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Unlike most reptiles, leopard geckos don’t eat fruits and vegetables, making a strict, insect-only diet their go-to. However, outside of mealworms and crickets, many pet owners don’t have a complete list of what leopard geckos can eat.
As a result, many people ask the question – can leopard geckos eat superworms?
Leopard geckos can eat superworms, but not frequently and in small quantities. Superworms are high in fat content, and feeding these insects to your gecko regularly could negatively affect its health. Your leopard gecko will gain considerable weight when it’s on a regular superworm diet. It is best to offer your leopard gecko superworms as treats.
If you plan to feed your leopard geckos superworms, this post has all the info you need. Make the most of what this post has to offer, and get your leopard gecko the nutrition it needs!
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Nutritional Breakdown of Superworms
Superworms differ in nutritional value based on a few factors. If you don’t have a superworms colony, you need to get this information from your feeder insect supplier. Asking the superworms supplier for this information helps you get correct facts on nutritional benefits.
As a template, check out the nutritional benefits of superworms from a colony in a pet store I patronize:
- 9:1 calcium phosphorus content per kg
- 55% water
- 21% protein
- 4% fiber
- 19% fat
The massive fat content (19%) is one reason why superworms should not be a regular in your leopard geckos’ diet.
How Many Superworms Can a Gecko Eat Per Month?
You shouldn’t feed your leopard geckos superworms more than three times per month. Once every ten days could be a great schedule for feeding superworms to geckos. Consider feeding two worms for every inch length of your reptile. So, if you have a four-inch leopard gecko, feed this reptile eight superworms every ten days.
If your leopard gecko begins gaining too much wait, you can reduce the feeding plan for superworms.
Do You Have to Gut-Load Superworms?
You need to gut-load your superworms with the right amount of nutrients before feeding them to leopard geckos. Leopard geckos cannot eat veggies and grains, but superworms can, so it’s a great source of nutrients for these reptiles.
Why Superworms are Great for Your Leopard Gecko
Protein content
With more than 20% protein content, superworms are a great feeder insect to help leopard geckos grow. Feeding superworms to your juvenile leopard gecko helps their body metabolism in many ways.
Fat content
Even if too much fat isn’t great for your leopard geckos, it isn’t all that bad when offered in small amounts. Superworms provide your leopard gecko the right amount of fat when fed as treats.
Pregnant leopard geckos are more likely to benefit from eating superworms. These geckos need extra nutrients to ease the delivery process, and the extra fat comes in handy.
Fiber
With about 5% fiber, superworms provide leopard geckos decent support for intestinal peristalsis. Fiber helps digestion in your leopard geckos and boosts your reptiles’ health.
Why Superworms are NOT Great for Your Leopard Gecko
Poor calcium content
The low calcium content of superworms make it a feeder insect you shouldn’t add to your geckos’ diet. Leopard geckos need a correct dose of calcium in their diet to avoid health problems. Otherwise, your leopard gecko could develop MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease).
If you need to feed geckos superworms, you’ll have to dust them in calcium powders first. Calcium powders for geckos are rich in vitamins too and help your geckos retain ample nutrients from their meals.
High fat content
Almost 20% of superworms’ total composition is fat. The high fat content of superworms makes it unfit to be a regular in your geckos’ diet. If your leopard geckos eat these worms too much, they’ll gain unnecessary weight.
Phosphorus content
Besides being low in calcium, superworms have high phosphorus content. Phosphorus in superworms effectively cancels out any calcium your gecko can benefit from before it reaches its bloodstream.
Essentially, offering your leopard gecko superworms on the regular could hamper their overall development. But if you choose to dust your superworms in calcium-rich supplements, these insects could offer better nutrition to geckos.
FAQs
Can superworms hurt leopard geckos?
Superworms can hurt a leopard gecko with their tough mandibles. Besides the biting hazard, feeding your leopard geckos too many superworms could make it gain weight. Such weight gain could lead to adverse health consequences for your leopard gecko.
Can superworms kill a leopard gecko?
Superworms have strong mandibles but do not pose a threat to mature leopard geckos. Smaller leopard geckos could suffer injuries from superworm bites. Monitor your leopard gecko whenever you feed it superworms to prevent any accidents.
How many superworms should you feed a leopard gecko?
When it’s time to feed superworms to your gecko, feed the reptile two insects for every inch of its length. For instance, if you have a leopard gecko that measures at five inches, offer it ten superworms in one diet.
Can day geckos eat superworms?
Day geckos can eat waxworms, crickets, mealworms, hornworms, reptiworms, crickets, roaches, superworms, etc. Some of these insects, like waxworms for instace have a high fat content. Offer insects high in fat to your day geckos as treats only. Settle for roaches and crickets as staple meals for your geckos.
Final Thoughts: Can Leopard Geckos Eat Superworms?
If you’ve been asking if leopard geckos eat superworms, this post has all the info you need.
Superworms are edible insects to leopard geckos but should not be a staple meal for your reptile. Leopard geckos could get pretty overweight if they’ve had too much superworms to eat. Feed your leopard geckos with superworms no more than thrice every month.
Do not feed your leopard geckos more than the recommended number of superworms. You don’t want to have a flabby leopard gecko on your hands.
