Some people love to spend their time with dogs and cats, but some really love to go beyond some boundaries in case of pets. Yes it’s about a wish that is unique. Canines and felines are common pets but what about reptiles? No you hardly find out such pets in your friend’s house. But whatever is rare is of course unique. So what about you select a Leopard gecko as your pet? It’s going to be tough to get some information about their diet and care. But as we are here to help you out, we have brought some really useful leopard gecko diet and care information.
Leopard Gecko Diet and Care Information:
Diet:
In order to maintain the health of your gecko, it’s very essential to serve them with a proper diet. You probably know that they are insectivores that mean they feed themselves on insects. Getting insects on a regular basis is not so easy for every owner and for that you should make sure that you get a food supplier who can supply proper food for your gecko on a regular basis before buying a leopard gecko. But here we will be giving a list of insects that are great food for leopard geckos. Have a look on it.
Crickets: In this matter, there are various types of crickets you will find as a diet for your Gecko. The main thing you have to keep in mind while feeding crickets is that the length should be always half the width of the geckos head. Actually black crickets are slower than the brown crickets and hence it becomes easier for the gecko to catch and eat. Four types of cricket that are very much nutritional for the geckos are Banded cricket, Black field cricket, Silent Brown Cricket and Brown House Cricket.
Mealworms: Mealworms are great for feeding as history says. It is an example of staple diet which serves as a better option than many other foods. There are many animals that are only fed on mealworms. When feeding them mealworms, try to feed them newly moulted worms which reduces the amount of chitin and increases the nutritional ratio.
Locusts: Actually variation in diet is very necessary for each and every animal in this world. Especially for the pets, when you have an option, you should always go for variations in food. Locusts serve as a good variation in this matter for geckos. After all it is also a high protein package. But it costs very high and so not regarded as a staple food.
Waxworms: Waxworms can be a good option for geckos but not on a regular basis. That means, you can’t think of waxworms as a staple dietary option. It contains high fat and proved as an addictive diet. Waxworms can be given once or twice a week as a treat but not on a regular basis.
Silkworms: It’s difficult to get silkworms on a common basis, but if you get, they are very good source of protein,
vitamins and minerals. They don’t have a large shelf life, so you will have to buy in an exact quantity needed for your pet.
These are the insects that are very much good for feeding your geckos, but apart from all these you will also provide them with enough amounts of water and supplements. Actually fresh clean water should be available to the geckos all the time. Also clean the water containers at a regular basis. And talking about the supplements, we suggest you all to use Nutrobal as a beneficial food. It balances the calcium in the gecko’s body as well as rich in multi-vitamins that help in making bones stronger in snakes, lizards and tortoises.
Care:
Yes you really love your pet and you wish to care about them a lot. But the only obstacle that comes in your way is the proper knowledge about caring these animals. As you have seen earlier in this article that we elaboratively discussed about the dietary needs of a gecko and now we will tell you all about the care factor that are very much essential for the geckos. Here are the factors you should keep in mind while caring them.
Heat: You know well that reptiles are cold blooded and for that they will always need a heat to control their body temperature. You should provide a heat of about 90F and this will do the entire job. But remember if you are keeping your pet in a glass enclosure, don’t heat up the entire area. Heat a particular at a time. Geckos should be exposed to light 10-12 hours a day and as they are nocturnal, they don’t need UVB light.
Cleaning: It’s better to use paper substrates such as newspaper, paper towel etc to clean them. But never try to use sand as their digestive track gets impacted with it.
Shelter: leopard geckos are completely nocturnal and hence shelters within their enclosure will help them to sleep and hide in. You can make the shelter with anything you like. Even you can keep a plastic container upside down with a cut on one side as a door for them. One of these hide areas should be moist which helps them in the shedding process. Use damp paper or moss for better results.
Shedding: Leopard geckos shed their skin every four weeks. Before this shedding procedure, they will start appearing dull in color. Geckos eat their skin once they shed in and it is a matter of some hours. If you see any unshedded part on their body, just soak them in a Luke warm water for just 30 minutes and this will help them to shed it.
So you should always take care when handling a gecko. Never hold their tail when you pick them up as they detach their tail and regrows them by a process known as caudal autotomy. They become very tame with regular contact. So these are the thing you should keep in mind for handling a leopard gecko. We hope that this article on leopard gecko diet and care information will come in a lot of your help.
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