Insects are the primary source of protein for leopard geckos. Insects are their main diet. But that does not mean your leopard gecko would be happy with any type of insect. They have some preferences as well.
And not all insects are safe to give to your pet leopard gecko. So before giving any insect to your leopard gecko, make sure it is safe for them.
Can leopard geckos eat grasshoppers?
Grasshoppers are perfectly safe to give to your leopard geckos. Insects are a good source of protein for leopard geckos. Which is why it is a good idea to give your leopard gecko a dose of grasshoppers two to three times a week. The insect is not toxic for the lizard and they tend to enjoy as well.
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Leopard geckos only live on insects and some very few greens. Most of their diet chart consists of various types of insects. These lizards are very much fond of insects and bugs. Especially insects that have a bit of crunch to them. Like the grasshoppers.
Grasshoppers are a favorite of the leopard geckos. The lizard love having grasshoppers every other day, and if possible every day.
It is healthy to feed your leopard gecko a good dose of grasshoppers twice or three times every week. It provides the leopard gecko with enough protein and the lizard loves it as well.
Wild grasshoppers:
While wild insects are considered harmful to leopard geckos because of parasites and chemicals, wild grasshoppers are fine for the lizards.
Wild grasshoppers do not carry any toxin or chemicals that might cause harm to your leopard gecko. You can give your gecko a wild grasshoppers without worry.
Freeze dried grasshoppers:
Leopard geckos have a thing against lifeless insects. The lizard always prefers to catch their food before they have it. Which is why they do not like frozen and dried up grasshoppers.
It is still a good source of nutrition and protein. You can give your leopard gecko freeze dried grasshoppers every once in a while.
Grasshoppers are a good food for leopard geckos. In fact, it is one of the favorites of the lizard. The leopard gecko enjoy the crunch of the grasshopper. It is ideal to give grasshoppers to the leopard gecko twice or thrice a week.
3 reason why leopard geckos eat grasshoppers
Any and most type of insect is perfect for leopard geckos. That is basically what the lizards live on. And naturally, there are some insects that the gecko prefers over the others. Insects that have an extra crunch to them.
Apart from the very obvious reason the other reason why leopard geckos eat grasshoppers are given below-
Protein Source:
Grasshoppers are a good source of protein. And as the leopard gecko lives mostly on greens and insects they need all the protein they can get. That is where the grasshoppers jumps in, literally. These insects are filled with the good protein a leopard gecko needs.
Playful food:
Leopard geckos do not like it if their food is already lifeless. They like to play around with their food for a while. The lizard likes the chase and thrill before they have their food.
Grasshoppers being very jumpy and active, even inside the cage with the leopard gecko makes for the perfect food for the lizard. This is a very peculiar reason for why the lizard is so fond of the insect.
Crunch:
Lizards prefer crunchy insects. This is why they do not eat lifeless insects as well. Grasshoppers have a hard exterior which the leopard gecko loves.
Insects are the major food for leopard geckos. Though there are many types of insects that are good for the lizard, they have a preference. And among the insects, grasshoppers are at a good position on that favorites list for the leopard geckos.
How many grasshoppers should a leopard gecko eat?
Leopard geckos should not be given too much insects. In fact the lizards should not be given insects on a daily basis. Even if you give insects to your leopard gecko every day make sure it is in very small portions. The leopard gecko does not need much food or insects to eat.
You should not give more than two grasshopper for an inch of the body length of the leopard gecko. This is the ideal food intake capacity for the leopard gecko. It is prevailing for any insect or bug. If the grasshopper is very big you should give only one to you leopard gecko.
It does not matter if your leopard gecko is an adult or a baby. How many grasshoppers should be given to the leopard gecko depends on its’ size. The amount of grasshoppers given should not be more that two portions for each inch of the lizard.
How to feed grasshoppers to your leopard gecko?
Feeding any insect to you gecko is not a very difficult feat. You just have to know what to do and how to do it.
And geckos prefer to play with their food before they have them. If the insect is lifeless, leopard geckos automatically do not want to eat it. So it may seem difficult to feed a live insect to your lizard-
- Catch a fresh and live grasshopper for the day.
- Put it in a plastic bag.
- Shake the bag well. Until the grasshopper is no longer moving much or has fainted.
- When the grasshopper stops making much noise or stops moving much take it out with a tweezers.
- Very carefully you should place the grasshopper in the container with your gecko.
- Put the lid on the container as soon as you put down the grasshopper.
- Wait for your leopard gecko to approach the grasshopper.
- After a few seconds the leopard gecko will grab the grasshopper in its mouth and eat it.
Geckos do not like it if their food is not moving. They prefer to play around before they devour the grasshopper. It is a part of their predator instinct. So make sure the grasshopper you give to your leopard gecko is not completely lifeless.
It is not difficult to feed grasshoppers to your leopard gecko. It is very easy. You just have to know how to do it.
What insects are toxic to leopard geckos?
Insects are the primary food for geckos. But that does not mean all insects are good for leopard geckos.
There are some insects and bugs that you should avoid giving to your leopard gecko at any cost. Most of the insects that should be avoided are mostly wild insects. And other insects as such are-
Wild insects:
Any bug directly brought from the wild or nature is not good to give to your leopard gecko. It may contain many parasite or toxins that might cause a good deal of harm to your lizard. Try to avoid giving bugs straight from the wild to your leopard gecko.
Bio luminescent insects:
Basically the bugs that have lighting abilities because of the mixture of chemicals. These chemicals are very toxic for leopard geckos.
Insects like the fireflies or the lightning bug are strictly off limits for the leopard gecko. Long story short if the bug glows then it is an absolute no for your leopard gecko.
Though most insects are perfectly safe for leopard geckos, there are some that you should avoid giving to your lizard. This list is not very long so you can easily avoid the insects that are bad for your lizard.
Can crickets terminate a leopard gecko?
Though it may not seem like it but crickets can cause a good deal of damage to your leopard gecko. There is little chance that your leopard gecko will be eaten by a cricket. But the cricket can have some fatal consequences on your leopard gecko, if left alone for too long.
If you feed crickets to your pet leopard gecko then make sure it has no toxin or poison in it. This may be difficult to examine so it is best to avoid feeding the lizard cricket altogether. And if you do make sure your leopard gecko eats it right away.
If you keep a cricket together with a leopard gecko for too long, there is a good chance that the cricket will go bite the lizard. The bite might not terminate the leopard gecko but if the cricket has poison in it, the consequences could be very dangerous.
Final thoughts
Grasshoppers are a good choice of food to give to your leopard gecko. Though the lizard is okay with most types of insects, grasshoppers are a favorite of the leopard geckos. As long as the grasshopper is not wild it is safe for the lizard. You can give it to them without any worry.