Crickets are among the main foodstuffs for pet Leopard geckos and other insectivorous lizards. These insects contain most of their requirements, namely proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and water.

Introduction to feeding crickets to Leopard geckos

The average nutritional composition for a well-fed grey cricket is ca. 21% protein and 6% fat. Their practicality and ease of breeding put them in the top spots when it comes to feeder insects for Leopard geckos.

Cricket sizes

Different sized crickets are fed to different sized Leopard geckos. As a rule of thumb, the crickets should be no larger than the length of the space between the eyes of the Leopard gecko that is being fed.

Commercial crickets are sold as large, medium, small or pinhead sizes. Hatchling crickets, or so-called pinheads, are wingless and literally the size of the head of a standard pin. Pinheads are usually fed to hatchling⁽³²⁾/very small and baby Leopard geckos.

Small crickets are larger than pinheads, but still only a few millimetres long. Medium crickets are about 1 cm / 0.4 ” in length and depending on the species, adult crickets grow up to about 2 – 3 cm / 0.8 – 1.2 ” in length.

Selecting the correct crickets for Leopard geckos

There are various criteria used to select crickets for pet Leopard geckos. It is strongly recommended to only feed commercial crickets bought from reputable cricket breeders or pet shops. Apart from their size, other factors will include quality and price. A ‘fresh’, well-fed cricket will be more nutritious and probably also taste better.

How much crickets to feed

As a general rule of thumb, only the amount of crickets that can be consumed within ten to twenty minutes should be given per Leopard gecko. Depending on the size of the Leopard gecko, the size of the cricket and the frequency of feeding, this can be anything from one or two to about a dozen crickets per feeding. By removing free-roaming crickets after the meal, stress and possible physical nibbling injuries can be prevented.

Cricket species

The two main cricket species fed to Leopard geckos in South Africa are the European house cricket, also called the grey cricket (Acheta domestica) and the Common black cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus). Both these species are high in protein and energy. In comparison with most cockroaches, crickets are more proliferous and softer. They are also easy to dust and gut-load. When compared to grasshoppers and many other feeder insects, they are easier to breed, their legs are more reduced and the thorax is easier to digest, which, more importantly, makes them safe to feed.

Crickets should always be gut-loaded 24 to 48 hours prior to being fed to Bearded dragons. Because feeder crickets have an unfavourable Ca:P ratio (1:12) it is also recommended that they are dusted with an appropriate Leopard gecko calcium supplement two to three times a week.

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Introduction to feeding Dubia roaches to Leopard geckos

As with most other nutritionally balanced insects, Dubias contains most of the main ingredients, namely proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and water. The fact that Dubias are practical and easy to breed, manageable and non-odorous makes them increasingly popular feeder insects.

Adult Dubia roaches. Image from DragonRancher.com

Female Dubias have no wings where the males do, but rarely flies. They are slow-moving and do not like to climb vertical surfaces. When compared with crickets, they are not noisy.

Dubia roach adults are blackish with brown markings and the growing nymphs are brownish with spots. All stages appear white soon after moulting. Unlike most other cockroaches and crickets, Dubia roaches are known to have a non-odorous smell.

Dubia roaches are well balanced and are great to feed to Leopard geckos. With their relatively soft bodies, they are easy to chew and digest.

Sizes range from nymphs which are about 3 mm / 1/8 ” in length to adults growing to about 3.8 cm / 1 ½ “. This size range is ideal to feed to juvenile and adult Leopard geckos.

Feeder Dubia roaches range from 3 mm / 1/8 ” in length to about 3.8 cm / 1 ½ “. Image from DubiaRoachDepot.com

Feeder Dubias should be gut-loaded twenty-four to forty-eight hours prior to being fed to Leopard geckos.

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Introduction to feeding waxworms to Leopard geckos

Waxworms are soft-bodied larvae and grows to about 2.5 cm / 1 ” in length. In some countries, they are readily available from breeders and specialised pet shops. Due to their size variation, they can be fed to most sizes of Leopard geckos.

They are one of the favourites among pet Leopard geckos, but is also very high in fat and relatively low in protein (ca. 25% fat and 14% protein), which limits their use as a staple diet. Waxworms should mainly be fed as a snack to Leopard geckos, and not a staple or protein source. Other higher protein feeder insects such as crickets and/or cockroaches should make out the bulk of a pet Leopard gecko’s food.

Although high in calcium, Waxworms have poor calcium to phosphorus ratio (1:7) and should be offered in a shallow escape-proof dish with suitable calcium supplementation.

As larvae, Waxworms do not eat any nutrition and will be suitable for feeding for about a month when kept at room temperatures. They are however sensitive to moisture and dark larvae should be discarded.

