The TRUTH About Crested Gecko Diets... Do They NEED Insects? 

I 100% believe in giving insects! I rescued my crestie from a very poor home, and I managed to really bulk him up and get him strong and healthy with insects, and not to mention he loves them. And I swapped from repashy to Pangea and I would never go back, he LOVES he bsfl one and the papaya one

I believe it depends on what the gecko likes and what their health is like, my crested gecko LOVES crickets, meal worms, and his Pangea, I'll even occasionally smash up a piece of banana for him as a treat and he'll actually eat it, however my friends crested gecko doesn't really like bugs and won't touch them but she is perfectly healthy and quite chubby

Some questions from someone interested in getting a crested (and who has minimal experience with reptiles) 1. In terms of insects, would I need to give a variety of insects (worms, roaches, & crickets) or would the gecko be fine with just gut-loaded crickets along with its powder food? I get that in the wild they'd take whatever walks by and would naturally get a ton of variety, making that the best-case scenario; however, I know that crickets are the easiest for me to get and care for. Also, if I had a bunch of different lizards I'd be more willing to keep multiple insects, just not 15 different bugs for 1 gecko, you know? 2. Would I need to provide extra supplements in the gecko's foods? I know leopard geckos need extra calcium and that you can dust their crickets with calcium powder, is there anything like that for cresteds? The only gecko food brand I can readily find is Pangea, and from what I've been hearing I'd need to provide UV light for the gecko, right? 3. Are cresteds easily bothered by outside noise? Also, would they be bothered by cats? I live in a loud house with my room being the quietest room and also where I'd want to keep the gecko. Since it's relatively quiet my cats also like to hang out there, too. NOTE, I'm not saying I'd let my cats come in contact with the gecko. In fact, I'm not sure if I'd handle my gecko outside of check-ups or removing for tank cleanings. I just want to know if seeing a predator will stress the gecko out too much. 4. What are some ways to tell a good breeder from a bad one? 5. When offering the fruit did you mash it, or did you leave it whole/in cubes? This has less to do with me possibly owning a gecko, I'm just curious. If you left it whole then perhaps the gecko didn't know what to do with it since it's not an insect or the powdered food.

So helpful, thank you! Great idea linking to the sources, gonna check them out now :)

Thanks for the info,amazing video as always !

Great info! I always learn something new from you. Your the only person I can find that goes in depth about cresteds. Thanks so much for all of the advice 😄

I fed some mealworms to a very picky eater of mine while watching this and she loved them! So happy to see her eating well ☺️ thank you for the advice

Could you please make some videos about clean up crews for the different types of terrariums/vivariums and substrates. I love your Channel by the way, it is so helpful and educating

What a great video! I don't own any reptiles or have plans to, but I'm glad this video exists. After well over a decade of vet nursing I'm becoming much more sold on the idea of feeding as close to wild diet as possible!

Thank you for this! I may be getting a crested gecko in the near future, and I'm so glad I watched this video

Good video keep up the good work 👌🏼🦎

So close to 100k! Good Luck!

I would totally join your patreon but I’ve been trying to save for all the things I need to keep a gecko healthy. Wish me luck!

Was wondering how often do you feed your crested geckos live food and powdered food?

Thank you so much for this! Helped a lot

omg you have evolved so much since a long time ago :D keep up the good work

If crested geckos dont need insects I will consider getting one because I have a big phobia for insects, mostly spiders but I don't wanna deal with any insect really especially not have them in my home like what if they escape and get everywhere. 😳 My favorite is leopard gecko though but they only eat insects apparently

Love your video and channel

Very well presented! Great.

Where did you source the information about the gut content of wild crested geckos? I would love to read more about this. I love your videos they are very educational and interesting, keep up the good work!

Thanks! This helps a lot!

Thanks so much for this, this is really helpful! Originally I was thinking of getting a crestie first and not getting a leo for awhile, so I wasn't terribly keen on buying feeders if the crestie ended up not liking them or didn't eat them very much, but now I have a leo so I know that when I get a crestie I'll have feeder insects readily available for him/her to try.

I love your vids I can't wait till you reach 100000 subs

All your videos are really informative and very helpful could you do a video of how you could you would prepare your cresties for a weeks holiday

Top marks for doing your research. What better way of fact checking than to review data collected from the wild cresties. 👍❤

I'm saving up to get a crested gecko. I've been looking up all about them for an hour on end. That just shows that I'm exited for getting one.

