Essential Nutrients Your Gecko Needs
Crickets are a popular food source for pet geckos due to their convenience and variety. Crickets supply key nutrients that help your gecko maintain its health and vitality, so it’s important to feed your gecko a well-balanced diet with the right cricket nutrition.
Protein
Crickets are a great option for natural protein. Protein helps your gecko to grow and maintain a healthy weight. As geckos are strictly carnivorous, a cricket diet will offer a lot of animal-based protein.
Fats
Crickets are also a good source of healthy fats, mainly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Healthy fats are essential for your gecko’s growth and development, as well as for its energy levels.
Vitamins and Minerals
Crickets are an excellent source of key vitamins and minerals. They are high in calcium, which helps to strengthen bones, as well as Vitamin A, which helps to maintain healthy vision and skin.
There are also trace minerals in crickets like copper, iron, zinc and phosphorus that help your gecko’s overall health.
Nutritional Additives for Geckos
While crickets themselves are a healthy food source for geckos, it’s also important to supplement their diet. Consider adding these additions to their cricket feed:
- Vitamin and mineral powders – Vitamin and mineral powders are a great way to give your gecko an extra boost of essential nutrients.
- Gravy powder – Gravy powder is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, and helps to make crickets palatable and keep them crunchy.
- Fruits and vegetables – Fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of natural vitamins and minerals, and many geckos will enjoy them.
- Insect gut-load – Insect gut-load is a way to boost crickets with essential nutrients like calcium and phosphorus before feeding them to your gecko.
Conclusion
Crickets are an excellent food source for geckos, thanks to their natural protein, fat, vitamin and mineral content. To ensure your gecko gets the most out of its diet, supplement their cricket feed with the additions mentioned above. With proper nutrition, your gecko can remain healthy and happy.
