How Often Should You Feed Crested Geckos?

Crested geckos are an arboreal species which is easily bred in captivity. They come in a variety of colors and morphs and have the ability̵2;unique among geckos̵2;to change colors to blend in with their surroundings. They may survive up to 15 years in captivity with proper husbandry. In the wild, they eat a variety of insects and overripe fruits. In captivity, the gecko-keeper has a few options for feeding the animal.

  1. What to Feed Crested Geckos

    • You have the option of purchasing Repashy Crested Gecko Diet or T-Rex Gecko Diet, which are a complete dehydrated diet for crested geckos (simply add water). You can purchase these at some pet stores which sell crested geckos or online. Or you can offer your gecko a live insect-based diet supplemented with mashed-up fruit or fruit baby food (no citrus.) Most gecko-keepers choose to feed the Repashy diet with some live insects for stimulation. Crickets are the most common and healthiest insect fed to crested geckos. The crickets should be "gutloaded" (fed with carrots and apples in the hours before offering them to your lizard), and you should dust them with calcium powder. Roaches or wax worms can be offered occasionally for variety.

    How Often to Feed Crested Geckos

    • Wisdom varies on how often to feed adult geckos, with keepers typically opting to feed daily, every other day or three times a week. Juveniles should eat daily. A gecko can eat about four or five crickets at a time. The size of the crickets depends on the individual gecko. To avoid the risk of choking, do not feed them anything bigger than half the size of their head. Feed the gecko only as much as it will eat, and remove any uneaten insects after half an hour. An ideal diet would be the Repashy or T-Rex Crested Gecko Diet two to three times per week, with live crickets on two or three other days of the week.