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Although their natural life cycle is seasonal, silkworms are easy and relative cheap to keep and culture. Other than food items for Leopard geckos and other reptiles, silkworms are popularly cultured on large scale for their ability to produce silk.

In some countries, silkworms are readily available from specialised pet shops and online retailers (Buy live silkworms from Amazon.com). Silkworms are quiet, slow-moving, fairly odourless, need little maintenance and relatively small amounts of space.

Silkworm nutritional values*

Silkworms offer great value as food for Leopard geckos. When looking at their nutritional composition, they are high in protein, vitamines, calcium and other minerals and low in fat:

* Values are averages calculated from sources. Expressed as %DM except moisture.

When comparing silkworms with other crawling food such as mealworms (T. molitor), they have similar amounts of protein (ca. 59% ^{(5) (17)} vs. 54% ^{(1) (2) (4) (5) (6) (8) (9) (14)} ), less fat (ca. 17% ^{(5) (17)} vs. 30% ^{(1) (2) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (14)} ), more usable calcium (Ca:P ratio of about 1:2 ⁽¹³⁾ vs. 1:14 ^{(5) (6) (8) (9) (11) (14) (18)} ) and are just as tasty. When compared to crickets (A. domestica), silkworms have similar protein levels (ca. 64% ^{(3) (5) (6) (8)} vs. 59% ^{(5) (17)} ), less available calcium (ca. 1:5 ^{(6) (8) (18)} vs. 1:2 ⁽¹³⁾ ) and similar amounts of fat (21% ^{(3) (5) (6) (8)} vs. 17% ^{(5) (17)} ).

Silkworm sizes

• Hatchling / first instar 3 mm
• Second instar 9 – 19 mm / 3/8  – 3/4 ” (small silkworms)
• Third Instar 19 – 31 mm  / 3/4 – 1 1/4 ” (medium silkworms)
• Fourth instar 31- 44 mm / 1 1/4 – 1 7/8 ” (large silkworms)
• Fifth instar 50 – 75 mm / 2 – 3 ” (x-large silkworms)
• Moth has a wingspan of 40 – 50 mm / 1.5 – 2 “

Feeding silkworms to Leopard geckos

When available, silkworms can be fed to any size and age Leopard gecko. They are considered palatable (tasty) and are readily accepted by Leopard geckos and other insectivorous reptiles (making them a great choice for picky eaters too). Silkworms have soft bodies that make them easy and safe to swallow and digest. Because of their high protein and available calcium levels, they are popularly fed to gravid female and growing Leopard geckos.

Silkworm life cycle

Silkworms hatch from eggs produced by Mulberry silkmoths. After hatching, a silkworm will grow through several larval stages before pupating and emerging as a silkmoth again.

Newly hatched silkworm larvae are very tiny and will eat for anything between 12 and 56 days, consuming large amounts of mulberry leaves. The time it takes a silkworm to grow is dependant on the environmental temperature and the availability of food. Colder temperatures will prolong this period and vice versa. During their growth period, they will molt four times. The times between their moltings are called instars. The larvae of all four these stages (collectively called silkworms), can be fed to Leopard geckos.

After the last moulting and being about 50 to 75 mm / 2 to 3 “, the silkworm will stop eating and spin a cocoon from its own silk. Metamorphosis (changing into a moth) will take two to three weeks to complete. Moths that emerges from the cocoon will not eat at all. Their only goal is to find a moth of the opposite sex, breed and lay eggs again. A female silkmoth can lay anything from 200 to 500 eggs. Silkmoths are generally not fed to Leopard geckos.

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Feeding waxworms to Leopard geckos

Waxworms are the larvae of one of the two related wax moth species, the Lesser moth (Achroia grisella) or the Greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella). Wax moths are pests of bee hives used for honey production, but makes great foodstuffs for pet Leopard geckos. Read article

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Mealworm larvae contain high amounts of fat (ca. 12 – 13%), relatively low amounts protein (ca. 20.3%) and has a Ca:P ratio of about 1:18.

Because of their fats tails, Leopard geckos can eat high volumes of mealworms without problems. Whereas the high fat levels cause obesity and other problems in most other pet lizards, Leopard geckos tend to store this fat in their tails, mainly utilizing the proteins for growth and body function.

Mealworms can be fed in a shallow, escape-proof dish with calcium supplementation to stimulate its intake. They should always be fresh. Uneaten mealworms should be removed and replaced every day. Although mealworms are a relatively good food source for Leopard geckos, it is important not to feed them as the only protein source. Other higher protein feeder insects such as crickets and/or cockroaches should make out the bulk of a pet Leopard gecko’s food.

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