Baby crested gecko feeding schedule

Crested Gecko Diet Guide | Feeding Your Crested Gecko

Crested geckos are omnivores and – in the wild – will feed on insects, fruits, and the nectar of flowers they can find in their natural habitat. In captivity, the crested gecko isn’t very difficult to feed, also thanks to a wide variety of commercial crested gecko diets.

In short, a crested gecko diet should consist of:

commercial crested gecko food (MRP)
insects as a treat
fruit and vegetables as a treat
vitamin and mineral supplements (if necessary)

If you stick to their natural diet you can try and give a diet of gut-loaded en dusted insects and fruit. This will require a bit more planning and work from you.

More often, crested gecko owners – especially the ones that are new to crested gecko care – will benefit from commercial crested gecko diets and adding the occasional insect and piece of fruit.

In this article, you’ll learn everything about the crested gecko diet. You’ll learn what crested geckos can and can’t eat in captivity and how to feed them. At the end of this article, you’ll know how to keep your crested gecko happy and healthy through their diet.

The Crested Gecko Diet

A healthy diet is essential for the wellbeing and lifespan of your crested gecko. For the diet of your crested gecko, you can go two ways:

an insect and fruit-based natural diet: this diet closely tries to mimic the diet of the crested gecko in its natural habitat. Crested geckos are omnivores but research has shown that most crested geckos have a diet based on fruit and nectar in the wild.
a powder/granulate meal replacement diet: this diet takes the commercial available crested gecko food and tops it up by adding insects weekly and worms and fruit as a treat.

What’s the difference between these two diet approaches? Why don’t we just give the diet that the crested gecko has in the wild?

Well, such a diet requires you to measure and balance the different nutritional values (for example, the calcium/phosphorus ratio). The “natural” diet is not that suitable for new crested gecko owners.

The commercial crested gecko diet is easier and contains most of the nutrients your crested gecko needs to stay healthy. To provide extra vitamins and minerals you’ll need to gut-load and dust insects and worms and incorporate them in the diet. In this diet, you don’t need to give fruits to your crestie but it can’t hurt to give fruit as a treat.

Diet basics

Before you start feeding your crested gecko you’ll need to know what can be fed to your little lizard. Basically a crested gecko diet can consist of:

crested gecko food
insects and worms
fruit

Crested gecko food (ready to go food)

Nowadays there are a lot of different reputable brands that have developed a commercial crested gecko food that provides about everything your crested gecko needs. There are two types of commercial crested food available:

meal-replacement powders (MRP): this type of diet comes in a powder form which is then mixed with water into a paste. To give you an idea of how to make such a diet, you can find a detailed explanation below.
granules/pellets: this type of diet comes in the form of little ball-shaped granules that can be put directly in the food dish. It’s as simple as that.

It can be difficult to find the right product for you and your crested gecko. If you want to learn more about all available crested gecko diets available you can read more about them in this article about commercial crested gecko diets (under construction).

How to make and use a meal replacement powder diet?

Get an MRP diet from the brand of your choice

Buy a meal replacement powder diet at your local pet store or online. There are a lot of decent online distributors of these kinds of diets. Make sure that the package is fresh and is not nearing the end of its shelf life.

Mix the powder and water

Mix one part powder and two to three parts water. The mix can look watery at this point but this is entirely normal.

Put the mix in a feeding container or feeding bottle

The mix should be put in a container or bottle and be left for a few minutes. The mix will become a thicker paste.

Put leftovers in the refrigerator

If you’ve got too much paste to feed in one serving you can refrigerate it and use it later. Most MRP can last seven days when refrigerated.

Feed your crested gecko

You can use feeding cups or a food bowl to feed your crested gecko. Feeding should be done in the evening.

Remove uneaten food within 24 hours

Your crested gecko might not eat all of the MRP. Leftovers should be removed as soon as possible and within 24 hours. This will prevent nasty smells and bacteria.

