns that many insects sold as gut-loaded are not fed a calcium-rich diet before sale, so feeding them a good meal first is very important.

Southlake names calcium and vitamin D3 as crucial and warns that a deficiency can lead to metabolic bone disease. The PLOS ONE trial adds a caveat about one popular feeder. In 24 adult male leopard geckos fed only black soldier fly larvae for 4 months, most nutrients were well digested but calcium digestibility was 43%. The authors estimate the calcium was likely adequate, still recommend caution, and say more research is needed to show that unsupplemented larvae can supply enough.

Where the sources disagree

Frequency is the mildest split. Two to 3 times a week and every 2 to 4 days overlap, and neither source explains how to adjust for a gecko that looks thin or heavy, so treat the intervals as a starting range and ask your vet about your animal.

Wild insects are a sharper split. MedVet lists wild-caught flies, moths and grasshoppers as acceptable in small amounts, while Southlake says not to offer wild bugs at all. Southlake's reason is parasites and disease. This page takes the cautious side because an owner cannot easily check a wild insect for either.

Supplement schedules differ too. VCA gives no number of dustings per week, and MedVet gives twice weekly plus a multivitamin every other week. None of the three gives an amount of calcium per dusting or a limit on waxworms per week, so this page cannot either. An exotics vet who can see your gecko and the products you use is the person to ask.

Water, skipped meals and loose bedding

VCA calls for clean water in a shallow container, changed daily. Southlake says tap, spring or filtered water is fine and to avoid distilled and softened water. MedVet wants a dish big enough for the gecko to soak its whole body and adds warm soaks of 15 to 20 minutes two or three times a week, especially during a shed.

Loose bedding is part of the feeding picture. VCA says never to use coarse sand, corncob or crushed walnut shell because they can be swallowed and block the intestines, and MedVet says accidental sand ingestion can cause life-threatening impactions.

Southlake notes that it is not uncommon for leopard geckos to stop eating for weeks or even months, and that it should be fine as long as the gecko does not lose much weight. It still advises checking with your vet.