The crested gecko is the favourite low maintenance animals or pets that can even be handled by the children too. They are active and are omnivorous in nature which means they can eat both plants and animals. In animals, they usually east insects and worms.
In this article, we will basically talk about the worms and the types of worms that we can feed to the crested gecko or are mostly preferred by them and also have some nutritional value for them. The worms are usually fed to the crested geckos as treats which means the worms are not fed to them on regular basis, but once or twice in a month as the worms do not have high nutrition value.
As we know that the crested gecko eats lots of fruits, insects and worms. But when we feed them with worms so be careful that not crested gecko will eat worms or will find them tasty to eat so you should not make worms a staple diet or feed them regularly on worms.
It is suggested to create a balanced diet for the crested gecko and understand when and how to feed the crested gecko with worms and what is best for them. A complete worm feeding guide for the crested will be discussed in this article and the owners of the crested gecko should understand what type of worms and how to feed them to the crested gecko.
Contents
Types of worms that can be fed to the crested gecko
There are various types of worms that can be fed to the crested gecko and we have listed a few that you can find easily in the market and feed them to your crested gecko and have health benefits for them and even the crested gecko enjoy eating these worms.
Not all worms are beneficial for the crested gecko and cannot be fed to them, as some are poisonous for them and are not recommended to feed them to the crested gecko. So the worms which are commonly given to the crested gecko and are easily available are given as below:-
Superworms
The super worms are usually the larvae that of the black beetle and are also known as the king worms or the morio worms. . They are easily available and are cheap to buy and have a longer shelf life when compared to other worms. They are a low maintenance worm so that is why they are easily available and are also the best option for the crested geckos. But they are also difficult to gut load for the crested geckos and are given as treats to the crested geckos.
They have a high content of fat that is another reason why should they be used as a treat and not as a staple diet. But they are still loved by the crested geckos and they enjoy morio worms as a treat irrespective of the fact that they are having a high-fat content.
They do not have much of nutrition value but due to their low maintenance and the cheap price, they are usually preferred for the feeding purpose. They are known to have strong mandibles which can hurt the crested gecko, so it is recommended to crush them before feeding it to your crested gecko.
Hornworms
The hornworms are the larvae of tobacco hawk moth and the Carolina sphinx moth and they are not much fed to the crested gecko and are also quite different looking worms as compared to other worms. The hornworms is an amazing food or feeder for the crested gecko and also the best because of their large size and that is why they are full of protein.
The hornworm also has high moisture content and they are low in fats, unlike other worms. The hornworms are not so easy to maintain as they eat a lot and grow at a very fast pace. It is recommended to feed the crested gecko with hornworms that are captive- bred and not found in the wild as they can be poisonous too. So they are also given as treats to the crested gecko but are not usually preferred much as compared to other worms.
Mealworms
The mealworms are the larvae of mealworm beetle and are 1 inch big in size and are also found in another size too. They are not expensive worms so they are also considered one of the best worms for the crested gecko the mealworms can also be served as the staple diet for the crested gecko unlike other worms as they have high nutrition value as compared to other worms. But still, they are used as a staple diet only if appropriate minerals and vitamins are already being fed to the crested gecko.
The mealworms are considered as one of the best feeders for your crested gecko and they are available in a variety of sizes. It is also sometimes considered as the principal feeder for the crested geckos and they are also enjoyed by the crested geckos. But because they consist of exoskeleton they are often advised not to be fed to the crested gecko because of the impacts that it can have on them.
Waxworms
The wax worms are the larvae of the wax moths and also considered the ideal food for the crested gecko and are safe to feed to the crested gecko as there is no hard exoskeleton in their body. The size of a wax worm is between half an inch to an inch respectively. They are quite easy to keep and maintain and you can easily hand feed them to the crested gecko. The wax worm cannot be used as the staple diet for the crested gecko but as a treat or the secondary food for the crested geckos as they love them and is a good option to take a break from the regular diet.
The wax worms are all about fats and do not have much of nutritional value so that is why they are usually given a treat to the crested gecko and also they are easily available and due to their easy maintenance they are preferred for the crested gecko. Though your crested gecko will definitely love the wax worms as this will be a change from their regular diet and they will love this change but do not overfeed them with these worms. The worms should be fed only once or twice a month and not more than that so be careful with that.