Popular brands:
Repashy: an established brand that offers a wide variety of MRP and supplements. It’s the first manufacturer of a complete meal replacement powder for crested geckos.
T-Rex: a seller that has a range of reptile products and also has its own MRP. They don’t have a lot of different MRP and might not be found in your local pet store.
Fluker’s Farms: a seller of a (tiny ball) granule diet that can be fed each day. The granules should be given in addition to insects to have a balanced diet. They also have an MRP product available.
Pangea: another well-known brand of MRP with a variety of tastes. Together with Repashy, this is the most known brand of crested gecko food.

Insects and worms

Crested geckos love to hunt insects and worms in the wild and in captivity. There are a few popular insects and worms that are part of most of the diets people give to their crested geckos.

The following insects can be given:

crickets: the most popular choice of insect food for crested geckos. They’re a great source of protein and are also inexpensive to buy. The crickets should not be larger than the distance between the eyes of your gecko. You should also remember that you should only give as many crickets as your crestie can eat in one day. Crickets have a tendency to bite your crested gecko if left to roam around in the tank.
dubia roaches: these roaches are rising in popularity among gecko owners because of their high nutritional value. If you want to feed them to your crestie you will have to make some effort because they’re not as easy to find in pet stores and are pricier than crickets.

Besides insects, worms are also often to feed crested geckos as a treat and shouldn’t be given as often as crickets. There are a lot of different types of worms available as food for crested geckos:

mealworms: mealworms are the larvae of the mealworm beetle and are often used as food for fish, reptiles, and birds. You should be careful when feeding mealworms. They have a hard exoskeleton and can cause impaction. That’s why some authorities recommend not giving mealworms to crested geckos.
waxworms: waxworms are the larvae of wax moths and are considered to be an excellent food for insect-eating birds and reptiles. Waxworms are safe to feed to your crested gecko: they don’t have a hard exoskeleton and won’t cause impaction.
superworms: superworms are the larvae of the darkling beetle and are also known as king worms, morio worms or zophobas. This kind of worm is also often fed to reptiles, birds, and fish. They do have strong mandibles and can be dangerous for your crested gecko. It’s best to crush the head of the superworm before feeding it to your crestie.

If you would like to learn more about feeding insects and worms to your crested gecko, check one of the following guides by clicking the image:

Fruit

Crested geckos are omnivores but research has shown that they live mostly on a fruit-based diet in the wild. In captivity, most crested gecko owners will only give fruit to their crestie as a treat, limiting this to once or twice a month.

Crested geckos can eat soft fruit, with the exception of citrus fruit, that is high in calcium and low in phosphorus. The calcium to phosphorus ratio is important for your gecko’s health. It’s important that a crested gecko’s diet contains twice as much calcium as it does phosphorus. So the ratio should be 2:1.

Most fruits don’t have a high content of calcium but do contain a lot of phosphorus. Some fruits that you can give are papaya, figs, raspberries, prickly pears, berries, grapes, apples, pears, melons, watermelons, cherries, bananas, peaches, and cantaloupes.

Vitamins and mineral supplements

When offering insects and worms, you should be gut-loading and dusting them. You’ve probably heard those terms, but what do they mean?

gut-Loading: This is the process of feeding the insects with extra nutrients 24 hours before you feed them to your gecko. Fluker’s High Calcium Cricket Powder is a popular choice for gut-loading
dusting: This refers to coating the insects with calcium and vitamin D3 powder before feeding them to your gecko. It’s easy to do: just place the insects in a clear bag, add the powder, and shake the bag until they’re fully coated. Be sure to feed them to your gecko immediately so they don’t get chance to wash off the powder

Treats for crested geckos

Everybody loves to get some treats from time to time and crested geckos are no exception to this. But crested geckos, just like a lot of other pets, are given too much treats way too often. Since crested geckos can also get obese it’s important to limit the number of treats you give and try to give healthy treats.

The most common treats for crested geckos include mashed soft fruits like I already mentioned and worms because they’re high in fat content. Too much fat and phosphorus in the diet of your crested gecko will eventually lead to health issues. This is why you should limit giving these kinds of treats to once or twice a month.

Harmful foods

Baby food

Before there were any meal replacement powders, and even today, crested gecko owners sometimes used baby food to feed their crested geckos. A fruit-based baby food would replace fresh fruit but more often a mix of fruit and chicken or meat baby food was given.

