When it comes to pets, any animal that requires live feed is quite obviously more complex than your usual dog-food-in-bowl routine. Thankfully, taking care of this creature is so rewarding, many consider them worth the effort.
Leopard Geckos, originating in the desert regions of the Middle East, are insectivores. Contrary to human nutritional tenets, these lizards do not benefit from fruits and vegetables. While there are many other things these reptiles consume (locusts, waxworms, cockroaches), their main menu consists of two items: crickets and mealworms.
Crickets
Crickets are excellent leopard gecko feed. Since they move around quite a bit, they serve another purpose: during mealtimes, they simulate the hunting scenario the lizards would experience in the wild. This is healthy, as your leopard gecko needs exercise and stimulation. Crickets are also easily available and are arguably the most nutritious of the leopard gecko feed options. Crickets also have a thinner protective covering than mealworms. This makes them easier on your gecko's digestive system.
There are some issues that lizard keepers have with these critters. For one, crickets make quite a bit of noise. Live crickets will also need housing and food. Remember to only put the right amount into the vivarium. Only 3-4 crickets for each gecko. When uneaten, crickets are known to gnaw at the geckos-- not fun.
Mealworms
Mealworms on the other hand, are relatively trouble free. You only need to put them in a shallow pan and feed them to geckos. They also do have a very high fat content which can be both detrimental AND beneficial to your pet. Mealworms, however tend to bury themselves into the substrate. Feeding time can quickly turn into a tiring game of hide and seek. Since they don't move around as much, they are not as stimulating. To resolve this, during gutloading (the process of feeding your feed), you may put some cricket dust (which you can buy in pet stores) into their pan. The cricket dust annoys them and makes them move around, getting them covered in the nutritious cricket food, and makes them stimulating to your gecko.
Although many breeders see mealworms more as a treat for their pets rather than a staple food, many other handlers have fed their geckos mealworms for years without ill effects.
At the end of the day, as with all things, it all boils down to figuring out what works for you and your pet. I hope this article helped sort things out for you.
Ethan Milroy is a leopard gecko aficionado. In his book, "Leopard Gecko Care Made Simple", he shares his expert knowledge to help other lizard lovers become expert handlers. [http://leopardgeckocaring.com/leopard-gecko-feed]
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