Feeding a Madagascar Day Gecko

Serving a Balance of Live Insects and Tropical Fruits

If you are bringing home a Madagascar day gecko as a pet, you will need to plan in advance for its diet. Geckos are omnivorous, which means that they will eat foods of both plant and animal origin. In the wild, you will find Madagascar day geckos happily snacking on insects, fruit, and nectar. Your goal should be to replicate this diet for your pet gecko as best you can. Here are our recommendations for feeding your Madagascar day gecko a nutritious—and delicious—diet that is well-rounded and meets their needs.

Offer Your Gecko a Variety of Feeder Insects

Live feeder insects, especially  Dubia roaches, will be the foundation of your reptile’s diet. While your gecko could eat crickets, Dubia roaches offer approximately 7 times the nutritional benefits: You cannot top that! Other insects like hornworms, waxworms, mealworms, and Phoenix Worms contain higher fat content and should be offered only once or twice a week. These insects do offer a lot of valuable nutrients in small doses: For example, Phoenix Worms are known for their calcium-rich content. You can also consider dusting your gecko’s insects with a coating of calcium powder.

Supplement Insects With Fresh Fruits

Madagascar geckos enjoy sweet, tropical fruits. You could serve papayas, pears, mangoes, or even diced watermelon. Some gecko owners will serve strawberries. If you reach for pineapple, keep in mind that they are high in acid content: A few pieces every couple of weeks is fine, but this should not be a staple fruit in their diet. Oranges should be totally avoided due to their high acid content. Also keep in mind how ripe the fruit is before you offer it to your gecko: Unripened fruit can smell and taste unappealing. You can mash your gecko’s fruits into a paste to make eating easier or add a few spoonfuls of fruit-flavored baby food to the mix. 

Overall, feeding your Madagascar day gecko should be fairly simple: Just make sure you offer the highest quality live feeder insects available from ABDragons! Be sure to reference our  guide to caring for Madagascar day geckos for more information on keeping your gecko happy and healthy, including selecting the right housing and heat sources. If we can offer any support or advice, please reach out to our team.

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