Great video

YES they do,I fed my crestie only repashy for 7 months,grew extremely slow and never gained weight.when I moved and got my bearded dragon I began to feed him crickets.He went crazy for them and is now gaining lots of weight and seems a lot more chilled and happy.

I always like your videos. Your pets are all so cute. Great job as always :)

A nother great video. Can you make a video explaining basic care for a crested gecko ❤️❤️❤️ ps love your videos 😘😘

Lyras eyes look pretty sunken in! Is she dehydrated? Thank you for this video. It is important for crested gecko keepers to hear! Also the pangea and repashy diets do have insect powder in them!

I have had my crested gecko for 8 weeks now .she was just on powder food coz the lady did not know what she was doing .paid £10 for the gecko and full set up .now feeding small insects and a good mix of food .she is so happy now and full of life .thanks to all your vids .saving up for a big new tank now .happy days for sticky ..love all your vids so much help 😊

Hey I have a crested gecko I was wondering how long would you have to have lighting on and will it needed at night or daytime?

Could you do a video on how to do a natural approach with caring for cresties?

Too anyone struggling to get your gecko to eat bugs... i finally got my gargoyle gecko to eat bugs. I just left a dish of mealworms and waxworms in the enclosure at all times. I would put dried out pangea in the dish so the worms stayed fed. One night i came home from work and the gecko was sitting above the bowl and 3 waxworms and a mealworm had been eaten. Just remember to dust em with calcium + D3 and make sure the dish is escape proof. It took about 4 weeks of this until the gecko finally indulged in the worms, so be patient with your gecko and keep trying.

I wish we had Arcadia available in the US, it seems like a great brand.

Great Video,

Thank you sooo much. Crickets helped bulk up my crested but now she barely eats them so I'm left with abunch of loud ones untill I deal with them. I'm certainly switching up Repashy for pangea hoping it goes well.

I just got a baby crested gecko. Her body is maybe 1 1/2" long. What kind of insects would be best for her? I browsed some forums, and some people think that some insects like mealworms could cause impaction. Would baby crickets be fine?

You are my favorite youtuber I got a leopard gecko 3 months ago and I didn't notice but she was really sick now thanks to your amazing videos and info she is healthy with a fat tail and I just want to thank you so much and P.S diago is soooo cute is he a special breed

Great video!!! It bugs me so bad when people say they don't need insects, if they didn't need them then they wouldn't eat them lol. I at first thought they didn't need them due to care guides I read, and I would only offer my first crestie bugs maybe once a month as a treat. In the end I ended up with a year old gecko that only weighed 8 grams. Once I started giving him insects a couple times a week he doubled his weight in the first few weeks I started offering them to him at that rate. Now he's a wapping 55 grams at three years old:) It's really good that you're putting this out there so first time owners don't make the same mistake I did!

I have a crested gecko which I just recently got and I was wondering how long will it take for the gecko to get used to me and his home ?

I just have a leopard gecko and he is so sweet and amazing! He won’t eat anything but crickets though, not even meal worms or any other insects

What insect is the best and do I have to cover them with calcium powder. Love your videos it's helped me take care of my crestie

I love watching u and my bearded dragon loves to watch u too lol

I feed my crestie repashy , and i tried her with crickets but she just didnt want to know. Should i try with mealworms. Im from cheltenham and my local stores only sell crickets and mealworms and waxworms.

Thank you! This was very helpful. So can I feed my crested gecko just the diet but with insects in it? I am just not comfortable feeding them live...

when you feed your gecko crickets do you need to put the powder on them?

What was he tank you used for the natural build and, just to make sure I’m not spending to much how much did your entiire crested gecko setup cost

Hello I’ve had my crestie about 2 weeks and the breeder that I got him from said he was eating live food without a problem when we tried him on crickets he completely refused and didn’t care about the cricket at all should I be worried or just keep trying

I also have a created gecko and when we first got him he ate crickets and really liked them but now if I try to feed him he doesn’t eat it but usually when I check later the cricket is gone it may have hidden away or died somewhere

I’ve had my little crestie (Gizmo) for a few months now and he eats Pangea CGD (watermelon is his favorite). He also LOVES eating meal worm pupea. He would probably eat 3-4 every day if I offered them every day. I typically give them 2-3 times a week. Do you think that is too much??

Is there a nutritional difference from live to insect versions of the powder diets? I really want to get into reptiles but my mom hates live insects.

I've found that all my NC geckos (cresteds and gargoyles) relish insects when they are young, but when they reach adulthood they ignore/refuse them. Right now I have a tub full of Dubia roaches that nobody wants.