Silkworms
The silkworms are one of the best worms for the crested geckos because of its high nutrition value as they are low in fats and high in moisture. The silkworms also have another benefit and that is they add an enzyme namely serrapeptase which helps crested geckos to absorb the calcium. The silkworms are therefore preferred for any reptile due to its health benefits for them. They are one of the best choices as feeder worm for the crested geckos.
They are quite expensive to breed and buy but still, they are much preferred by the crested geckos though they are also difficult to gut load for the crested geckos. They are still preferred the best of the worms for the crested geckos even if they are expensive or difficult to gut load. The silkworms are loved by the crested geckos and are also healthy for them and that is why they are usually fed to them as they are recommended for the crested geckos.
Butterworms
The butter worms have a high content of moisture in them and they are known for having a fruity smell and also they have a high content of fats in them.
They are much preferred as treats for the crested geckos. As the fat content is too high so they cannot be considered for the staple diet and are quite difficult for gut loading. In some cases, they are not easy to digest by some crested geckos due to the high-fat content. But due to the high interest by the crested geckos in butter worms they are usually fed with these worms and these butter worms are one of the best worms for the crested geckos. They are basically fed as the treat to the crested geckos as they love these worms a lot.
These are the list of worms that are best and are mostly preferred for the crested gecko and are given to them as treats, but not on regular basis.
The reason is that the worms do not have high nutritive value and that is why these worms are not fed in the form of a staple diet to the crested gecko. The crested gecko owners should understand what is best for their gecko and should not feed them with any type of worm that is available in the market. As not all worms are recommended for the crested gecko, some of the worms can be fatal for their lives.
Where you can find the worms?
All the worms that are mentioned in this article can be found easily worldwide and you can find it on pet shops and amazon that basically deals in reptiles and amphibians.
Superworms
Waxworms
Also if you cannot find the worms in a local pet store you can go and check them online and even find the worms at better prices than you can find at the pet store. So there is never a problem while buying the worms for your crested gecko. You can get it online and also offline without much problem of finding them.
How to feed the crested gecko with worms?
The crested gecko usually prefers to feed on the live worms as compared to the dead worms, but sometimes the owners of the crested gecko do not like the live worms so they should try to feed the crested gecko with the dried or the frozen worms and it is not possible to gut load the dead worms so there is another option and that is of dusting these worms with supplements of minerals and vitamins.
Also, it is recommended if you are feeding the dead worms to the crested gecko then you can use the vibrating food dishes for the crested gecko because it will give them a feeling that the worms are alive and they are moving around.
When you are feeding the crested gecko with the meal worms or the super worms it is advised to crush the heads of these as they can hurt the crested gecko. Also, be careful with the worms that have hard exoskeleton as that can also have a serious impact on your crested gecko and you can wait for the moulting of the exoskeleton as then it will be softer and can be easily eaten.
The worms can be fed in 2 ways to the crested gecko because we know that the worms do not have high nutritive values so we need to add vitamins and mineral supplements to them so that we can increase the nutrition value of the crested geckos.
The 2 ways in which we can feed the worms to the crested gecko are as follows:
Dusting
The dusting method of feeding the crested gecko with vitamin and mineral supplements is one of the easiest methods. In this, you have to sprinkle the vitamin and mineral powder on to the worms that you are feeding to the crested gecko. You have to feed it directly and also immediately to the crested gecko after dusting the powder on to the food as there is a chance of washing off the powder if not eaten immediately.
The dusting is the most preferred method of providing the supplements of minerals and vitamins to the crested gecko as it is one of the easiest methods.
As we know that the worms that we buy are not carrying high nutrition or not in the condition that we can directly feed them to the crested gecko so we need to dust the supplements on to them and feed it to the crested gecko. You can dust supplements such as calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, phosphorous, etc.
Gut- Loading
The gut- loading is another method of feeding the crested gecko with vitamin and minerals by feeding the worms first. In this method, you have to feed the worm first with additional nutrients and that also 24 hours before. After feeding the worms you will feed them to the crested gecko. Many people also go for this method of providing high nutrition to the crested gecko.
