By Jo S. Morris
Leopard geckos have a few needs that are totally non-negotiable: they need a properly temperature-regulated environment with both a warm and a cooler area; they need appropriate food, and they need the right supplements specifically for leopard geckos. All three are critical to the health, happiness and longevity of your leopard, but in this article it is the latter of the three - supplements - that is up for discussion.
So what are the important supplements for leopard geckos in captivity? Here is what they need:
Calcium
Leopard geckos in the wild eat a varied diet of insects and rodents, and those insects and rodents will themselves have eaten a varied diet up until they are caught and eaten. That adds up to a pretty nutritious diet for the wild leo, and one of its key features is a good ratio of calcium to phosphorus. That's very important, as a diet with a ratio of calcium to phosphorus that is weighted in favor of phosphorus will result in not enough calcium being absorbed. This puts them at risk of metabolic bone disease. Unfortunately, most common feeder insects fed to captive leos have a bad ratio of calcium to phosphorus, and that's why a supplement is required.
The best way to feed your leopard a calcium supplement is to gut load its feeder insects with a high-calcium diet. Blend together a sauce made from any of: dandelion greens; watercress; collard greens; mustard greens, and/or endive. Be sure to include both the juice and the pulp. Feed this to the feeder insects during the period 24-48 hours prior to feeding them to your leopard.
Vitamin D3
Leopard geckos in the wild, for obvious reasons, get all the sun (and hence all the vitamin D3) they need. Kept indoors as a pet however, they don't get any sun at all, and that's why a vitamin D3 supplement is needed. A vitamin D3 supplement can be given as part of a multivitamin supplement (see below for how to administer this).
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is another dietary essential for these geckos, and again yours won't get enough of it unless you specifically take steps to ensure that it gets a supplement. An insufficiency of vitamin A can cause serious eye problems, so it's definitely not one to skip.
It's possible to supplement a leopard gecko's diet with vitamin A directly but a better alternative is to supplement it with beta carotene, which it can metabolize into vitamin A.
You won't find it difficult to find a specially formulated reptile multivitamin powder containing both beta carotene and vitamin D3. While a calcium supplement should be given to your leo via gut loading each and every mealtime, the multivitamin should be given only about once every two weeks. The easiest way to give it is to dust it onto feeder insects by putting them in a plastic bag with the powder and giving the bag a shake.
Knowing the right supplements for leopard geckos and giving them the appropriate food and correct temperature will mean healthy and happy leopards to care for.
Leopard geckos in the wild eat a varied diet of insects and rodents, and those insects and rodents will themselves have eaten a varied diet up until they are caught and eaten. That adds up to a pretty nutritious diet for the wild leo, and one of its key features is a good ratio of calcium to phosphorus. That's very important, as a diet with a ratio of calcium to phosphorus that is weighted in favor of phosphorus will result in not enough calcium being absorbed. This puts them at risk of metabolic bone disease. Unfortunately, most common feeder insects fed to captive leos have a bad ratio of calcium to phosphorus, and that's why a supplement is required.
The best way to feed your leopard a calcium supplement is to gut load its feeder insects with a high-calcium diet. Blend together a sauce made from any of: dandelion greens; watercress; collard greens; mustard greens, and/or endive. Be sure to include both the juice and the pulp. Feed this to the feeder insects during the period 24-48 hours prior to feeding them to your leopard.
Vitamin D3
Leopard geckos in the wild, for obvious reasons, get all the sun (and hence all the vitamin D3) they need. Kept indoors as a pet however, they don't get any sun at all, and that's why a vitamin D3 supplement is needed. A vitamin D3 supplement can be given as part of a multivitamin supplement (see below for how to administer this).
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is another dietary essential for these geckos, and again yours won't get enough of it unless you specifically take steps to ensure that it gets a supplement. An insufficiency of vitamin A can cause serious eye problems, so it's definitely not one to skip.
It's possible to supplement a leopard gecko's diet with vitamin A directly but a better alternative is to supplement it with beta carotene, which it can metabolize into vitamin A.
You won't find it difficult to find a specially formulated reptile multivitamin powder containing both beta carotene and vitamin D3. While a calcium supplement should be given to your leo via gut loading each and every mealtime, the multivitamin should be given only about once every two weeks. The easiest way to give it is to dust it onto feeder insects by putting them in a plastic bag with the powder and giving the bag a shake.
Knowing the right supplements for leopard geckos and giving them the appropriate food and correct temperature will mean healthy and happy leopards to care for.
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