Your my favourite RU-vidr!🦎

can i feed it mealworms and how many should i feed a week? (mealworms that just molted bc if it didn’t it’s shell would be too hard)

I know this is an older video but I still got a question. I use UVB lighting for about 9 hr a day. I also feed pangea every single day. Which contains D3. Have been for over a year. Should i stop using pangea when i'm using uvb?

Just wondering what you dust your crickets in? I have been hearing mixed reviews on dusting them since Repashy and Pangea already contain D3.. I still think I should dust them but should I get something that doesn't contain additional D3? Im leaning toward Calcium Plus ICB.

hey, i feel horrible. My brother has this gecko but never takes care of it, it hadnt been fed in a while so i fed it paste and found a tiny tiny spider and put it in too because i thought why not. I then learned to NEVER feed them wild insects especially house spiders because theyre notorious for having parasites, what do i do

OMG!!!!! AWESOME VIDEO ONCE AGAIN !!!! THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS !!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU & FAM !!! I LOVE YOUR CRESTIE :) SHE'S CHUB AND CUTE ^.^

When I make my Stickyfoot Gold do I need to put reptisafe in the water before I add it to the powder?

Could you please tell me the amount of crickets I should feed my baby crested gecko and how much calcium? I gave her 7-8 tonight with a pinch of calcium in the bag petco gave me and shook it up. What other insects can I give her? I don’t want to do roaches. I have a sever problem with them. I also give her the repashy powder diet every night.

Hello Jessica, do crested geckos need a fogger or will a heating pad and a spray bottle do.?

very informative.

Hey Leopard, now I have a question for your next FAQ and I'm curious because I'll find my crested gecko chasing her own tail, I've been trying to find out why and thought I'd ask you if this is normal behavior and if not what should I do?

My crested gecko goes crazy for crickets and I've only recently started feeding him them cause the breeder I got him from said they don't need insects and not to feed them, but then I read and heard lots of people saying it's really good to offer insects and I'm so glad I did, he's so much happier and enjoys his crickets cause doesn't like the Pangea too much and just kind of eats it to survive!😂😂 So it's nice to give him something he likes once a week or so!💜💜

I’ve been having good success feeding my gecko gut loaded insects that I feed a range of fruits and veggies, aswell as meat and grain, and offering fruit that is fully ripe/mushy about to go bad as I found they prefer mushy fruit that has a strong sugar odour, aswell as when I feed feeder insects I put them directly into the tank to encourage natural hunting behaviours, I love seeing everyone’s different ways of feeding their geckos, because in my opinion all animals can be just as picky as humans when it comes to food, what one likes to eat one may not:)

My crested geckos feet arn't very sticky and he has trouble gripping onto glass and i have no clue why. Please help!!

Hi my crested gecko is now on a new program on regular crickets and crested gecko diet so hoping she will gain more weight, can I ask that from when Lira was small to her weight now how long did that take x

My "gecko sitter" bought a big bag of *dried* meal worms while I was on vacation and left a few on my juvi gargoyle gecko and my cresties feeding ledges and they were gone the next day. She said she soaked them in water first-- is this okay? I'm getting mixed info online....now I have a big bag of dried bugs! I have a terrible time keeping crickets alive and handling them, they always wiggle free or I drop them trying to use tongs. My baby gargoyle is pretty jumpy and I've only had her a few weeks so I don't want to handle her lots. I'm wondering if these would be okay to dust and feed once a week at least while I have them?

Thx for your video however i have a question... i have my crested since july.. one male and two female... my females keep making eggs but most are bad eggs and they a bit small... i read the need crickets so gain weight and need calcium... so i bought some dead frozen dry crickets and some calcium with D3 heat lamp and humidifier... my questions is... is it okay if I turn all my crickets into powder and mix it with the cgd... and every night when i mix it, I add som calcium to it... instead of one day cgd and one day crickets?

What type of light do u use for your crested gecko tank

so i am geting a crestie soon, and i was wondering so just curious the pangea insect diet, is it powdered insects? or just dead ones

My crested gecko is around about 10-11 months old but she is still very small. I feed her repashy and have tried Pangea but she doesn’t eat that much of it, I’ve tried feeding her worms and locust which she eats but I don’t give them to her that often. I don’t know how to get her bigger and eat more, I’ve heard woodlice are good. Thanks

I just adopted a crested gecko from a girl who didnt had the time for him. Hes over a year old and fairly small for his age (4-5 inches, dropped tail). From what she told me, his diet wasnt pretty good. Is it possible that now that he'll be getting the proper diet, he'll be able to grow some? Or is that not an option anymore and he will remain small?

