Chapter 3 of 9 · Leopard Gecko Care Guide
Feeding
Disclaimer: I'm not a veterinarian and I don't hold a degree in animal science or animal care. This guide is compiled from the published sources listed in every chapter. For a sick animal, a reptile vet is the authority.
The short version
- Leopard geckos eat insects only [6].
- Babies eat daily, young adults every 2–3 days, and adults every 5 days [6].
- Rotate at least three feeder types, and gut-load them for 24 hours first [6].
- Dust every feeding with calcium: without D3 if you use UVB, with D3 if you do not [6].
- Use a multivitamin with real vitamin A (retinol), not just beta-carotene [6][15].
How much and how often
Leopard geckos are strict insectivores [6]. Offer about two insects of the right size per inch of your gecko's body length, or as many as it eats in 15 minutes [6]. Prey should be no wider than the space between the eyes (keeper experience, not proven).
| Life stage | How often |
|---|---|
| Hatchling or juvenile | Daily |
| Young adult | Every 2–3 days |
| Adult (tail thicker than the neck) | Every 5 days [6] |
Sources disagree on adults: the veterinary reference feeds adults once a day in the late afternoon [1]. Watch the tail: if it grows much wider than the neck, feed less often; if it thins, feed more and see a vet.
Water
Keep fresh water in a shallow dish at all times. Do not add vitamin drops to the water [6].
Feeder insects compared
| Feeder | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Crickets | Active, so they trigger hunting; good calcium balance when gut-loaded | Noisy, smelly, die fast and escape. Never leave them loose in the enclosure, because they chew on sleeping geckos [6] |
| Dubia or discoid roaches | Quiet, no smell, long-lived, excellent protein, easy to gut-load | Burrow in loose substrate and hide; some owners do not want roaches |
| Mealworms | Easy to keep in the fridge, stay put in a dish | Hard shells, fatty, poor calcium balance. Fine as a staple only with heavy dusting and variety; can create picky "mealworm-only" eaters (keeper experience, not proven) |
| Superworms | Big and active; good for underweight adults | High in fat; a treat about once a week [6]. Can bite; too big for juveniles |
| Black soldier fly larvae | Naturally high in calcium and small; good for babies and recovering geckos | Often ignored because they barely move; pass undigested if the gecko is cold |
| Hornworms (captive-raised only) | Hydrating and soft; great for sick or dehydrated geckos | Grow huge in days. Wild hornworms are toxic [6] |
| Silkworms | Soft and nutritious | Short shelf life |
| Waxworms or butterworms | Tempting for a gecko that will not eat | Very fatty; treats only, once a week at most [6] |
Rotate at least three feeder types. Variety prevents deficiencies and boredom [6].
Avoid dried insects, which are dehydrating, and wild-caught bugs, which can carry pesticides and parasites [6].
A pinky mouse is acceptable only occasionally, for a gecko rebuilding a dropped tail [6][1].
Gut-loading
Feed your insects a complete commercial gut-load diet, plus water crystals for moisture, for at least 24 hours before offering them. Vegetable scraps alone are not a complete insect diet [6].
Keep mealworms on oat bran with a slice of carrot.
Dusting schedule
| Situation | Every feeding | Weekly for juveniles, every other week for adults |
|---|---|---|
| UVB provided | Calcium without D3 | Multivitamin with preformed vitamin A (retinol), not beta-carotene |
| No UVB | Calcium with D3 | The same multivitamin |
An all-in-one calcium and vitamin product can replace both [6]. Dust lightly: a quick shake in a cup, not a snowball.
Sources disagree on how often. The veterinary reference gives a lighter schedule for non-breeding adults: calcium weekly (more often for breeding females), multivitamin weekly, and a calcium to phosphorus ratio of at least 2:1 [1]. We recommend the ReptiFiles schedule in the table as the safer default for growing geckos and egg-laying females.
Insect-eating lizards are prone to vitamin A deficiency, and many reptiles cannot use beta-carotene, so a supplement with preformed vitamin A matters [15]. ReptiFiles notes leopard geckos are unlikely to convert beta-carotene to vitamin A [6].
A small dish of plain calcium (no D3) can be left out for egg-laying females [6].
After a tail drop
A gecko that drops its tail loses its fat store. Feed more often, and include fattier items such as superworms or an occasional pinky mouse while the tail regrows [6]. See the Handling and Behavior chapter for wound care.