The ratio that was recommended was about 4 to 5 parts of fruit and 1 part chicken or meat. The baby food needed to be supplemented with vitamins and calcium supplements. However, baby food often contains high amounts of sugar, additives, and preservatives that are bad for crested geckos.

So, although baby food was used often in the past as an integral part of a crested gecko diet, nowadays I wouldn’t recommend feeding it to your crested gecko. There are a lot of better alternatives available that were developed just for crested geckos.

Large insects

Insects are a good way to supplement your crested gecko’s diet, give them something to hunt for and keep busy. Your crested gecko will hunt and jump on the crickets and roaches but you should be careful that the insects are not too big for your gecko.

Make sure that you only feed insects that are large enough for your crestie. A good guideline is that the insect shouldn’t be larger than the space between a crested gecko’s eyes.

Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits are harmful to your crested gecko because of the citric acid in them. You should only ever give citrus fruits as treats, limiting giving them at most once a month, as a part of a well-balanced diet.

Water Requirements

Crested geckos in the wild live in a humid environment and need this high humidity and water to stay healthy.

Since crested geckos are unable to take a sip from a water bottle a water dish or water bowl is the only way to give your crested gecko water. Water dishes are available online and in stores. However, these dishes can sometimes be tipped over if they’re not heavy enough and eventually the dish will be filled with substrate, feces, and urine. You should refresh the water every day and clean the dish when doing so.

Although crested geckos will usually drink from the water dish, they will also get their water intake from licking the water droplets on leaves or on the side of the vivarium. Some crested geckos will even ignore the water dish and get their water from the water droplets. Make sure to mist the vivarium once or twice a day and that you mist the plants to create these water droplets.

Crested Gecko Feeding Schedule

How many times a week do you feed your crested gecko?

Adult crested geckos don’t need to eat every day and can go for a short period without food. A good feeding schedule will consist of feeding your crested gecko 3 times a week.

The exceptions to this general guideline are hatchlings and juveniles. To ensure that your little crestie grows up to a healthy adult, daily feeding is allowed.

A good schedule will consist of feeding:

meal replacement powder or granulated food: every few days or 3 times a week
insects: once or twice a week
fruits and worms: once or twice a month

When to feed your crested gecko?

Crested geckos are crepuscular and nocturnal creatures and should be fed in the evening. The uneaten food should be removed after 24 hours to prevent the buildup of bacteria and to avoid nasty smells.

How much do you feed to your crested gecko?

It can be quite difficult to know how much to feed to your crested gecko. A lot depends on the size and age of your crestie. In general, a good guideline is the size/volume of the head of your crested gecko: only feed as much as the volume of their head.

How to feed your crested gecko?

Feeding your crested gecko is no rocket science:

MRP or pellet food: place it in a shallow dish
fruits: place them in the terrarium or in a shallow dish (when mashed up)
insects: place them in a bowl, release them in the terrarium or in a separate tank to let your crested gecko hunt for them

Some example feeding schedules

You decide when you feed the meal replacement powder, pellet food, insects and soft fruit to your crested gecko but to give you an idea of some possible feeding schedules, you can find 3 examples below. The term crested gecko diet is a general term for meal replacement powder or the pellet/granulated food.

Example 1

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Week 1	CGD		CGD		CGD		Crickets
Week 2		CGD		CGD		CGD
Week 3	CGD		CGD		CGD		Soft fruit
Week 4		CGD		CGD		CGD

Example 2

	Day 1	Day 3	Day 5	Day 6
Week 1	CGD	CGD	CGD	Crickets
Week 2	CGD	CGD		CGD
Week 3	CGD	CGD	CGD	Crickets
Week 4	CGD	CGD		CGD

Example 3

	Day 1	Day 3	Day 5
Week 1	CGD	CGD	CGD
Week 2	CGD	CGD	CGD
Week 3	CGD	CGD	CGD
Week 4	CGD	CGD	CGD

Common Dietary Questions

Can crested gecko eat bananas?

Crested geckos can bananas. Bananas are soft fruits and can be given mashed up in a paste. You should only give small pieces of banana as a treat and only once or twice a month. Bananas are high in potassium which inhibits calcium absorption. The calcium-phosphorus ratio of bananas is low and giving too much is not recommended.

