| In this article we will look at that part of the leopard | | | | variety of sizes. They also have a high protein to |
| gecko care that is most important - food. When it | | | | chitin content, higher than that of both crickets and |
| comes to deciding what to feed a leopard gecko, for | | | | mealworms. Roaches represent a good feeder insect |
| most people the choice boils down to two options: | | | | choice. |
| crickets (family Gryllidae) or mealworms (Tenebrio | | | | Locusts. Locusts (family Acrididae) are a really good |
| molitor). There are good reasons for that, as both | | | | feeder insect too, as their nutrition profile is much |
| crickets and mealworms are cheap to buy, easy to | | | | higher in protein that that of other common feeder |
| get hold of, and easy to gut load with nutrients such | | | | insects. They're no harder to keep than crickets and |
| as calcium so that they're good for your reptile | | | | in fact they're probably easier, if only because they |
| friend. However, they're certainly not the only viable | | | | don't make an annoying noise. Locusts would |
| options. Let's take a look at some of the | | | | definitely be the preferred option over crickets if it |
| often-forgotten-but-still-worthy-of-consideration feed | | | | wasn't for the fact that they're more expensive, |
| insects: | | | | which puts a lot of leo owners off them. |
| Superworms. As the name suggests, superworms | | | | Silkworms. Many experts agree that silkworms |
| (Zophobas morio) are a larger type of worm. They | | | | (Bombyx mori) are the most nutritious of all the |
| have a nutrition profile that's similar to mealworms, so | | | | common feeder insects. They have a low fat |
| like mealworms it's important that they be gut | | | | content combined with a high calcium content, which |
| loaded, particularly with calcium, before they are used | | | | is a very good nutrition profile for leopard geckos. |
| as feed. Keeping them in a small container where | | | | The extra calcium is particularly good for gravid (that |
| they are in constant contact with other superworms | | | | is, egg-carrying) females. Like other types of worms |
| stops them from pupating. Due to their similarity to | | | | they're easy to care for and can be kept alive for |
| mealworms there's no particular reason to use | | | | weeks with minimal effort. They also have a soft |
| superworms instead of mealworms unless you have | | | | exterior rather than the hard-to-digest exoskeleton |
| an unusually big leopard gecko, in which case their | | | | of other worm types. Silkworms may well be the |
| size makes them useful. | | | | next big thing in reptile food! |
| Roaches. Don't you just hate cockroaches? Disgusting | | | | As you can see when it comes to leopard gecko |
| scuttling little critters. One of the best things about | | | | care, there's no shortage of feeder insect options in |
| feeding them to your leopard geckos is that you get | | | | addition to the common ones. A varied diet is always |
| to watch them get eaten! The best type of feeder | | | | better than a monotonous one, so think carefully |
| roach to use is the guyana orange spotted roach | | | | about whether you can incorporate one or more of |
| (Blaptica dubia). They're cleaner and less smelly than | | | | these into the diet of your leo. |
| crickets, produce less waste, and come in a bigger | | | | |