What do Geckos Eat?
Their Favorite Meal Is Crickets
Gecko lizards, belong Gekkota, an infraorder of reptiles, included in the suborder Scleroglossa, and dwell in warm weather environments worldwide. Their size varies from just 1.6 cm (0.4 inches) to 60 cm (24 inches) and most of them are incapable of winking. Each of their eyes has a fixed lens that enlarge at night.
Geckos communicate in very unique language and use chirping sounds when socializng with others of their species. This world is known to contain nearly 1500 varieties of this lizard. The English and New Latin gecko branched from the Indonesian-Malay gecko, which is clear from the sound they make.
Where They Survive
Geckos prevail all over the warmer parts of the world and inhabit rainforests and deserts too. Some live on the ground (terrestrial) while other live up on the trees (arboreal).
When you consider the question, “ what do geckos eat?” you will find that the principal diet of geckos is crickets. You should take care to make sure that the size of crickets is never too big for the gecko to hold. The golden rule is to feed only those crickets that are smaller than the head of the gecko.
Before feeding the crickets to a gecko, you need to gut load them. This would make sure that the nutrients available with crickets pass onto the gecko. You may feed crickets on vegetables, slices of orange and tropical fish flakes and the like. You may enhance food value and make crickets more nutritious by dusting them with a vitamin supplement that includes calcium. However, feed dusted crickets only on alternate days. You must feed young newborn geckos twice a day but once they are seven months old, it suffices to feed them twice a week.
The amount of feed depends on the size and age of geckos. The feed quantity should be just enough for the geckos to can finish within fifteen to twenty minutes. In case crickets are left to roam freely in the cage, it disturbs the sleeping pattern of the geckos.
Another live pest that geckos like to feast upon is ‘mealworms’. You may feed these worms only once a week if they lack nutrition. Before you serve them with mealworms in a shallow bowl, you should remove their heads. House geckos eat small flies, insects, bugs and the like.
Baby geckos are very fond of fruit flies that belong to the drosophila species.
Most geckos consider wax worms as a treat. However, do not feed more than three worms per week and never make it a part of its main diet.
You can feed your adult gecko with a one day old mouse(called pinke) once a week to conserve their health.
You must constantly watch the quantum of food that your geckos eat, just make sure that they are getting enough food. If you provide an independent container for their food, you will find the measuring much easier and allows you to understand how many insects they eat every day. They will also create less of a mess in their tank.
Today pets stores offer a variety of supplements for your pet gecko, including the extra vitamins and calcium required to keep them healthy and keep their bones strong. What do geckos eat and what is best for them? You would normally dust their regular food with this supplementary powder before serving them. However, make sure that you read the instructions on the labels, but remember that these supplements should never completely replace the gecko’s natural food.
Having discovered a fondness for insects while pursuing her degree in Biology, Randi Jones was quite bugged to know that people usually dismissed these little creatures as “creepy-crawlies”.