Can crested gecko eat mealworms?

Crested geckos can eat mealworms. However, mealworms do have hard exoskeletons. Feeding mealworms can, for this reason, cause impaction. I would recommend not feeding mealworms to your crested gecko or feeding only a limited amount of them. Waxworms are a better choice because of their softer skin. If you do give a mealworm, make sure to do so only once or twice a month and look for possible signs of impaction.

Can crested gecko eat apples?

Crested geckos can eat apples. Apples are harder fruits and can be given mashed up in a paste. You should only give small pieces of apple as a treat and only once or twice a month. The calcium-phosphorus ratio of apples is moderate.

Can crested gecko eat kiwi?

Crested geckos can eat kiwi but only as a treat. Kiwis are citrus fruits and are high in acids. Since citrus fruits should be avoided, it’s best to limit the amount you give and only give a piece of kiwi once or twice a month.

Can crested gecko eat applesauce?

Crested geckos can eat applesauce. Applesauce is easily palpable by crested geckos but does usually contain high amounts of sugar. If you give applesauce only give it as a treat and use unsweetened and low-sugar applesauce.

Can crested gecko eat grapes?

Crested geckos can eat grapes. Grapes are soft fruits and can be given mashed up in a paste. Grapes have a quite acceptable calcium/phosphorus ratio of about 1.4:1. This is not the best but also not the worst kind of fruit you can give.

Can crested gecko eat superworms?

Crested geckos can eat superworms. However, superworms have strong mandibles and can cause injuries when fed alive. It’s best to crush the head of the superworms before feeding them to your crested gecko. This will ensure that your crestie can safely enjoy its superworm. Superworms should be only given as a treat, once or twice a month.

Can crested gecko eat hornworms?

Crested geckos can eat hornworms. They’re not that well-known as a food source of crested geckos and look weirder than other worms. Some crested gecko owners report giving hornworms to their cresties without problems but others have had problems with the chemicals these worms can excrete (causing some chemical burn). If you want to be safe, I would recommend giving them safer waxworms.

Can crested gecko eat strawberries?

Crested geckos can eat strawberries. Strawberries are soft fruits and can be given mashed up in a paste. Strawberries have a calcium/phosphorus ratio of about 1:1.3. This is not the best but also not the worst kind of fruit you can give. Still, it’s best to limit strawberries and give it only as a treat.

Can crested gecko eat blueberries?

Crested geckos can eat blueberries. Blueberries are soft fruits and can be given mashed up in a paste. Strawberries have a calcium/phosphorus ratio of about 1:1.6. This is not the best but also not the worst kind of fruit you can give. Still, it’s best to limit blueberries and give it only as a treat.

Can crested gecko eat waxworms?

Crested geckos can eat waxworms. Waxworms are in fact the most popular type of worm to feed to crested geckos. They have soft skin and no hard exoskeleton like other worms such as the mealworm. Waxworms should be only given as a treat, once or twice a month.

Can crested gecko eat dubia roaches?

Crested geckos can eat dubia roaches and will love chasing them. Dubia roaches are a bit harder to find and are a bit pricier but is an excellent insect to alternate with feeding crickets.

Can crested gecko eat oranges?

Crested geckos can eat oranges but only as a treat. Oranges are citrus fruits and are high in acids. Since citrus fruits should be avoided, it’s best to limit the amount you give and only give a piece of orange once or twice a month.

Can crested gecko eat baby food?

Crested geckos shouldn’t eat baby food but when you do, for example as a treat, you should make sure that it’s baby food without additives and preservatives.

In recent years, the trend is to create food with no added sugar or less sugar. Baby food is no exception to this. You can find, if you look for it, baby food with no added sugar or low amounts of sugar.

My advice is to stick with meal replacement powders or pellet food that contains all nutrients your crested gecko needs and is developed for them. Don’t give baby food or only as a treat.

Want to Learn More?

If you want to learn more about crested geckos as pets, please read the following articles.

If you’re interested in getting crested geckos as pets you should also definitely read our article about baby and juvenile crested gecko care or (adult) crested gecko care.

