Gargoyle geckos make fun pets and are well suited for beginner reptile keepers because of their easy care needs.
Today, we’re talking about gargoyle gecko diet requirements.
In many ways, gargoyle geckos and crested geckos are very similar and can be treated the same. And while this is largely true for diet, there are some distinct ways in which gargoyle gecko food is different.
Let’s get into it!
What to Feed Gargoyle Geckos
For the most part, gargoyle geckos and crested geckos have similar diets. Like crested geckos, gargoyle geckos in the wild eat soft fruit and bugs.
In captivity, it’s often best to use a powdered gecko diet instead of feeding only bugs and fruit. You can read more about why powdered diets are the healthy choice in our blog on the crested gecko diet.
If you’ve asked “what should I feed my gargoyle gecko?” hoping you won’t have to deal with live insects, you may be disappointed. While gargoyle geckos can live off of a pre-made diet alone, that doesn’t mean they should.
A healthy gargoyle gecko diet includes more bugs and insects than a crestie diet does. However, some adult gargoyle geckos may not like insects. In that case, make sure the powdered diet they get is a high quality one that has all the nutrients they will need.
Healthy feeder insect choices for gargoyle geckos include:
- Dubia roaches
- Discoid roaches
- Black soldier fly larvae
- Crickets
- Silkworms
- Hornworms
If you’re up to it, you can also feed your gargoyle gecko a small pinky mouse once or twice a month. In the wild, gargoyle geckos will often eat small rodents or even other geckos. So, offering the occasional pinky mouse can be a healthy addition to a gargoyle gecko diet.
How Much do Gargoyle Geckos Eat
How much food a gargoyle gecko needs will depend on the age of your gecko as well as its health. Juveniles and underweight gargoyle geckos will need more insects than healthy adults.
How often should you feed insects to gargoyle geckos?
- Babies should eat insects every day.
- Juveniles should be offered insects 3-5 times a week.
- Adults can be offered insects 1-2 times a week.
Over-feeding insects, especially worms high in fat like wax worms, can lead to your gargoyle gecko gaining too much weight.
Hatchlings and juveniles should also be given a powdered diet every day. Adults can be fed every other day.
Supplements to a Healthy Gargoyle Gecko Diet
Keeping your gecko healthy doesn’t stop at food. Supplements are also a vital part of a healthy gargoyle gecko diet.
Most important are calcium and D3. Without these, reptiles are prone to develop health issues like metabolic bone disease.
Some powdered diets already have supplements added. However, some people still recommend adding additional supplements.
The best way to get your gecko the supplements they need is to dust their bugs. That way, when they eat the insects, they are also eating the supplements.
Another way to add more nutrition to your gecko’s diet is to gut load their feeder insects. This simply means you feed their bugs nutrient rich foods a day or so before feeding them off. Your gecko will get the nutrients from the food the bugs ate as well as from the insects themselves.
More Tips for a Healthy Gargoyle Gecko Diet
Some diet tips are exclusive to gargoyle geckos – like how often you should give them insects. Here are three general tips that apply to most reptiles.
- Record Their Diet. We love feeding journals. They provide a quick and accurate way to document when and how much your gecko eats. This is handy for vet visits and makes it easy to know how often you’ll need to buy more food.
- Monitor feeding time. This one is most important if you’re feeding crickets. Crickets are known to bite and can cause serious harm to your gecko. We recommend feeding crickets in a separate tank and/or removing any crickets your gecko doesn’t eat within 15 minutes.
- If you don’t know, ask. This applies to all aspects of gargoyle gecko care, not just diet. There are many online gecko groups you can join that would love to help you. You can also ask your vet questions more specific to your situation.
Shop Insects for Gargoyle Geckos
Need healthy, nutritious feeder bugs for your gargoyle gecko? Dubia roaches are a great option! Find a wide selection of dubia roach sizes in our shop.
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