I want a tiger pinstripe (mail) crested gecko do you know of any good breeders in texas?

I'm a new Leopard Gecko owner. I need to know if I can move my Leo to a used reptile tank. I'm afraid he'll be able to smell the Ball Python snake that used to live in it!! How can I totally disinfect it ??

Neither of mine will eat insects unless I cut part of the abdomen and let them taste the juices 🤢 Also I believe what you said about younger geckos being more interested in insects. I’ve heard that lots Pangea with insects uses black soldier fly larvae :)

Mine won’t eat live food 🤷‍♀️ I’ve tried time and time again. She’s got no tail and a crooked back (NOT MY DOING) so I hand fed and everything but nope, no luck? Any one with any tips!?

I know you mentioned you were not sure as to which insects Pangea complete diet with insects had, and on the package it mentions "made with the highest quality insect meal from black soldier fly larvae and crickets". Pangea also recommends to occasionally feed your geckos insects, it was optional. but what is occasionally? I have baby crestie and he was not interested in crickets at all, so ive been continuing to feed this the Pangea with insects..

You should try feeding your gecko banana, mine always goes crazy for it. Great video :D

Umm is it ok that I feed my gecko 5 crickets every Wednesday and she always has Pangea available and water and small pieces of fruit once a month

Hi I like your video but my leopard gecko is still small and its claws keep getting stuck on the carpet in the cage. Do you know if that's because it's small or should I get something different for it

how many times do you feed insects a week to your crested gecko, how much of the said insect, and what insects can you feed. I'm not gonna feed crickets as they smell, make noise, can die off easily, and can easily escape. I know dubia roaches are good, they don't smell, no noise, don't jump and aren't fast, and are super hardy and easy. How about worms, i hear they don't digest them well. Thanks for any help.

with a baby crested gecko how many insects would you feed weekly? and what kind of vitamin dust should i use? last of all how big of a tank should i have for a baby crested gecko? i have an idea of the size but i want to make sure i'm correct, thank you

Anyone know how long you keep a uvb on per day for leopard geckos??

I have a quick question. I just got my leopard gecko today and is it necessary for a light at night or can they be in the dark?? The terrarium i got came with a blue light for the night time.

Hey I was wondering if you can make a video about what temperature and humidity gauges you use ? Or just tell me lol

My gecko is a juvenile and is also in love with crickets I wanna see if she will still love crickets when she gets older

I hate feeding mine crickets because it makes their terrarium smell like toxic waste, and keeping crickets is a huge pain. But both my geckos love them. I've just started offering black soldier fly larvae. Not sure if they're being eaten or not though.

I got my cresty as a juvenile and I was told he ate crickets as well as the powder diet, but he has refused to eat crickets (and any other insects I have offered) in the 6 months I have had him. I feel so bad but I guess the person who gave him to me lied about feeding him anything other than the powder...

i dont know where to buy pangea. pls help

What lighting and heating does a planted crested gecko tank need

I've tried offering my crestie worms and crickets and he literally couldn't care less about them! Ive used little bug tongs and put them in a container with the bugs and he doesn't even look at them. He is still a baby so maybe he's scared of them?

The only reason I haven’t started feeding crickets yet is because I’ve seen some things like how they can get parasites from feeder insects so I’d like to know more but it’s a bit hard for me to find more info any tips please?

My crested gecko was the opposite I had to hand feed it banana as a juvenile and it only took to the live food as an adult

My crestie is 3 years old and looks like a juvenile. I've always wondered why he never really grew and figured i had like a runt or something haha been years since I feed him any insects, but hopefully trying them again will help him grow. P.S. bananas and mangoes get eaten up whenever i treat my gecko. The key is to mash it up into a kind of paste, like rotting fruit in the wild would be.

My gecko isn’t eating any powder mixes but he does eat small fruits is that heathy (I do also feed around 5 crickets a day with monthly cleans and sprays morning and night

3 of my crested geckos refuse to eat insects. What should I do to get them interested in buggies? I try a variety, but they just ignore them.

how do I know if my crestie is underweight? she’s only about 3 1/2 months old and is as long as my pointer finger, including her tail. She seems a bit skinny and her width of her body is about the size of my pinky. I have thin fingers. I plan to get crickets and mealworms this week. She really doesn’t seem to have gained much weight since I got her so I’m constantly seeing if she’s eating.