Ideal Leopard Gecko Diets, Based on Zoo & Field Research

[bronxzoofrank]

Hi, Frank Indiviglio here. I’m a herpetologist, zoologist, and book author, recently retired from a career spent at several zoos, aquariums, and museums, including over 20 years with the Bronx Zoo.
What DO Leopard Geckos Eat?! The Leopard Gecko, Eublepharis macularius, makes a wonderful pet for novices and advanced hobbyists alike (even after many years as a professional zookeeper, I enjoy keeping them, and wrote a book about their care). However, both sellers and buyers sometimes underestimate this delightful lizard’s needs, especially where feeding is concerned. Contrary to popular belief, vitamin-powdered crickets and mealworms do not constitute a suitable diet! If you wish your pet to live out its potential lifespan of 20-30 years in excellent health, you’ll need to provide it with as many different foods as possible. Fortunately, a surprising array of insects can be purchased online and in stores. Collecting and rearing your own insects is another excellent way to add to your gecko’s quality of life…and its great fun as well! Read the rest of this article here What Do Leopard Geckos Eat? - Zoo Researched Diet | That Reptile Blog
Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m

My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog

Best Regards, Frank

 

[Olympus]

Thank you, this is something I keep repeating here in the hopes that it will inspire people to break away from the 100% mealworm diet, gut-loaded on potato and lettuce. A varied diet should be an intuitively obvious choice, but somehow it is not.

 

[lisa127]

I'm most surprised by 10 insects a week for adult geckos. No wonder my geckos are so chubby!

 

[bronxzoofrank]

Thank you, this is something I keep repeating here in the hopes that it will inspire people to break away from the 100% mealworm diet, gut-loaded on potato and lettuce. A varied diet should be an intuitively obvious choice, but somehow it is not.

Nice to hear that, thanks! My readers are sick of me saying so, about so many species; I also find it odd that so little attention is given to this, especially as there have been so many advances in other aspects of care...light years away from what I had available even in my early years in zoo work. Especially important for chhameleons...glad yours are in good hands, frank

 

[bronxzoofrank]

I'm most surprised by 10 insects a week for adult geckos. No wonder my geckos are so chubby!

Thanks for your interest...there are quite a few variables, however..please let me know if you need more specific info, best, frank

 

[lisa127]

Thanks for your interest...there are quite a few variables, however..please let me know if you need more specific info, best, frank

I have a very large adult male that will be 2 years old this coming up summer. He is 11 inches long and normally weighs in at about 125 grams, but I suspect he could be a few grams lighter. I normally feed him twice a week, 10 insects at a feeding. So a total of 20 a week. It used to be he would eat sometimes only 8 and sometimes all 10. Now all of a sudden he wants to eat nonstop! I gave in a little last week and he went up to 128 grams. Boy what a difference 3 grams make! He is a little porker now. We started a diet today. I'm going to try 15 insects a week and see if he loses a few.

My other gecko is a 5 month old juvenile. I usually feed him twice what I feed the adult since he's still growing. But I'm thinking it's time to start cutting down on his a little soon.

 

[bronxzoofrank]

I have a very large adult male that will be 2 years old this coming up summer. He is 11 inches long and normally weighs in at about 125 grams, but I suspect he could be a few grams lighter. I normally feed him twice a week, 10 insects at a feeding. So a total of 20 a week. It used to be he would eat sometimes only 8 and sometimes all 10. Now all of a sudden he wants to eat nonstop! I gave in a little last week and he went up to 128 grams. Boy what a difference 3 grams make! He is a little porker now. We started a diet today. I'm going to try 15 insects a week and see if he loses a few.

My other gecko is a 5 month old juvenile. I usually feed him twice what I feed the adult since he's still growing. But I'm thinking it's time to start cutting down on his a little soon.

Hi Lisa,

Yes , sounds like you can cut back; they are very good at using and storing food, and can also adjust metabolism in tune with food availability, within reason. Very little chance of harming adults by under-feeding; you might try smaller insects also, and smaller more frequent meals. Be sure to vary diet as mentioned...1-2 food items will not meet their needs.

Please keep me posted, enjoy, Frank

 

[acpart]

I may have missed this in the 2 articles I've seen from you that discusses catching wild feeders, but do you have any issues with pesticides and wild insects?

Aliza

 

[bronxzoofrank]

I may have missed this in the 2 articles I've seen from you that discusses catching wild feeders, but do you have any issues with pesticides and wild insects?

Aliza

Hi Aliza,

Some caution is required...please see the article linked under Further Reading for some thoughts on pesticides; you'll also need to be able to ID poisonous and stinging etc species. But with care, collecting can be very useful. At the Bx Zoo we autopsy all dead collection animals, and evidence of pesticide accumulation has never been seen; pl let me know if you need more info, best, frank

 

[favrielle]

Great article, and very helpful. I've been trying to work in a variety of farmed insects for my leos, and at this point I'm rotating through mealworms, superworms, two types of roaches, and occasional waxworms, silkworms, and phoenix worms. My next addition will be spikes/fly larvae, but at that point I'll have exhausted most of my readily available options.

I've read the linked articles about wild insects before (back when I first acquired my accidental hitchhiker tree frog, who loves his collected crickets, flies, moths, & roaches ) and it started me wondering... even if pesticides and poisoning aren't an issue with proper collection/identification, what about parasites?

I know feeder crickets are villified as vectors for parasitic infections, especially pinworms. Are wild caught feeder insects more likely to carry parasites or parasite eggs?

