What do leopard geckos eat?
The short answer
Leopard geckos are obligate insectivores. They eat live invertebrates and nothing else: no fruit, no vegetables, no commercial pellet or powdered diet. A correct diet is a rotation of gut-loaded feeder insects dusted with calcium, with high-fat insects such as waxworms kept as occasional treats rather than staples.
Feeding schedule by age
| Life stage | Diet balance | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchling, 0-4 months | Small feeders | Daily | Dust every feeding. D3 frequency depends on UVB (see below) |
| Juvenile, 4-12 months | Growing feeders | Daily or every other day | Dust every feeding. D3 frequency depends on UVB (see below) |
| Adult, 12+ months | Staple rotation | Every 2-3 days | Dust most feedings; multivitamin roughly biweekly |
What to feed
| Food | Role | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dubia roaches | Staple | Excellent protein and ratio, low chitin |
| Crickets | Staple | Cheap, active, must be gut-loaded |
| Black soldier fly larvae | Staple | Naturally calcium-rich |
| Mealworms | Regular | Convenient; offer in a shallow dish |
| Hornworms | Rotation | Hydrating, very low fat |
| Silkworms | Rotation | High quality, expensive |
| Waxworms | Treat only | Very high fat |
| Superworms | Treat only | High fat; large for small geckos |
| Pinky mice | Rarely / never | Not needed; commonly overused |
What never to feed
Items in this table are either outright toxic or cause predictable long-term harm. This is the part of the page worth reading twice.
| Do not feed | Why |
|---|---|
| Fruit and vegetables | Not digestible by an obligate insectivore. No nutritional role. |
| Commercial pellet or powdered gecko diets | Formulated for fruit-eating geckos, not this species. |
| Wild-caught insects | Pesticide, parasite and toxicity risk. |
| Fireflies / lightning bugs | Toxic to reptiles. |
| Insects larger than the space between the eyes | Standard feeder-size rule; oversized prey risks impaction. |
| Feeding on loose fine sand | Associated with impaction risk; see our impaction page. |
Where good sources disagree
Care sheets do not all say the same thing, and pretending otherwise helps nobody. These are the real points of difference between the sources cited at the foot of this page, and what we think the safe reading is.
Exactly how often to dust with D3.
Sources vary from calcium with D3 at most feedings to twice weekly for adults. The variation is real but the reason is simple: the right amount of supplemental D3 depends on whether the animal is given UVB. A gecko with appropriate UVB needs less dietary D3 than one kept without it. Rather than copying a number, decide your lighting setup first, then follow a supplement schedule written for that setup.
Whether leopard geckos need UVB at all.
Older care advice says no, because the species is crepuscular. Current husbandry sources increasingly recommend low-level UVB, and report better bone health and activity. This page takes no position on your setup, but it matters here because it changes the supplementation schedule above.
What most leopard gecko feeding advice gets wrong
The tail tells you if the diet is right.
Leopard geckos store fat in the tail, which makes body condition unusually easy to read. A healthy adult tail is roughly as wide as the neck. Thin and narrow means underfed or ill; wider than the body, with fat pads behind the back legs, means overfed. This is a better guide than any feeding chart, because it responds to your actual animal.
Waxworms are not a normal food.
They are routinely sold and fed as a staple, and they are closer to confectionery than nutrition. Geckos readily develop a preference for them and then refuse better feeders, which is a self-inflicted problem that takes weeks to undo. Keep them for medicating, for rehabilitating a thin animal, or for nothing at all.
This is not a gecko you feed like a crested gecko.
The two most popular pet geckos have opposite diets. Crested geckos thrive on a prepared powdered diet; leopard geckos cannot use one at all. Buying the wrong tub is a common and completely avoidable error. See our crested gecko vs leopard gecko comparison.
Common questions
What do leopard geckos eat?
Leopard geckos are obligate insectivores. They eat live insects only: dubia roaches, crickets, black soldier fly larvae, mealworms, hornworms and silkworms are the usual staples. They cannot digest fruit or vegetables, and prepared powdered gecko diets are formulated for other species and are not suitable.
Can leopard geckos eat fruit or vegetables?
No. Leopard geckos are obligate insectivores with no dietary requirement for plant matter and no ability to use it. This is a key difference from crested geckos, which are fed a prepared fruit-based diet. Offering fruit or vegetables to a leopard gecko provides no nutrition.
How often should I feed a leopard gecko?
Hatchlings and young juveniles eat daily. Adults typically eat every two to three days. Rather than following a fixed schedule, judge by tail width: a healthy adult tail is about as wide as the neck, and a tail wider than the body indicates overfeeding.
Do I need to dust leopard gecko insects with calcium?
Yes. Feeder insects are naturally low in calcium and high in phosphorus, so calcium dusting is required, not optional. How often the powder should contain vitamin D3 depends on your lighting: a gecko kept without UVB needs dietary D3 regularly, while one under appropriate low-level UVB makes its own and needs less. Follow a schedule written for your setup.
Are mealworms bad for leopard geckos?
Mealworms are a legitimate regular feeder, not a problem food; they are simply less nutritious than dubia roaches or black soldier fly larvae. The insects to limit are waxworms and superworms, which are high in fat and are best treated as occasional treats. Offer mealworms in a shallow dish so they cannot burrow away.
How do I know if my leopard gecko is overweight?
Look at the tail and the hips. A healthy adult tail is roughly the width of the neck. If the tail is noticeably wider than the body, or there are visible fat pads behind the back legs and in the armpits, the gecko is overweight. Reduce high-fat feeders and extend the interval between meals.