Understand the common health concerns seen with Leaf-tailed Geckos
Learn about the insects we feed our collection of Uroplatus geckos and how we raise our own insects. You’ll also learn about Supplementation for Leaf-Tailed Geckos – what works for us and what may work for you.
We hope you don't mind bugs...
Uroplatus are insectivorous geckos. This means that they eat bugs. Pretty simple, right? Below, you’ll find a list of the insects we feed the Uroplatus collection here at Nealon Reptiles.
We’ve seen people feeding their Uroplatus premade Gecko food, like Pangea Crested Gecko diet. Don’t do this – it is dumb and makes no sense. Your Uroplatus won’t be getting a close reproduction of what they’d eat in the wild.
A great feeder insect, Dubia Roaches are an integral food item for many of our Uroplatus species. For larger species, Dubias make up the bulk of their diet.
Probably the most common feeder insect in the USA, Crickets can make a great feeder insect for Leaf-Tailed Geckos. For many of our smaller species, crickets make up the bulk of what they eat.
Red Runner Roaches make a great addition to any Uroplatus’ diet. Much more active than Dubia Roaches, these roaches can catch the attention of your more finicky Geckos, encouraging them to eat.
How often should you feed Leaf-tailed Geckos
Leaf-tailed Geckos probably don’t need to eat as often as you may think. With slow metabolisms, Uroplatus are just fine being fed three a week.
There are exceptions to this general rule.
- During Breeding Season, we often feed 6 days per week while our females actively lay eggs. It isn’t all about the bugs; we also want to get the supplements into the geckos, especially calcium. This helps to ensure that your females have the calcium they need to replace the calcium taken for eggs.
- Babies! We feed our babies daily. Your growing Leaf-tailed babies will appreciate the extra feeding days while growing.
How many Insects to Feed them?
For most species, we feed around 8-ish insects at every feeding. Our enclosures have a lot of plants and places for insects to hide, so a few of them often live until the next night. This gives our Uroplatus opportunities to feed, even on nights when we’re not tossing bugs in for them.
Our baby Uroplatus are kept in smaller enclosures, so we only feed as many insects as they’ll eat within an hour or so. We don’t want the crickets harming the tiny hatchlings.
