The crested gecko are low maintenance pets and are also bets pets for the children from the family of the reptiles. They have a very unique feature of eyelashes and that is why they are often called by the name eyelash geckos.
When you a pet a crested gecko they usually are fed on the premix powder foods that fulfils their nutrition and they live a happy, stress free and a healthy life inside the captivity or you can say the terrarium. These crested geckos are basically the insect eaters and that is why lots of insects are fed to them and also sometime fruits are fed to the crested geckos.
What can you feed your crested gecko?
The crested gecko are not too difficult to feed, in wild they used to feed on fruits, insects and even nectar of flowers, that can be easily found in their surroundings.
But if they are kept as pets then they are fed on insects, fruits and vegetables too, vitamin and mineral supplements if it is needed and the most importantly the commercial gecko food is available in the market and that is the most easiest option to feed the crested gecko with as it also has many nutritive value.
The various types of diets for the crested gecko are as follows:-
Insects and worms diet
The insects and the worms diet is given to the crested geckos as the crested geckos are insectivorous naturally and therefore enjoys insects and the worms too.
The most common insects that are fed to the crested gecko are the crickets and the dubia roaches because they are great source of protein and also have high nutritive value.
They are fed live to the crested gecko. Beside insects the crested gecko are also fed with worms such as mealworms, waxworms and super worms which are usually given as treat to the crested gecko as they have large amount of fats in them and that will make your crested gecko obese which is not healthy for them.
So insects and worms are usually given as treat to the crested geckos as they do not have high nutritive value as compared to other food types and rather they make the crested gecko obese which leads to various diseases.
The crested gecko do love insects and worms as they also used to eat them, even in the wild. But still they need to be fed with insects and worms once or twice in a week as a treat and that also in a limited quantity. You should be very careful with the diet of your crested geckos.
Crested geckos are massively in love with the insects and the worms as a dietary option. They enjoy them and that is why they are even given as an addition with other foods so that they even eat the food that is healthy for them and enjoy their meal.
Fruits
As we know that the crested geckos are omnivorous in nature, so we can also feed them with fruits and that is why it has also been found that the crested gecko mostly live on fruit based diet in their natural habitat. Crested geckos prefer fruits that are soft and can be easily chewed off.
They are also fed with citrus fruits as the citrus fruits are high in calcium and low in phosphorous and this calcium to phosphorous ratio is very essential for the life of the health of the crested gecko.
The owners of the crested geckos will only give the fruits to the crested geckos as a treat and that is served at least once or twice in a month.
The fruits that are usually fed and are good for the health of the crested gecko are figs, bananas, raspberries, papaya, grapes, peaches, watermelons, apples, pears, berries, melons and cherries and also many other fruits that can also be added to their diet.
If you are not sure about which fruit to give them check for the health benefits of that fruit. You can also consult the vet for the same reason and be sure about the fruits you want to feed the crested gecko, as you cannot take risk if it is related to the health of the crested gecko.
Supplements for vitamins and minerals
When you are feeding the crested geckos with the insects or worms or even fruits (cut into pieces) you can either gut load them or dust them with vitamins and mineral supplements, in order to provide them with these important nutrients if they are not getting it from the food they are eating.
You can provide these vitamin and minerals to the crested gecko in 2 ways that are given below:-
- Dusting: The dusting method of feeding the crested gecko with vitamin and mineral supplements is one of the easiest method. In this you have to sprinkle the vitamin and mineral powder on to the food you are feeding to the crested gecko like on insects or fruits. 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 method.
- Gut- Loading: The gut- loading is another method of feeding the crested gecko with vitamin and mineral supplements. In this method, you have to feed the insect first with additional nutrients and that also 24 hours before, you will feed those insects to the crested gecko. Many people also go for this method of providing the vitamin and mineral supplements to the crested gecko. The gut- loading is also one of the best method to provide additional nutrients to the crested gecko as with the insect intake you will also intake the nutrients from both the sources i.e. the insects, the nutrients that are fed to them. The gut- loading provides with lots of nutrients to the crested gecko.