 

[bronxzoofrank]

Great article, and very helpful. I've been trying to work in a variety of farmed insects for my leos, and at this point I'm rotating through mealworms, superworms, two types of roaches, and occasional waxworms, silkworms, and phoenix worms. My next addition will be spikes/fly larvae, but at that point I'll have exhausted most of my readily available options.

I've read the linked articles about wild insects before (back when I first acquired my accidental hitchhiker tree frog, who loves his collected crickets, flies, moths, & roaches ) and it started me wondering... even if pesticides and poisoning aren't an issue with proper collection/identification, what about parasites?



I know feeder crickets are villified as vectors for parasitic infections, especially pinworms. Are wild caught feeder insects more likely to carry parasites or parasite eggs?

Hi...thanks for the kind words; fly larvae are a great option for many...I prefer lab raised, more for human than pet health concerns; I've also done well with w/c for native treefrogs; another commercial option might be sowbugs; please see this article and let me know if you need a source.

It makes sense that parasites would be a concern, but we really have not seen that at the BX Zoo; also, re crickets, pinworms have not been seen on autopsy, and we used thousands weekly. We did see pinworms in tortoises kept in outdoor exhibits, but treatment was simple as I recall...could be a localized phenomenon, not impossible of course.

Many variables, but even with feeders known to be hosts of various parasites..crayfish, snails, we have not seen any related infections. Many parasites are quite specific in their needs, and we do not understand all that is involved with many. Others need 2 hosts, and so are self-limiting unless conditions are ideal., I tend to go on a case-by-case basis, pleases let me know if you need more info or have other thoughts, as much remains to be learned. please see this article and let me know if you need a source. You might enjoy this article on W/C inverts as well (photos especially!). best, Frank

 

[lisa127]

Well, this past week Bert was cut down to 15 insects (three feeding of 5 per feeding). He still gained a gram. He is now 129 grams. I don't get it. He maintained his weight at around 125 grams for months and now gains. And he is acting like I'm starving him. Attacking his food like he hasn't eaten in a year. Then this morning my shih Tzu walked into the reptile room and Bert came running out of his hide when he saw the movement of the dog on the floor!

 

[lisa127]

Has anyone tried feeding the potato bugs to their geckos? I was surprised to see them listed in the article. I feed them to my box turtles but never figured the geckos would like them.

 

[bronxzoofrank]

Well, this past week Bert was cut down to 15 insects (three feeding of 5 per feeding). He still gained a gram. He is now 129 grams. I don't get it. He maintained his weight at around 125 grams for months and now gains. And he is acting like I'm starving him. Attacking his food like he hasn't eaten in a year. Then this morning my shih Tzu walked into the reptile room and Bert came running out of his hide when he saw the movement of the dog on the floor!

Hi..can be very confusing; most reptiles seem, within reason, able to adjust metabolism in response to food availability; gharials I cared for fasted for 4 months each year, despite being in a warm exhibit and remaining active, and lost no weight; black rat snakes deprived of food (lab) for 6 months lost mass but added length! and so on...no hard/fast rules, lots of room to experiment, best, Frank

 

[bronxzoofrank]

Has anyone tried feeding the potato bugs to their geckos? I was surprised to see them listed in the article. I feed them to my box turtles but never figured the geckos would like them.

Hello Lisa; Leopard geckos and other terrestrial species usually take them; flying geckos, day geckos and similar less likely to accept; best, Frank

 

[Dinosaur!]

i had no idea that leopard geckos could or would take crawfish! thats rather shocking to me! Well they are similar to insects right? I dont remember the proper term for that... isopod? (correct me if anyone knows please!)

 

[bronxzoofrank]

i had no idea that leopard geckos could or would take crawfish! thats rather shocking to me! Well they are similar to insects right? I dont remember the proper term for that... isopod? (correct me if anyone knows please!)

Hi...may be some mixing-up of terms here; "terrestrial isopods" refers to sow bugs or potato bugs; they are crustaceans, along with crayfish, shrimp, etc, but have taken up life on land; theyt are high in calcium, and a good food for many lizards; more info here Terrestrial Isopods (Sowbugs, Pillbugs, Potato Bugs) As Food for Captive Reptiles and Amphibians | That Reptile Blog best, Frank

 

[favrielle]

I found these under a small woodpile I was moving today. Something like a couple dozen adults, several egg cases, and babies too numerous to count. With their small size, and the fact that they're native and should reproduce very well under local conditions, I've considered starting a breeding/feeding colony of these. The roly polys & sowbugs are already going in a separate "colony", because I need to get more of them going in my tree frog viv.

Do you think it'd be a good idea to raise some of these "local" roaches for my herps, or just silly?

 

[bronxzoofrank]

View attachment 63602

I found these under a small woodpile I was moving today. Something like a couple dozen adults, several egg cases, and babies too numerous to count. With their small size, and the fact that they're native and should reproduce very well under local conditions, I've considered starting a breeding/feeding colony of these. The roly polys & sowbugs are already going in a separate "colony", because I need to get more of them going in my tree frog viv.

Do you think it'd be a good idea to raise some of these "local" roaches for my herps, or just silly?

Hi...they are likely one of the several species commonly known as wood roaches...eaten by many native herps and should be fine; you'll need to be very careful in keeping them contained, however...hatchlings tiny, and can squeeze through very small spaces; escapees may be able to establish themselves in your home; Should be easy to trap if you'd rather collect as needed; nutritional value likely higher than captive raised indviduals; please see here for info on pitfall traps; please keep me posted, best, Frank

 

[favrielle]

I've actually found a few of these in my basement before, after the weather turned cold. They can't seem to survive... too dry, I think?