What to Feed a Crested Gecko
How to pick, mix and serve a crested gecko diet, how often to feed, when insects help, and the calcium signs to watch for.
Crested geckos eat a powdered diet you mix with water into a smooth paste and serve in a small cup.
A good one is a complete meal: fruit, protein, calcium and vitamins together. Your gecko can be healthy without a house full of crickets, though a few insects make a nice extra.
HealthyAt a glance
- How often Babies every evening, adults every other day
- How much A thin layer covering the bottom of a small cup
- Best staple A complete powdered diet, mixed to ketchup thickness
- Take it out Within 24 hours, never longer than 48
- Insects Optional, once or twice a week, dusted with calcium
- Avoid Fruit or baby food alone, treat formulas alone, mealworms
Who these diets are for
Crested geckos and their New Caledonian cousins. Not leopard geckos.
Crested geckos
The powders are made for cresties first.
New Caledonian cousins
Gargoyle, leachianus (New Caledonian giant) and chahoua (mossy prehensile-tailed) geckos. Several makers also list day geckos.
Gargoyle geckos
Same powders, but they need insects more often than cresties. Our gargoyle gecko care sheet recommends a higher-protein formula plus insects once or twice a week.
Picking a diet
Start with a complete formula. The best flavor is the one your gecko eats.
Complete
A full diet by its own label. Some have insects in the mix.
Breeder / growth
More protein and, in Zoo Med's case, more calcium. Per the makers' labels, for growing babies and egg-laying females.
Treat only
Not a diet. Pangea's Fruit Mix Gecko Treat is low in protein and, per the maker's label, has to be fed with insects once or twice a week.
Premixed cups
Protein looks low only because a cup is mostly water. Powder is measured dry, so don't judge a cup against a bag on protein alone.
Compare all 14 diets: protein, fat, calcium and mix ratio
| Diet | Type | Mix (powder : water) | Protein | Fat | Moisture | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pangea Gecko Diet (Watermelon, Papaya, Apricot) | Complete | 1 : 2 | 21% min | 4.2% min | not listed | not listed |
| Pangea Gecko Diet with Insects | Complete, insects in the mix | 1 : 2 | 21% min | 4.5% min | not listed | not listed |
| Pangea Fig & Insects | Complete, insects in the mix | not listed | 21% min | 5% min | not listed | not listed |
| Pangea Growth & Breeding | Breeder / growth | 1 : 2.5 | 21% min | 5.7% min | not listed | not listed |
| Pangea Fruit Mix Gecko Treat | Treat only | 1 : 2 | 9% min | 2.5% min | not listed | not listed |
| Repashy Crested Gecko Diet Classic | Complete | 1 : 2 | 20% min | 4.5% min | not listed | 1.2% min |
| Repashy Grubs 'N' Fruit | Complete, insects in the mix | 1 : 2 | 24% min | 6% min | not listed | 1.2% min |
| Repashy Mango Superblend | Complete | 1 : 2 | 20% min | 5% min | not listed | 1.3% min |
| Zoo Med Crested Gecko Food | Complete | 1 : 1 | 22% min | 5% min | not listed | 1.8–2.2% |
| Zoo Med Blueberry Breeder Formula | Breeder / growth | 1 : 1 | 25% min | 6.5% min | not listed | 2.7–3.3% |
| Lugarti Premium Gecko Diet | Complete, insects in the mix | 1 : 2 | 24% min | 6% min | not listed | 1.8–2.2% |
| Arcadia StickyFootGold | Complete | 1 : 2 to 1 : 3 | 21% min | 5–6% | not listed | not listed |
| Arcadia FruityInsectGold | Complete, insects in the mix | not listed | 26% min | 13% min | not listed | not listed |
| Exo Terra Crested Gecko Food cups | Premixed cup | ready to eat | 6% min | 3% min | 63% | 0.4% min |
Figures are each maker's guaranteed analysis. Fluker's and Zilla don't publish one we could read, so they aren't listed.
Mixing it right
Follow the ratio on your bag and mix to the thickness of ketchup.
Scoop a teaspoon or two of powder into a small cup. Cresties have small stomachs.