Kevin N.

Kevin is the owner of My Crested Gecko. He wrote this blog for many years and has been a geckos enthusiast his entire life, but only became an official "geckophile" five years ago when he acquired one as a pet! Kevin knows how to care for hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and degus in addition to crested geckos which are more than happy with him every day!

How Often To Feed Crested Geckos

As fellow crested gecko owners, we understand the potential stress associated with figuring out the perfect feeding schedule for our new pets.

The good news is crested geckos are arguably the easiest reptiles to own in terms of feeding.

Still, I want you to know how to provide the proper care or crested geckos, especially around food.

As a general rule, baby crested geckos should be fed every day, and adult crested geckos should be fed three or four times per week. The majority of their diet will consist of commercial crested gecko food, making it easy for all owners to ensure their pets consume enough vital nutrients.

There are several different types of commercial food on the market.

Let’s take a look at the most popular brands, what some safe fruits and insects are, and a recommended feeding schedule for both baby and adult geckos.

Table of Contents

Crested Gecko Diet

For the average crested gecko owner, most of a crestie’s diet will consist of commercial gecko food.

Some expert owners may choose to make their gecko food with fresh produce and live insects while also rounding off their pets’ diets with appropriate vitamin and mineral supplements.

Some of the most popular brands of gecko food on the market are Repashy, Zoo Med, and Pangea.

These trusted companies formulate their foods specifically for cresties over several generations to ensure our pets are getting the best of the best.

To break it down further, there are three main types of crestie food sold by these competitors.

As owners, we have a couple of mixes of meal replacement powder to choose from.

The most commonly used form of crestie food is meal replacement powder.

These powders are budget-friendly and are easy to store.

Following the directions on the packaging, owners simply need to add water to the appropriate portion size and mix it.

We will create a brief list of trusted gecko foods with their links below.

All list items are highly rated on Amazon with hundreds of five-star customer reviews.

Repashy Superfoods Meal Replacement Powder
Pangea Fruit Mix with Insects
Zoo Med Premium Blended Gecko Formula with Probiotics

Each of these listed formulas is suitable for geckos at all stages of life.

Once you’ve chosen your desired gecko food, simply follow the instructions from the manufacturer for serving sizes based on your pet’s age and weight.

Other than the food, you will also need to supply your pet with fresh water every day.

Many crested gecko owners choose to keep a shallow water dish in their enclosure.

Cresties often obtain their hydration from the water droplets left on the leaves of the real plants in their terrariums.

These droplets are left behind from the daily misting required to keep the humidity level of the enclosure consistent.

Even so, it is best to keep a water bowl in the enclosure at all times.

Fresh Fruits

Fruit is a major player in a balanced diet. In their natural habitat, these geckos consume large amounts of fruit to sustain life.

Fruits are even listed as a majority of the ingredients in commercial gecko foods.

Since these reptiles love fruit so much, many owners enjoy giving their pets fresh fruit as treats.

This is done by either providing small cubes of sliced fruit or by making your fruit puree.

One of our favorite ways to serve fruit to our geckos is by blending several fruits they enjoy with water, calcium, and vitamin supplements.

Once your mix is prepared, simply pour it into a silicone ice cube tray with tiny square cubes.

Pop it into the freezer, and you have fruit treats ready to go for several weeks.

Some owners opt for high-quality organic baby food fruit purees as a quick and easy substitute.

This is acceptable on occasion for adult geckos, but we do not recommend using processed baby foods for baby geckos due to their high sugar content.

But if the idea of using baby food interests you check out our post on feeding crested geckos baby food for complete details.

The following is a list of recommended fruits for cresties.

Crested gecko owners are not limited to the fruits in this list.

Mangos
Papaya
Figs
Watermelon
Peaches
Nectarines
Bananas
Pears
Apricots
Strawberries
Blueberries

Many fruits tend to have high levels of phosphorus.

Phosphorus inhibits calcium absorption, so we suggest dusting a calcium supplement with vitamin D3 with each fruit serving to balance out the calcium to phosphorus ratios.

Calcium with vitamin supplements is not optional.

Even insects with calcium aren’t enough.

Always supplement when possible.