The gut- loading is also one of the best methods to provide additional nutrients to the crested gecko as with the worm intake the crested gecko will also intake the nutrients from both the sources i.e. the worms, the nutrients that are fed to them. The gut- loading provides with lots of nutrients to the crested gecko.
The worms are fed with stuff like apples, oranges, green vegetables, carrots etc. as this will increase their nutritional value and also will help the crested gecko to get nutrition from eating these worms and it is a healthy practice of feeding the crested gecko in order to give them the highly nutritious food.
These methods are very popular to feed the crested gecko with worms as the worms are one of the food types that is loved by the crested gecko, though it is not a healthy option and that is why we have to feed the worms by dusting minerals and vitamins on to them or by gut loading the worms and then feeding them to the crested gecko.
This helps in increasing the nutritive value of the worms for the crested gecko and makes them healthy for them. But still do not feed the crested gecko with worms on regular basis or as a staple diet. They have to be still given as treat to them and that also once or twice a month.
Best way of Feeding of worms
The worms can be fed in many ways as follows:
- The most preferred way that is followed by many people is that the worms are put inside the terrarium, by holding them with a tong and take it near to the crested gecko.
- By placing the worms in the terrarium and this method is applicable when you want to give many worms to your crested gecko. You can place the dish inside the terrarium filled with worms and the crested gecko can feed on it whenever they want. But it can be risky sometimes because if the worms are alive and they are not eaten by the crested gecko they can grow into a moth or a beetle and they can be dangerous for the crested gecko. So, remove them from a tank as fast as possible as they can hide anywhere inside the terrarium. As these worms are not good in order to dwell inside the environment of the crested gecko.
- Another way is to feed the crested gecko in another terrarium or we can call it the feeding terrarium. You can create a temporary terrarium for the crested gecko in order to feed them so that the leftover worms do not create any hassle to the surroundings of the crested gecko and they live a healthy and comfortable life inside their terrarium without any danger around.
What size of the worms should be fed to the crested gecko?
The size of the worms that should be fed to the crested gecko should never be larger than the distance which is between the eyes of the crested gecko. The worm sizes that needed to be fed to the crested gecko should be different for the younger crested gecko than the adult crested gecko.
Baby crested gecko should not be fed with the worms as it is not a good idea to do so. But for the young crested gecko, you can go with a half an inchworm while for the adult one you can feed them with half an inch to ¾ inches worms. These sizes are appropriate for feeding the crested gecko. So always be careful with the size of the worms while feeding them to the crested gecko.
How healthy are the worms for the crested gecko?
The worms should be given ads treats to the crested gecko and not more than that and it is also advised to feed them only once or twice a month and do not feed them more than this. As if the crested gecko will be fed away too much on the worms then there is a fear that the crested gecko can become fat and also because of this imbalance can be created in the body of the crested gecko.
If the worms are not dusted or gut loaded with the vitamins and mineral supplements they are quite unhealthy and also can cause problems for the crested gecko.
They, not all make them fat but they also have a low nutritional value which will eventually Detroit the health of your crested gecko and they will not live a happy and healthy life. So you should be careful while feeding your crested gecko with worms and know everything about the worms before feeding them to your crested gecko.
Worms can be a healthy part of a crested gecko’s diet, as long as they are fed in moderation and not given as the gecko’s only source of food. Like all reptiles, crested geckos need a balanced diet that includes a variety of insects and vegetables to ensure they get all the nutrients they need. Feeding worms alone can lead to nutritional imbalances that can affect the gecko’s health. It’s always best to consult with a veterinarian or reptile specialist to determine the best diet for your crested gecko.
Final Conclusion
The crested gecko are also fed on worms and that is why the owners should know everything about the worms and how they should be fed to the crested gecko and also what type of worms should be fed because all worms are not edible for the crested gecko, as some can be poisonous for the crested gecko. So be careful with your crested gecko when you are feeding them with worms.
You can enjoy the site of your crested gecko when they are enjoying their worm treat because they also get bored if you serve them with the similar food daily as they also need varieties as we humans need in food.
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