Add water by your brand's ratio. Clean, room-temperature water is fine.
Stir until there are no dry lumps.
Let it rest a minute or two. The powder keeps soaking up water and thickens.
Get the ratio wrong and you'll end up with soup or paste.
- Too watery
- Just right
- Too dry
- Too watery
- It runs. Add a little powder.
- Just right
- Ketchup-thick. Holds a soft shape, then slowly slumps.
- Too dry
- It crumbles. Add a few drops of water.
Feeding schedule
Babies eat every evening, adults every other day. Take the cup out the next day.
A sample week
Baby / juvenile
Adult
Feed Optional Rest day
Show as a table
| Age | Mixed diet | Insects |
|---|---|---|
| Baby / juvenile | Every evening | Optional, once or twice a week |
| Adult | Every other day, or three evenings a week | Optional, once or twice a week |
- Feeding ledge: mount it near the top of the tank. Cresties live in trees and like to eat up off the ground.
- Small cup: a thin layer covering the bottom is plenty.
- Evening: serve it when your gecko wakes up.
- Feeding ledge: mount it near the top of the tank. Cresties live in trees and like to eat up off the ground.
- Small cup: a thin layer covering the bottom is plenty.
- Evening: serve it when your gecko wakes up.
- Most makers say remove it within 24 hours. No maker allows more than 48.
- Wash the cup or use a fresh one each time.
- Fresh
- Two days old
Checking your gecko's body
Weigh your gecko now and then. Steady weight is a good sign.
Cresties eat small amounts, and adults often skip a night. Weight loss, a thin tail base or visible hips means see a reptile vet.
- Too thin
- Healthy
- Overweight
- Too thin
- Hip bones show.
- Healthy
- Smooth hips and a full, rounded body.
- Overweight
- A sagging, heavy belly.
Adding insects
Optional: once or twice a week, no bigger than the space between your gecko's eyes.
- Right size
- Too big
Insects aren't required with a complete diet. They add variety, and your gecko gets to hunt.
Do
- pick small crickets or small dubia roaches, fed a good gut-load first.
- dust insects with calcium before feeding. Your crested gecko care sheet says which powder to use.
Don't
- feed mealworms or superworms.
- offer waxworms often. They're fatty, so keep them rare.
Calcium and bone health
A complete powder gives enough calcium. Fruit, baby food or a treat formula alone does not.
A gecko fed only fruit, or only a treat formula, can develop metabolic bone disease (MBD).
- Healthy
- Calcium problem
- Healthy
- Straight spine, firm tail, straight legs.
- Calcium problem
- Kinked spine, limp tail, bowed legs.
Watch for:
- a wavy or kinked spine or tail
- bowed legs
- a soft jaw
- shaking, or trouble climbing
Storing the food
Keep powder sealed, cool and dry. Mixed leftovers go in the fridge.
Unopened powder
A cool, dry place. Up to 24 months for most Pangea flavors (12 for Growth & Breeding), per the maker.
Opened powder
Sealed, away from heat. Pangea says 6 months at room temperature or a year in the fridge.
Leftover mixed diet
A sealed container in the fridge, up to 7 days (Pangea).
Quick answers
Does my crested gecko need crickets? Not to stay healthy on a complete diet. Insects once or twice a week are a good extra. Treat formulas are different: those do need insects.
How long can the food stay in the tank? About a day. Take it out within 24 hours, never longer than 48.
Can I feed baby food or fresh fruit instead? No. Fruit alone doesn't have the protein or calcium a gecko needs, and it can lead to bone disease.
Can my gargoyle or leachie eat this? Yes. These diets are made for New Caledonian geckos. Gargoyles need insects more often, so check their care sheet.
My gecko isn't eating much. Is that normal? Cresties eat small amounts, and adults often skip a night. Weigh your gecko now and then. Steady weight is a good sign. Weight loss, a thin tail base or visible hips means see a reptile vet.
Can my leopard gecko eat it? No. Leopard geckos eat only insects.
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Reviewed by our team 2026-11-06. Nutrition figures are each maker's published guaranteed analysis.
