Updated 16 October 2026
Leopard geckos eat only live insects. The best staple foods are crickets and dubia roaches, with mealworms as a third option, and waxworms and superworms kept as occasional treats. Babies need food every day, juveniles every other day and adults two to three times a week. Offer as many insects as your gecko will eat in 10 to 15 minutes, each no bigger than the space between its eyes. Feed the insects a nutritious gut-load diet for a day or two first, and dust them with calcium powder before every meal. Leopard geckos can't digest fruit or vegetables.
Below is how the common feeder insects compare, a feeding chart by age, and how to gut load and dust your gecko's food.
Best feeder insects for leopard geckos
| Insect | Use as | Good | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crickets | Staple | Cheap, sold everywhere, and their movement gets geckos hunting | Noisy, smelly and escape easily. Leftover crickets can bite a sleeping gecko |
| Dubia roaches | Staple | More meat per insect, quiet, can't climb smooth plastic or fly, and live for months | Not allowed in some places, including Florida. Some geckos ignore them because they move slowly |
| Mealworms | Staple or regular extra | Easy to keep, and stay put in a dish so you don't have to chase them | Harder shells and more fat than crickets, so mix them with other insects |
| Black soldier fly larvae | Regular extra | Naturally high in calcium, good for juveniles | Small, so adults need a lot of them |
| Superworms | Occasional, adults only | Big, lively and well liked | Fatty, and they can bite. Too big for babies |
| Hornworms | Treat | Very juicy, which helps a gecko that isn't drinking much | Expensive and grow fast |
| Waxworms | Treat only | Geckos love them, and they help a thin gecko gain weight | Very fatty. Geckos fed too many refuse other food |
Variety matters more than any one insect. A gecko fed only one type of insect is more likely to become a fussy eater and miss out on nutrients, so rotate at least two staples.
Crickets for leopard geckos
Crickets are the most common leopard gecko food. Banded crickets and brown house crickets are both fine. Buy crickets that are no longer than the space between your gecko's eyes: pinhead or 1/4 inch crickets for babies, 1/2 inch for juveniles and 3/4 inch or adult crickets for adults.
Keep them in a ventilated tub such as a Fluker's cricket keeper with egg crate to climb on, food and a water source. A shallow dish of water crystals or a slice of carrot is safer than open water, which they drown in. Take any crickets your gecko hasn't eaten out of the tank after 15 minutes, because they nibble on geckos at night. If you go through a lot of crickets, breeding your own is cheaper, and Cricket Breeding Made Simple walks you through it.
Our crickets for leopard geckos guide has a full cricket size chart, how many to feed at each age and the best crickets to buy.
Dubia roaches for leopard geckos
Dubia roaches are many keepers' favourite staple. A single roach holds far more food than a cricket, they don't smell or chirp, and they live for months in a smooth-sided tub with egg crate, gut-load food and slices of fruit or vegetables for moisture. Use roaches no wider than the space between your gecko's eyes. Because dubia move slowly, some geckos ignore them at first. Offering them with tongs or in a dish usually helps.
Our dubia roaches for leopard geckos guide has a roach size chart, how many to feed and how to start your own colony.
Mealworms for leopard geckos
Mealworms are easy to keep: store them in a tub of oats or bran in the fridge, and take out a day's worth to warm up before feeding. Serve them in a smooth, steep-sided dish such as an Exo Terra worm dish so they can't burrow into the substrate. Mealworms have harder shells and more fat than crickets or dubia, so they are best as one part of a varied diet rather than the only food. The old myth that mealworms eat their way out of a gecko's stomach is not true.
Our mealworms for leopard geckos guide covers how many to feed by age and how to keep them alive for weeks.
