The crested gecko diet is omnivorous, eating both plants and animals. In the wild they generally feed on insects, spiders, snails, small lizards, birds and rodents. As for plant life, the crested gecko feeds on fruit and flowers. They enjoy hunting and chasing their food, so crickets are a good choice for captive geckos. They also can be fed fruit baby food, such as banana, apricot and peach. Supplements can be provided to crested geckos to meet their full nutritional needs.
Crickets
Crested geckos can be fed a staple diet of crickets that can be supplemented with fruit baby food. The gecko likes to hunt its food, so feeding them live crickets is best. They should be fed four to six crickets every other day. To ensure proper nutrition, crickets should be gut-loaded or dusted with a powdered vitamin/calcium supplement before being fed to the crested gecko. The size of cricket should be no longer than the distance between the gecko’s eyes to its nose.
Fruit Baby Food
A vitamin/calcium supplement can be mixed in with fruit baby food as well. One teaspoon of baby food per night is a nice treat. You can also feed the crested gecko the special powdered diet developed by Allen Repashy. This diet is mixed with water to form a paste and is then fed to the gecko. It supplies all of the vitamins and nutrients the animal needs.
Crested geckos should be fed at night when they are most active and should be given some variety in food. Feeding them live crickets not only gives them protein but allows them to get exercise by hunting their food.
Calcium and Vitamin D3
Calcium is very important to the crested gecko diet as it prevents Metabolic Bone Disease. A supplement of vitamin D3 is also required to process the calcium. A light dusting of calcium and D3 on crickets is all that is necessary, as is a small portion mixed in with fruit baby food. Be careful not to over-supplement.
The crested gecko diet is easy to maintain. It is essential that they receive proper nutrition and this can be done by using a supplement or by feeding them a special gecko diet. Feeding them a variety is a good idea and will provide them with a broad spectrum of nutrients and flavors.
