Crested geckos are one of the few reptile species where a complete commercial diet is genuinely complete. The species was thought extinct until 1994, so the entire husbandry literature was written in the past 30 years with modern nutritional science in mind. The result is a feeding regime simpler than almost any other pet reptile, but one with specific calcium and protein requirements that beginners still get wrong. This guide covers the powder diet brands worth using, when insects matter, how to handle fresh fruit, and the supplementation routine that prevents the metabolic bone disease still seen in geckos kept on fruit-baby-food diets from older care sheets.
The complete powder diet is the foundation
Crested gecko meal replacement powder (CGD or MRP) is the staple. You mix the powder with water at a 1:2 ratio (one part powder, two parts water) to form a thick paste, place it in a shallow dish, and the gecko licks it off through the night.
The three brands with serious research behind them:
- Repashy Superfoods Crested Gecko Diet (MRP): The original and most widely used. Multiple flavors (Classic, Banana Cream, Grubs and Fruit). The Grubs and Fruit version contains insect protein and is closer to a wild diet.
- Pangea Gecko Diet: Slightly higher protein content. Available in flavors like Watermelon Mango, Fig and Insects, and Apricot. The Fig and Insects formula is the most balanced for adults.
- Black Panther Zoological: A newer entrant with strong fan support. Higher fruit content than Repashy or Pangea, so calcium dusting becomes more important.
All three brands are nutritionally complete on paper, meaning a gecko fed only the powder and water will reach adult size and stay healthy. Most experienced keepers rotate between two brands every few months to prevent boredom and provide a wider nutrient spread.
Feeding schedule and portions
Crested geckos are crepuscular, meaning they eat at dusk and through the night. Feed in the evening after lights out.
- Hatchlings (0 to 6 months): Fresh food every night. Replace nightly.
- Juveniles (6 to 18 months): Fresh food 4 to 5 nights a week.
- Adults (18+ months): Fresh food 3 to 4 nights a week.
A typical adult eats about a teaspoon of mixed powder per feeding. Juveniles eat less per session but more sessions. Always remove uneaten food in the morning because the mixture spoils fast at typical enclosure humidity and grows mold within 12 to 18 hours.
The dish should be elevated or wall-mounted, not placed on the substrate. Crested geckos are arboreal and prefer to feed at branch level. Magnetic feeding ledges (Pangea sells these) attached to the glass at mid-height work well.
Insects: optional but recommended
Wild crested geckos eat a mix of soft fruit, nectar, pollen, and small insects. The powder diets simulate the plant-based portion well. Adding live insects 1 to 2 times a week brings the diet closer to wild and produces more active, better-conditioned geckos.
Safe insects in rough order of preference:
- Dubia roaches (small): Best protein source. Low chitin, easy to gut-load, do not smell. Sized at one and a half times the gecko’s eye-width.
- Crickets: Cheap and widely available. Loud and short-lived in storage. Same sizing rule.
- Black soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms): Naturally calcium-rich, low fat, good for variety.
Treats (once every 2 to 3 weeks):
- Hornworms: Very high water content, useful for hydration in dry enclosures.
- Silkworms: Premium feeder, expensive but excellent nutrition.
Avoid:
- Wax worms: Dessert only. Geckos can become addicted and refuse other food.
- Mealworms (for juveniles): Hard chitin is impaction risk under 6 months. Acceptable for adults occasionally.
- Wild-caught insects: Pesticide and parasite risk.
Dust all feeder insects with calcium powder immediately before feeding. Use plain calcium without D3 if the gecko gets UVB, or calcium with D3 if it does not.
Fresh fruit: small treat, not a staple
Older crested gecko care sheets (pre-2010) often recommended baby food fruit purees as the staple diet. This was wrong then and is wrong now. The complete powder diets already contain freeze-dried fruit at correct ratios. Adding fresh fruit on top throws off the calcium-to-phosphorus balance.
Safe fruits in tiny amounts (once every 1 to 2 weeks):
- Mashed banana (high in potassium, lowish calcium ratio)
- Mango pulp
- Papaya
- Fig (the gecko’s wild diet includes figs in season)
Avoid entirely:
- Citrus of any kind (oranges, lemons, grapefruit) because of the acid
- Avocado (persin is toxic to many reptiles)
- Rhubarb (oxalates)
- Dried fruit (sugar concentration too high)
If you find yourself feeding fresh fruit more than once a week, your gecko is not getting enough powder food and the dietary balance is already drifting toward problems.
