Leopard Gecko Care: Unusual Feeder Insect Types
In this article we will look at that part of the leopard gecko care that is most important – food. When it comes to deciding what to feed a leopard gecko, for most people the choice boils down to two options: crickets (family Gryllidae) or mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). There are good reasons for that, as both crickets and mealworms are cheap to buy, easy to get hold of, and easy to gut load with nutrients such as calcium so that they’re good for your reptile friend. However, they’re certainly not the only viable options. Let’s take a look at some of the often-forgotten-but-still-worthy-of-consideration feed insects:
1. Superworms. As the name suggests, superworms (Zophobas morio) are a larger type of worm. They have a nutrition profile that’s similar to mealworms, so like mealworms it’s important that they be gut loaded, particularly with calcium, before they are used as feed. Keeping them in a small container where they are in constant contact with other superworms stops them from pupating. Due to their similarity to mealworms there’s no particular reason to use superworms instead of mealworms unless you have an unusually big leopard gecko, in which case their size makes them useful.
2. Roaches. Don’t you just hate cockroaches? Disgusting scuttling little critters. One of the best things about feeding them to your leopard geckos is that you get to watch them get eaten! The best type of feeder roach to use is the guyana orange spotted roach (Blaptica dubia). They’re cleaner and less smelly than crickets, produce less waste, and come in a bigger variety of sizes. They also have a high protein to chitin content, higher than that of both crickets and mealworms. Roaches represent a good feeder insect choice.
3. Locusts. Locusts (family Acrididae) are a really good feeder insect too, as their nutrition profile is much higher in protein that that of other common feeder insects. They’re no harder to keep than crickets and in fact they’re probably easier, if only because they don’t make an annoying noise. Locusts would definitely be the preferred option over crickets if it wasn’t for the fact that they’re more expensive, which puts a lot of leo owners off them.
4. Silkworms. Many experts agree that silkworms (Bombyx mori) are the most nutritious of all the common feeder insects. They have a low fat content combined with a high calcium content, which is a very good nutrition profile for leopard geckos. The extra calcium is particularly good for gravid (that is, egg-carrying) females. Like other types of worms they’re easy to care for and can be kept alive for weeks with minimal effort. They also have a soft exterior rather than the hard-to-digest exoskeleton of other worm types. Silkworms may well be the next big thing in reptile food!
As you can see, when it comes to leopard leopard gecko care, there’s no shortage of feeder insect options in addition to the common ones. A varied diet is always better than a monotonous one, so think carefully about whether you can incorporate one or more of these into the diet of your leo.
About the Author
Jo Morris is a leopard gecko enthusiast and author of the book ” Leopard Gecko Secrets Revealed “. To learn more about leopard gecko care, visit www.leopardgeckocenter.com
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Zoo Med Leopard Gecko Food 0.4oz $2.18 Zoo Med’s Leopard Gecko Food is a natural blend of flavoring agents and small-size flies. The insects used have been raised under laboratory conditions and slowly dried to retain all their natural vitamins and minerals. This is an excellent food with which to add extra calcium to breeding females. Simply mix in the appropriate amounts of Zoo Med’s new Calcium Supplement…. |
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Zoo Med Leopard Gecko Starter Kit $12.20 Leopard Gecko Kit comes with a care book, 0.4 oz Leopard Gecko Food, 1.2 oz. Can O? Mini Crickets, 4.25 oz bottle of ReptiSafe® water conditioner, and Wipe Out 3 hand sanitizer sample…. |