Feeder Insects

Live insects are also used as a weekly treat.

Animal proteins are also a key ingredient in commercial foods, so it is unnecessary to feed your gecko insects regularly.

Some common feeder insects used by owners include:

Crickets
Dubia Roaches
Calcium Worms (Black Soldier Fly Larvae)
Waxworms
Butterworms

How Often To Feed Crested Geckos By Age

Baby Geckos

Baby and juvenile cresties are constantly growing, so they need to eat every day.

These geckos are considered babies or juveniles until approximately 18 months of age.

Some will be fully mature by age one, and others will continue to grow until their second birthday.

To provide proper crested gecko care, you will want to stick to the commercial gecko diet for most of its meals.

As long as your pet eats every day, we suggest using the commercial food mixes for six days of the week.

In some cases, cresties will not want as much food as they get closer to adulthood.

You should still offer food to a growing gecko every day and remove the uneaten food from the food bowl after 24 hours.

One day per week is usually dedicated as a treat day.

These days, we suggest offering a combination of insects and a few small cubes of fresh fruit or puree.

You should not feed insects to baby geckos under one month of age.

Once they have surpassed one month, you may introduce a single small insect. We suggest using crickets 1/8 to 1/4″ inches in size.

Any choice of insect should never be wider than the space between your reptile’s eyes.

Calcium worms are also an excellent feeder insect to give to babies since calcium content in these insects is so high.

We do not suggest using waxworms or butter worms as treats for babies due to their high-fat content.

Still, make sure you dust insects with calcium or gut load them.

Adult Geckos

An adult crested gecko will eat less often than it did as a baby.

Once your crestie is fully mature, you will transition it to eating three or four times per week.

The exact number of days will depend on your personal experience with your gecko.

Some cresties are larger and need more food than others.

But if your crested stops eating read our post on reasons why crested geckos stop eating to see if there’s something you should be concerned about.

We suggest feeding an adult crestie commercial gecko food three times per week, leaving one extra day as a treat day if necessary.

The easiest way to do this is to select three days of the week as your permanent feeding days.

For instance, you may choose to feed your gecko its commercial diet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

This leaves you the option of adding treat day on Saturday or Sunday.

These treat days will be essentially the same for adults as they are for babies.

The only difference will be the portion sizes.

While baby geckos should never eat more than three small insects per week, adults can eat up to six larger insects throughout the week.

Crickets, dubia roaches, and calcium worms should be used most often.

Waxworms and butter worms should only be offered as a very rare treat, no more than once or twice per month.

Remember to always gut load your insects and to sprinkle calcium powder on every treat meal.

what is important to know, gecko menu, feeding features

Published: 11/10/2020 Reading time: 6 min. 6833

Gecko menu
1.1. Gecko Diet
1.2. Where to get food
Feeding Features of the Gecko
2.1. Frequency of feeding
2.2. Serving Size
2.3. Feeding time
2.4. Feeding conditions

The gecko is exotic in every way. From unique and sometimes strange appearance to living conditions and habits. But this reptile also has a very common feature. Like all living beings, he needs to eat fully in order to maintain health, activity and his "presentable" exotic appearance. Some geckos have become real pets and have many color morphs. But, even the most "domestic" geckos need proper nutrition, mostly live food.

Gecko Menu

Before you buy a gecko, you should familiarize yourself with its gastronomic habits. This information may force you to change your choice in favor of a less exotic pet, because these reptiles prefer to eat live insects, and large species will not refuse small rodents and reptiles - mice or baby snakes.

But if such a menu does not seem repulsive, then it is useful to know other equally important nuances.

Gecko diet

A sample list of "meals" for a gecko that lives in captivity looks like this:

cockroaches;
crickets;
earthworms and mealworms;
larvae of any insect;
grasshoppers and locusts;
all Lepidoptera: butterflies, moths, moths;
for some types - fruits and baby fruit purees.

Geckos are usually not picky and will eat anything they can fit in their mouths. Of course, the gecko's diet should be varied - this will help prevent beriberi and metabolic disorders caused by a mono-diet. But if you do not have the opportunity to constantly get new pet food and you are limited to a rather meager assortment of a pet store (usually crickets and mealworms), then you should take care of vitamins in a different form. For example, in the form of a Reptilife feed additive, which includes a complex of the most important substances for reptiles.

