The Complete Leopard Gecko Diet Guide
Leopard geckos are strict insectivores — they eat live insects and nothing else. No greens, no fruit, no commercial pellets. That single fact is the most important thing about feeding them, because it means 100% of their nutrition comes from the bugs you choose and how you prep them. Get the feeder selection, gut-loading, and calcium right and a leo will thrive for fifteen or twenty years. Get it wrong and the problems are slow, quiet, and avoidable. Here's exactly how I feed mine.
The best insects for leopard geckos
| Feeder | Role | Protein | Fat | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discoid roach nymphs | Daily staple | ~20% | ~7% | Every 2-3 days |
| Silkworms | Low-fat premium | ~9% | ~1% | 2-3x/week |
| BSFL | Calcium (no dusting) | ~17% | ~14% | 2-3x/week |
| Hornworms | Hydration treat | ~9% | ~3% | 1x/week (small only) |
| Mealworms | Convenient backup | ~20% | ~13% | 1-2x/week (adults only) |
The foundation is the discoid roach nymph. It's the best everyday feeder I've found: high protein, moderate fat, fully gut-loadable, long shelf life, silent, odorless, and — importantly for a keeper — discoid roaches (Blaberus discoidalis) can't climb smooth walls, so the ones that get loose stay in the dish or the bin instead of scaling your enclosure. Everything else in the table is a supplement that covers a specific gap: silkworms for leanness and hydration, BSFL for calcium, hornworms for water and appetite, mealworms as a fridge-stable backup for adults.
Feeding schedule by age
- Hatchlings (0-6 months): 5-8 small insects daily. Focus on small roach nymphs, small silkworms, and BSFL.
- Sub-adults (6-12 months): 5-8 small-to-medium insects every other day.
- Adults (12+ months): 5-8 medium insects every 2-3 days.
A useful gut-check is the tail. A healthy leo carries a plump tail roughly as wide as its neck. If the tail starts getting wider than the head, you're overfeeding — stretch the interval and lean on lower-fat feeders.
Calcium: the supplement that matters most
Because leos eat only insects, and insects are phosphorus-heavy, calcium supplementation isn't optional — it's the difference between healthy bones and metabolic bone disease. My routine:
- Every feeding: dust the staple feeders with calcium plus D3.
- 2-3x/week: offer BSFL, the one feeder that carries enough natural calcium (around a 6.9:1 calcium-to-phosphorus ratio) to need no dusting at all.
- Once a week: dust with a reptile multivitamin.
- Always available: a shallow dish of plain calcium powder in the enclosure. Many leos voluntarily lick it when their bodies want more — it's one of the simplest safety nets you can give them.
Common diet mistakes
- Mealworm-only diets. Too fatty (~13%) and the worst mineral ratio of any feeder (~0.04:1). Fine as an occasional adult treat, disastrous as the whole diet — and not for juveniles at all.
- Overfeeding adults. A tail wider than the head or fatty "armpit bubbles" means it's time to cut back.
- No variety. A single-feeder diet causes deficiencies no matter which feeder it is. Rotate three or four types.
- Waxworm addiction. Leos get hooked on waxworms and then refuse everything else. Use them almost never.
The sizing rule
Never feed an insect wider than the space between your gecko's eyes. Leopard geckos are small lizards; most adults should be eating medium feeders, not large. When you're unsure, size down — several small bugs deliver the same nutrition as one oversized one without the choking or impaction risk.
Get these four things right — a roach staple, a lean and a calcium supplement, consistent dusting, and correct sizing — and leopard gecko feeding becomes genuinely easy.
Set up the habitat to match with my leopard gecko enclosure setup guide, and dial in dusting with the reptile calcium and vitamin schedule.
Sources: MSD Veterinary Manual — Nutrition in Reptiles · Finke, M.D. (2013). "Complete nutrient content of four species of feeder insects." Zoo Biology 32:27-36. doi:10.1002/zoo.21012