Leopard gecko feeding chart
| Age | How often | How many insects | Insect size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby, 0 to 4 months | Every day | 5 to 7 small insects | Pinhead to 1/4 inch |
| Juvenile, 4 to 12 months | Every other day | 6 to 10 medium insects | 1/4 to 1/2 inch |
| Adult, over 12 months | 2 to 3 times a week | 6 to 8 large insects | 1/2 to 3/4 inch, or adult crickets |
These numbers are a starting point. The better guide is to offer as many insects as your gecko eats in 10 to 15 minutes, and watch its tail. A healthy leopard gecko's tail is about as thick as its neck. A thin tail means feed more often, and a tail wider than the head, or bulges in the armpits, means cut back. Feed in the evening, when leopard geckos are naturally active.
Leopard geckos often eat less in winter, during breeding season and in the days before a shed, so a few skipped meals are normal. If your gecko is losing weight, see our guide to why a leopard gecko stops eating.
How to gut load feeder insects
Gut loading means feeding the insects a nutritious diet for 24 to 48 hours before your gecko eats them, so the goodness passes on. Feeder insects from the shop are often hungry and empty, so this step makes a big difference.
- Use a ready-made gut-load food such as Fluker's High-Calcium Cricket Diet or Repashy SuperLoad.
- Add fresh vegetables like carrot, sweet potato, collard greens or squash for extra vitamins and moisture.
- Avoid feeding insects onion, citrus, avocado or anything with pesticides on it.
Calcium and vitamin dusting
Captive leopard geckos need extra calcium. Without it they can develop metabolic bone disease, which causes soft, bent bones and is one of the most common health problems in pet geckos. To dust insects, put them in a bag or tub with a pinch of powder and shake gently until they are lightly coated.
| Supplement | How often | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium with vitamin D3 | Every feeding for babies and juveniles, about twice a week for adults. If you use UVB lighting, once a week is enough | Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 |
| Calcium without D3 | At the other feedings, and many keepers leave a small dish of it in the tank | Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3 |
| Multivitamin | Once a week, or every other week for adults | Rep-Cal Herptivite |
An all-in-one powder such as Repashy Calcium Plus combines calcium, D3 and vitamins, which keeps things simple. Use it at most feedings for young geckos and about twice a week for adults. Our leopard gecko calcium powder guide compares the powders and covers calcium dishes and the signs of too little calcium.
What not to feed a leopard gecko
| Food | Why not |
|---|---|
| Fruit, vegetables or any plant food | Leopard geckos are insect eaters and can't digest plants |
| Wild-caught insects | Can carry pesticides and parasites |
| Fireflies | Toxic to reptiles, even in small amounts |
| Insects bigger than the space between the eyes | Can cause choking or impaction |
| Dead or dried insects as the main food | Most geckos only eat moving prey, and dried insects lack moisture |
| Pinkie mice | Very fatty and not needed in a healthy gecko's diet |
What should a leopard gecko drink?
Give your gecko a shallow dish of fresh water, changed every day. Dechlorinated tap water or bottled spring water is fine. Leopard geckos don't usually drink from droplets, so misting isn't a substitute for a water dish. Put the dish on the cool side, where it won't raise the humidity much.
Leopard gecko food FAQ
What do leopard geckos eat?
Live insects only. Crickets and dubia roaches make the best staples, mealworms and black soldier fly larvae are good extras, and waxworms and superworms are treats.
How often should I feed my leopard gecko?
Every day for babies up to 4 months, every other day for juveniles up to a year, and two to three times a week for adults.
How many crickets should I feed a leopard gecko?
About 5 to 7 small crickets a day for a baby, 6 to 10 every other day for a juvenile and 6 to 8 large crickets two to three times a week for an adult. Let it eat as many as it wants in 10 to 15 minutes, then remove the rest.
Are dubia roaches better than crickets for leopard geckos?
Dubia roaches give more food per insect, don't smell or chirp and are easier to keep, so many keepers prefer them. Crickets are cheaper and easier to buy, and their movement suits fussy eaters. Most geckos do best on a mix of both.
Can leopard geckos eat mealworms every day?
Mealworms are fine as a regular food, but not as the only one. They have harder shells and more fat than crickets or dubia roaches, so rotate them with other insects.
Can leopard geckos eat fruit or vegetables?
No. Leopard geckos can only digest insects. Feed fruit and vegetables to the insects instead, as part of gut loading.