Where to get food

Given that insects must be alive and active (this is the main condition under which a gecko will be interested in a grasshopper or a worm), you can get food for your pet on your own in the summer. But it's important to make sure you're getting insects from environmentally friendly areas that haven't been treated with pesticides so you don't feed your pet with toxins. So this option is suitable for very few. Another option is to grow cockroaches, crickets or other insects on your own in a separate terrarium. But, given the appetite of the gecko, the most logical way out is a specialized store where you can buy reptile food. Captive-born geckos will readily eat even frozen insects. Don't forget to "feed the food" before giving it to your gecko! This will increase the benefits of mining several times.

Gecko Feeding Features

In addition to menu preferences, these reptiles have other nutritional “requests”.

Frequency of feeding

Excessively frequent meals should not be allowed under any circumstances. Digestion in reptiles is quite slow, so before the next meal they need to completely digest the previous portion. For small geckos, one feeding per day is enough, and large ones are recommended to be fed even every other day. Juveniles feed more often, depending on age. And do not forget to maintain the correct temperature in the terrarium, as it depends on how fully the gecko digests its lunch.

Serving size

You need to focus on the size of the reptile. For example, 5-7 adult crickets are enough for a medium gecko, half a serving is enough for a small gecko, and double the serving for large species. One of the indicators that the pet is not starving is its tail. Fat and plump means your gecko is eating well and is definitely not starving. Too fat, which interferes with walking - that the pet is obese.

Feeding time

The main guideline is whether your gecko is diurnal or nocturnal. The first ones need to be fed during the day, closer to noon. And reptiles with a nocturnal lifestyle - closer to the night.

Feeding conditions

It's best if you let your gecko hunt crickets or cockroaches. But this is possible only if the terrarium has a tight lid, because not all insects are ready to dutifully wait until they are eaten. If instead of a cover there is a mesh, you can give food from tweezers, geckos quickly get used to the new food format for them.

Author: AVZ

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Banana eater at home: content features

Banana eater is a species of gecko that lives in its natural environment in a humid tropical climate on the island of New Caledonia. For a long time, this species was considered very rare, but thanks to the interest of breeders, it has now actively spread throughout the world.

The scientific name of the animal is Rhacodactylus ciliatus; they are also called crested geckos or ciliated (cilia) geckos. The fact is that the eyes and head of these animals are surrounded by spiked scales, similar to eyelashes. It looks like a crest around the head or a crown. They are considered to have the most attractive appearance of all geckos; many choose these pets precisely because of their cute appearance.

Banana eaters come in different colors, but in the Russian Federation and the CIS, morphs with a beige stripe on their backs and normals are most often on sale. The most common colors are yellow and red. There are also brown, gray, green banana-eaters.

In general, this gecko is a very calm pet. Another advantage is its omnivorous nature. If other geckos need live insects (which can be difficult to find), then these reptiles can easily do without them.

Distinctive features of the crested gecko

Ciliated banana-eaters are small animals, their body length does not exceed 15 cm. Coloring is different, but more often - in yellow tones. There are solid-colored geckos and those whose body is covered with spots or stripes. Like most reptiles, they are nocturnal. For a comfortable existence, they need shelters (in the natural environment, these are cracks in the bark, faults, hollows, etc.).

Like many lizards, these geckos can lose their tail, but the difference is that in this case, a new tail does not grow in a banana eater. The loss of the tail does not bear any consequences - the animal simply continues to live without it.

Eyelash geckos are friendly and tame well. They are active and can jump long distances (for example, jumping from branch to branch or from a table to the floor).

How to keep a banana-eater lizard at home

Further in the article we will consider the features of keeping banana-eating lizards at home.

Gecko housing

For the gecko, it is necessary to equip a vertical terrarium with shelters and branches so that the animal can climb on them and have the opportunity to hide. The minimum size is 30 by 30 by 45 centimeters for one pet, and for several - 45 by 45 by 60 centimeters or more. Inside there should be snags, branches.

