What Do Geckos Eat?

Before you bring home a new little gecko, it's important to know what to feed your pet. Like most lizards, geckos are predators that prefer a variety of insects. The exact types of insects, feeding schedule, supplements, and amount of food will vary based on your gecko's species, age, and activity level.

General Pet Gecko Food Guidelines

Most geckos thrive on live prey. Unlike dogs and cats, geckos do not usually do well with pre-packaged kibble or prepared food. Therefore, you'll need to purchase or breed live insects to feed your gecko.

Some pet geckos eat fruit as well as insects. These geckos can consume pureed or prepared fruit mixes made for geckos. However, most pet geckos are primarily insectivorous, meaning they eat insects and other small creatures. African fat-tailed geckos, house geckos, and leopard geckos are all purely insectivorous. Crested geckos and day geckos, however, are frugivorous. That means they eat fruit.

What to Feed Your Gecko

Provide your insectivorous geckos with a variety of insects, as relying too heavily on one type will not offer a complete diet.

• Crickets: These critters will form the backbone of most pet gecko diets. That’s not because they’re the healthiest—it’s just because they’re easiest to purchase or raise at home.
• Mealworms:  These are another staple for leopard geckos, although they may be too large for some house geckos.
• Waxworms and Superworms: These insects are very rich. Use them as special treats and only offer them once a week or so.
• Flies: These little guys are perfect for small geckos like house geckos. Fruit flies are usually easiest to find for purchase.

It may be easier in the long term to raise your own crickets and insects for your geckos. Nonetheless, a good setup for storing insects will help you avoid frequent trips to the pet store.

Day geckos eat a mixture of the insects listed above, especially crickets, along with a gecko diet mix. Similarly, crested geckos usually consume a mix of insects and powdered crested gecko food.

Feed your frugivorous gecko fruits such as grapes, apricots, and apples. Puree the fruit or chop it into pieces smaller than the space between your gecko's eyes, as larger pieces can be dangerous. Prepared fruit mixes for day and crested geckos are available for convenience. Most new gecko owners should avoid making their own fruit mixes, as it's challenging to ensure proper calcium and other nutritional factors.

Comprehensive Gecko Care Guide: Keeping Geckos as Pets

How Much and When to Feed Your Gecko

Most geckos are nocturnal, so it's best to feed them at night when they are awake and hungry.

Young geckos should eat daily. As they mature, most adult geckos do best eating every other day. All geckos require constant access to clean, fresh water, and misting the tank regularly provides the necessary humidity.

The amount of food your gecko needs varies based on age and activity level. Feed them as much as they'll eagerly eat within a few minutes. Avoid placing too many insects in the cage, as they may escape, die, rot, or encourage overeating. Introduce one or two insects at a time, reducing as your gecko's eagerness wanes. Some geckos will eat from long tweezers, which helps control the number of insects in the cage.

Clear out any uneaten fruit mix or insects after your gecko finishes eating, as both can rot and create an unclean environment.