Calcium and vitamin supplementation
Even on a complete diet, light supplementation prevents calcium crashes during growth and breeding.
- Calcium without D3: Dust feeder insects every time if the gecko has UVB lighting. Leave a small dish of plain calcium in the enclosure for self-regulation.
- Calcium with D3: Use only if you do not provide UVB. Dust insects once a week.
- Multivitamin (Repashy Calcium Plus, Arcadia EarthPro): Once every 2 weeks if you rotate complete powder diets, more often if you feed mostly insects.
Overdosing fat-soluble vitamins (A and D3) causes its own problems, so do not stack a complete powder diet plus heavy D3 dusting plus a multivitamin. Pick one supplementation path and stick to it.
Water and humidity
Crested geckos drink mostly from droplets on enclosure surfaces, not from a dish. Mist the enclosure once at night with dechlorinated water until the leaves and walls are visibly wet. A shallow water dish should still be present for emergencies and for soaking before sheds.
Humidity should sit at 50 to 60 percent during the day, spiking to 80 to 90 percent overnight after misting, then dropping back as the enclosure dries. Constant high humidity (above 80 percent all day) causes respiratory infections.
Common diet mistakes
The most frequent feeding errors in crested geckos:
- Daily fruit puree: Throws off calcium ratio, causes metabolic bone disease.
- Free-feeding wax worms: Causes obesity and food strikes when other foods are offered.
- Calcium without supplementation tracking: Either over-supplementing D3 or skipping calcium entirely.
- Feeding crickets too large: Anything wider than the gap between the gecko’s eyes is too big.
- Leaving food in the enclosure all day: Spoiled food smell stresses the gecko and breeds bacteria.
A correctly fed crested gecko reaches 35 to 45 grams as an adult, holds steady weight year-round, and lives 15 to 20 years. The diet is one of the easiest aspects of the species to get right, but only if you trust the modern complete-powder approach instead of the outdated fruit-puree advice still circulating online.
Frequently asked questions
Do crested geckos need to eat insects?+
Not strictly, but most keepers offer insects once or twice a week for enrichment and protein variety. A high-quality complete powder diet like Repashy Crested Gecko MRP or Pangea is nutritionally complete on its own. Insects make the gecko more active, support muscle tone in adults, and accelerate growth in juveniles. Hatchlings raised on powder alone reach adult size in 18 to 24 months. Those given insects twice a week often hit adult size in 12 to 15 months.
Can crested geckos eat fruit?+
Fresh fruit is a small treat, not a staple. The complete powder diets contain freeze-dried fruit at correct ratios already. Adding raw banana, mango, or papaya more than once a week throws off the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and creates a sugar-heavy diet that crested geckos did not evolve to handle. Mashed fruit once every two weeks as a treat is fine. Daily fruit instead of powder food is the most common cause of metabolic bone disease in pet crested geckos.
How often should I feed a crested gecko?+
Powder food is offered 3 to 4 nights a week, removed each morning. Insects are offered 1 to 2 nights a week as a supplement to the powder. The schedule is the same for juveniles and adults, only the portion size changes. A typical adult eats about a teaspoon of mixed powder food per feeding. Juveniles eat slightly less but more frequently because of higher metabolism.
What insects are safe for crested geckos?+
Dubia roaches, small crickets, and black soldier fly larvae are the safe staples. Mealworms are acceptable occasionally for adults but the chitin is hard for juveniles. Avoid wax worms entirely except as a treat once a month, they are too fatty. Wild-caught insects carry pesticide and parasite risk and should never be fed. All feeder insects should be dusted with calcium powder and gut-loaded with leafy greens for 24 hours before feeding.
Why is my crested gecko refusing food?+
Most refusals are husbandry-related. Check temperature first because crested geckos stop eating above 80F. Drop the ambient to 72 to 78F. Next, check humidity which should sit at 50 to 70 percent with one nightly mist. Stress from a new enclosure causes refusal for the first 2 to 3 weeks. Underweight geckos refusing food for more than 10 days need a vet check for parasites or impaction.
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Alex Patel
Alex Patel writes for The Tested Hub.