Leopard Gecko Gut Loading: Top 5 Food Options Compared

The leopard gecko, a popular beginner’s reptile, is a small, easily handled lizard native to Afghanistan, Pakistan, northwest India, and Iran. In comparison to other lizards, they require very little attention, according to the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Leos are one of the most popular reptile pets on the planet. They are simple to feed and maintain. They can live for up to 27 years if properly fed and cared for. We’ll look at how to gut-load their food as well as the finest foods to feed them in the sections below.

Here are five of the best food for leopard geckos:

1. Crickets

The most common food fed to leos is crickets. Crickets are easy to come by, cheap, and healthy. They’re also simple to gut load. Many people believe that crickets are the greatest meal for leopard geckos. You may get crickets for your gecko in a variety of ways.

You don’t have to catch them yourself, of course. They may be found at most pet stores as well as on the internet. If you like, you can buy them in quantity. You must ensure that the crickets do not exceed the length of the gecko’s head. Before giving the crickets to the gecko, you should gut load them for a day or two.

In comparison to other insects fed to geckos, crickets have a number of advantages. To begin with, geckos’ energetic motions encourage them to feed. Second, they do an excellent job of gutting the burden. Finally, they have a high protein content while being low in fat. Finally, they are inexpensive and widely available.

2. Mealworms

Mealworms are another favorite leopard gecko diet option. They don’t make as much noise as crickets and don’t bite geckos. In addition, they live longer than crickets. Refrigeration can help to extend their life even more. They don’t move much, either.

Simply set them on a smooth basin and leave them there till the gecko eats. Mealworms will not make a lot of noise, which is a common complaint about crickets. Particularly when they flee and chirp loudly. Mealworms, like crickets, are widely accessible in pet stores and online.

Mealworms are a good choice because they are easy to come by, inexpensive, high in protein, have a lengthy lifespan that may be extended with refrigeration, and are simple to breed. However, they move slowly, which may not be enough to entice certain geckos to feed. Furthermore, they are heavy in fat. Finally, they are more difficult to digest than crickets.

3. Dubia Roaches

Despite the fact that they are a fantastic food option, Dubia roaches are both costly and hard to come by. As a result, many breeders who use it as their primary source of food also raise these roaches. Because they are high in protein and low in fat, they are a healthy and enjoyable dietary alternative. They can’t fly, can’t climb flat surfaces, and don’t create the same noise as crickets.

They also live for a very long time. They have a lifespan of up to two years. Most significantly, they do a fantastic job of gutting the load. This allows you to provide your gecko all of the nutrients it requires.

4. Waxworms

Waxworms are a favorite of geckos because they are heavy in fat. While geckos enjoy eating waxworms, this can be a concern because feeding geckos only waxworms will cause them to become obese. This is not good. Waxworms should be provided once a week as a treat.

You may also use waxworms to urge your gecko to eat more if it isn’t eating. They’re also inexpensive and simple to locate. On the other hand, they can’t be gut loaded, so they’re missing out on a lot of the nutrients that geckos require. They also have a foul odor (to humans, not to leopard geckos obviously). They also have a limited lifespan. They are, nevertheless, a must-have since geckos consume them.

5. Superworms

Superworms are actually zophobas morio beetles in their larval stage, despite their name. As a result, they’re also known as Zophobas. Morio worms is another name for these insects. They are a favorite food of geckos because they are easy to digest and contain a lot of calcium. Many people who produce leopard geckos have started their own feeder colony as well. Superworms, unlike waxworms and crickets, do not have a foul odor.

Final Thought

Every day, juveniles must be fed several crickets. Adults can go several days without eating. You must gut-load the insects or offer them a nutritious diet 24 hours before feeding them to your pet. For your leopard ghecko, any of the aforementioned selections will suffice.

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