Do Geckos Eat Dead Bugs?

Geckos most commonly eat crickets, meal worms and wax worms. An occasional pinkie (baby mouse) may be fed to adult geckos. Being predatory animals, they tend to like to hunt their food.

  1. Start Young

    • If you want your gecko to eat dead food, you should start feeding it dehydrated meals when it is young. Older geckos usually ignore dead food completely.

    Experiment

    • It doesn't hurt to try feeding your gecko dehydrated or dead crickets or worms. Be sure to have live food on hand in case your gecko refuse to eat the dead meal.

    Wiggle the Food

    • Tempt your gecko into eating dead insects and worms by using tongs to hold and wiggle the food. This may trick your reptile into eating dead prey. It tends to work better with worms than crickets.

    Warnings

    • Never use dead insects found around your house or yard. Buy prepared, commercial pre-killed or dried insects, worms and pinkies from pet shops or suppliers.

    Varieties

    • If your gecko doesn't like one type of dead food, try another. Options include dehydrated or freeze-dried crickets and worms commonly sold in boxes, and boiled crickets available in cans.

    Alternatives

    • If you absolutely cannot have live worms or crickets in your house, you may want to consider an omnivore or herbivore instead of a gecko. Some skinks and iguanas do not need protein in their diet. Bearded and collard dragons are omnivores and are more likely to eat dead insects and dried food.