Optimum daytime temperature is from 24 to 28 °C, at night it is slightly lower, but in no case lower than 22 and not higher than 28 °C. Temperatures that are too high at night lead to dehydration, stress, and in some cases even death. You can put a thermal mat in the tank, install fluorescent lamps with a protective grid (this is desirable, but not necessary if you can already maintain the desired temperature). If you install a lamp, there will be a so-called warm-up point under it (temperatures up to 32 ° C), and there should be enough branches under the lamp so that the banana-eater can choose the optimal place.

Ultraviolet lamps for banana-eaters are also not considered a mandatory element, but there are cases when animals have convulsions that disappear due to ultraviolet radiation (even a weak lamp is enough). You can also install a night light lamp that automatically turns on and off at the right time. Light day in the terrarium should last at least 8 and no more than 12 hours.

Substrate must be placed on the bottom. Choose natural soil: moss, coconut flakes, tree bark, sphagnum, anything that doesn't mold and absorbs moisture, including regular napkins (but only if you're willing to change them constantly). Geckos do not walk along the bottom too often, they spend more time on branches. If banana-eaters breed, you need to check the soil for the presence of eggs - the female can hide them.

Required humidity level: from 50%, optimally from 60 to 90%. The terrarium must be sprayed with osmotic or distilled water using a spray gun in the morning and evening, including the soil: it must be moist. An automatic humidification system can be installed.

Also pay attention to the ventilation system: the tank glasses must not fog up.

Read also about keeping geckos at home.

What do banana eaters eat

Despite their name, banana eaters eat more than just bananas. They are omnivorous: the diet can include both insects (and even mammals and small invertebrates), as well as berries, fruits, fruits, flowers, shoots, pollen, but most of all geckos love insects and ripe fruits. At home, you can buy cockroaches, crickets and live insects for a gecko, or you can get by with fruits and mashed potatoes. Just keep in mind that they can’t eat a lot of citrus fruits, and bananas should not be fed in unlimited quantities. Apricots, peaches, some sweet apples and soft pears are suitable. Also, banana-eaters can be fed with baby fruit purees, if the composition does not contain starch and other additives. Such puree can be prepared independently using a blender and frozen. In addition, there are ready-made food for geckos.

Baby geckos eat daily, adults only once every 2-3 days.

If you will be feeding insects to geckos, they should be introduced into the terrarium or given to your pet with soft tip tweezers. Also in the terrarium should be feeders for food of plant origin.

As for water, geckos usually lick it off glass or branches. This is another reason why the tank should be sprayed regularly.

How long does a gecko live at home

Their life span in nature is 5 to 10 years. But if you create good conditions at home, a banana-eater can live from 15 to 20 years and even a little longer.

Read also about mantis keeping.

Tips and tricks

Pay attention to the following points:

Your pet may get sick. Symptoms of the disease are lack of appetite, lethargy. First of all, it is worth checking the temperature in the aquarium. Rickets is also possible - in this case, the animal crouches on its elbows when moving. Nutritional adjustments, including vitamin supplements (primarily calcium), will help.
Banana eaters molt like other lizards . The remaining skin should be moistened with warm water and removed from the tail or body of the animal.
Pets usually easily make contact with the owner , willingly sit on their hands, but immediately after the purchase it is better to give them the opportunity to get used to the new place and not to disturb once again. To train a banana-eater, feed him with your hands, sometimes take them out of the terrarium. If he does not see you as a source of danger, then he will willingly go into his arms.
Despite the similarities, each banana-eater has its own character .
There are much fewer banana eaters than males .
You can let the lizard out for a walk , but you need to close windows, doors, and also isolate other pets and do not leave the banana-eater unattended.
You can determine the sex of your pet from about 4 months. At this age, males have well-defined hemipenis bulges.
Banana-eaters become sexually mature at the age of 15-18 months when they weigh from 35 to 45 grams.
Breeding requires 1 male and 2-3 females . Please note that several males cannot be kept together, and one female per male is too few. Mating takes place at night, under the "quacking" sounds. Each female usually lays 3-4 clutches, each with 2 eggs. It is important to maintain a temperature regime of 22-27 ° C.
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