Feeding a crested gecko. What should it eat?
CGD powders, live insects, feeding frequency, supplementation — a complete feeding guide based on our own breeding experience.
The core diet — CGD powder diets
Crested geckos are omnivores, and their diet in captivity should be balanced, complete, and rich in all the nutrients they need. In our breeding programme, the foundation of every gecko's diet is a CGD (Complete Gecko Diet) — a powdered food specially formulated for crested geckos.
These diets are mixed with water to form a soft paste and contain everything the gecko needs in one bowl:
- Protein and amino acids
- Fats
- Vitamins and minerals
- Fruit and insect-derived ingredients
This makes them a genuine complete meal — not just a fruit supplement, but a full daily diet. The geckos we keep eat primarily:
- Pangea Gecko Diet High Insect — a complete diet with a high insect content
- BioGecko Food — another complete, nutritionally balanced gecko diet
Insects — natural hunting and dietary variety
In addition to CGD pastes, our geckos receive live insects — primarily banana crickets, lightly dusted with calcium without D3. Insects are offered roughly once a week as enrichment and variety rather than a dietary staple.
Live insects serve a purpose beyond nutrition. Crested geckos are nocturnal hunters by nature, and placing live insects inside a well-set-up terrarium allows the gecko to:
- Express its natural hunting instincts
- Stay active and move around the enclosure
- Experience environmental enrichment beyond just eating from a dish
Insects are a supplement to a complete CGD diet — not a replacement for it. A gecko fed exclusively on insects would lack key nutrients.
How often to feed
Feeding frequency depends on the gecko's age, size, and condition. There is no single universal answer — the right approach is to observe your animal and adjust.
Juveniles have higher energy needs and faster metabolisms. Young geckos can be offered CGD paste daily or every other day, and many are eager to hunt insects whenever offered. Regular feeding and steady weight gain are the key indicators to watch during this stage.
Adults feed less frequently. In our breeding programme, adult geckos receive CGD paste 2–3 times per week, plus insects once a week as enrichment. Many adult geckos show less interest in active hunting over time and prefer the paste — this is completely normal.
Supplementation
When using a complete CGD as the dietary base, heavy supplementation is not necessary — the formula already provides a balanced mineral and vitamin profile. Excessive supplementation on top of a complete diet can actually cause more harm than good.
Our supplementation approach:
- Calcium without D3 — dusted on insects at every feeding
- Multivitamin supplement — applied approximately once every two weeks
Always calibrate supplementation to the full diet. If you rely on CGD powders as the primary food, you do not need to add extra vitamins at every feeding.
Every gecko is different
Appetite, body weight, and feeding enthusiasm vary significantly between individual crested geckos. Two healthy geckos of the same age can look quite different and have very different appetites — this is completely normal.
Rather than comparing your gecko to others, focus on observing your own animal:
- Is it maintaining a healthy weight?
- Is it active during the night?
- Is it eating regularly, even if not every time?
- Are there no concerning changes in behaviour?
If your gecko is active, developing well, and not losing weight, there is generally no cause for concern. A temporary dip in appetite — especially during cooler months or after a move — is common and usually resolves on its own.
Products mentioned in this guide