Types of Commercial food for crested gecko
The commercial food for the crested gecko are the ready to go food or the premixes powder. This is an easy way to feed your crested gecko with, as they have everything in it that a crested gecko needs. All the nutrients are provided in this ready to go diet for the crested gecko and you do not have to worry much about feeding your crested gecko. This is a hassle free method of feeding your crested gecko. These commercial food for crested gecko are available in 2 types in the market and that are as follows:-
- Granules: The commercial food for crested gecko is present in the form of granules or pellets which are ball shaped in nature and they can be directly put over the food and served to the crested gecko and it is so easy and hassle free way to feed the crested gecko.
- Meal Replacement Powders: The Meal Replacement Powders or popularly known as the MRP comes in the form of a powder and you have to mix it in water to form a paste and that paste. When the paste is made then in that form it is being fed to the crested gecko. This way it is easy to prepare the diet and feed it to crested gecko. The MRP saves time and also have all nutrients that is needed by the crested gecko to live a healthy and a happy diet.
These are the various ways or types of food that can be given to the crested gecko and they enjoy it. In this the fruits and insects and worms are the natural sources of food, while the commercial food and the supplement are the artificial sources of the food that are created by humans in order to feed the crested gecko hassle free and they should get every nutrient from one source of food.
Best food to buy for the crested gecko
The list of best commercial food products available for the crested gecko in the market that helps you to feed your crested gecko easily are as follows:-
1. Repashy Crested Gecko MRP- Classic
The Repashy Crested gecko MRP- Classic is a premix powder that has all the essential nutrients present in it. The mix consists of banana, dates and figs in the dried form and also contains whey protein, which is a major source of protein for the crested gecko.
There is also dried egg in this mix which is a secondary source of protein and the primary source of fats. You have to just mix the powder with water and then make it in to a paste and the food is ready to eat for the crested gecko. Even the crested gecko loves this and their owners also as there is no hassle and there is no wastage of time while preparing this diet for the crested gecko.
2. Pangea Fruit mix watermelon complete gecko diet
The Pangea fruit mix watermelon complete gecko diet is one of the best mix for the crested geckos as it has the combination of fruits that will be loved by your crested gecko. Also the Pangea gecko diet is available in various flavours such as watermelon mango flavour, banana apricot flavour, fig and insects flavour, etc.
The Pangea gecko diet is a nutritious diet for the crested gecko and is loved by the crested geckos and they have also amazing taste in their food diet that cannot be resisted by the crested gecko.
The diet is easy to make and feed to the crested gecko, you have to just mix the diet with water and the owners of the crested gecko do not have to think much about the crested gecko when they get these diets. The diet have positive reviews by the users and even the crested gecko loved it.
3. Repashy Grubs and fruit crested gecko diet
The Repashy grubs and fruit crested gecko diet is also an amazing diet for the crested gecko as it contains 30% of real insects and 50% of real fruits. This MRP is loved by all the crested gecko especially who loves to eat fruits.
You have to simply mix the powder with water and create a paste and the feed it to the crested gecko and this will make the work of feeding the crested gecko easy for the owners and also the crested gecko get all the essential nutrients from such diets. The reviews regarding this MRP are quite positive and people have preferred this a lot for their crested gecko.
The commercial diet has been preferred more as compared to other diets because it is hassle free and the crested gecko also love this and also these diets provides the crested gecko with all the important nutrients. Also these diets are easy to create and feed to the crested gecko and that is why they are becoming popular day by day.
Final Thoughts:
The crested gecko has various food options both natural and man-made from which the owners can choose from according to the requirements of the crested gecko. The crested gecko as we know are low maintenance pets and that is why feeding them has never been a problem. They prefer eating fruits, insects, worms, premixes, supplements, etc. in order to stay happy and live a healthy life.
The crested diet depends lot upon its lifestyle and also where it is living. Most of the owners of the crested gecko give them premixes that are easily available in the market and can also be easily prepared without much problem and also the crested gecko love these premixes.
The premixes have all nutrients that are important for the growth and development and also for a healthy crested gecko. So you should be aware enough about what to feed to your crested gecko and what is best for them so that they can live a stress free life and can enjoy their life with you.
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