How to Get My Gecko Fat

Geckos are exotic creatures, and their many species offer a variety of colors and sizes. If not given the proper care, however, a gecko may have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight, and it may become underweight. Besides a proper diet, a gecko requires a few basic elements to stay healthy and to have a proper weight; those elements include heat, humidity and a place to hide. Also ensure that your gecko has enough room in its habitat as well as branches to climb to keep it fit and at a proper weight.

Things You'll Need

  • Thermometer
  • Hygrometer
  • Heat lamp with incandescent bulb
  • Reptile heating pad
  • Crickets no larger than gecko's head and/or wax worms or meal worms
  • Housing for crickets and/or wax worms or meal worms
  • Commercial insect gut load or dog food, carrots, commercial fish flakes or oranges
  • Plastic bag
  • Commercial reptile vitamin powder
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Instructions

    • 1

      Attach a thermometer and hygrometer to the inside of the gecko's tank or enclosure. Use them to check the tank's heat and humidity levels, and adjust the levels if necessary. The temperature in the enclosure needs to range from 75 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Accomplish that temperature range by using a heat lamp with an incandescent bulb positioned directly over the tank. Use a reptile heating pad for the tank at night so the temperature does not drop below 65 to 70 F.

      A fairly moderate humidity of at least 60 percent is needed and can be attained by misting the gecko's enclosure daily.

    • 2

      Prepare crickets and/or wax worms or meal worms that you will feed the gecko. This process is called gut loading. It is best to maintain your gecko's diet with crickets; if your gecko needs to add weight, however, then wax worms or meal worms are an option. Each cricket should be no larger than gecko's head. Provide the crickets and/or worms with a commercial insect gut load or dog food, carrots, commercial fish flakes or oranges. As the crickets and worms feed, the food's nutrients are carried into their gut and transferred to the gecko when it eats the crickets and worms.

    • 3

      Remove a small amount of crickets or worms from their housing, and place them in a plastic bag. A small gecko requires a few, small crickets every day, and an adult gecko can survive multiple days with little or no food. Sprinkle a small amount of a commercial reptile vitamin powder in the plastic bag, and shake it until the crickets or worms are covered with the powder. Place four to six crickets or worms per gecko in the gecko enclosure. Geckos are nocturnal creatures and show more interest in their food in the evening.

    • 4

      Remove crickets and/or worms that the gecko didn't eat. Unattended crickets have been known to bite reptiles, which could cause infections.