Do Geckos Eat Roaches
After seeing a fat cockroach looking at me, I wondered, what animals would naturally deal with these pests. Then I was compelled to research this and discovered some interesting facts about this in relation to Gecko’s. Let me explain.
Do geckos eat roaches? Yes, they do eat cockroaches, however it is not good practice to feed your pet random cockroaches found around the house because they can contain germs, pesticides and dangerous bacteria. You can purchase cockroaches or other insects that are more suitable to make sure they are safe.
| Are these foods dangerous for your Beardie? | |
| Avacado? Click here to learn, from this guide, if this food is dangerous |  |
| Superworms? Click here to learn, from this guide, if this food is dangerous |  |
So, now you know if they will eat roaches or not, if you really want to care for your pet you need to know not only what they will eat, but also things they shouldn’t be eating. Read on to discover this and other weird things they will eat that you may have overlooked before.
What is a Gecko?
Before we get into the detail, what even is a Gecko? Geckos are lizards that belong to the infraorder Gekkota. They prefer warm climates and there are over 1600 different species in existence. So the term “Gecko” is quite a generlization for literally thousands of potential options.
For the sake of specificity, in this article we will focus the details based on the Leopard Gecko, which is one of the more popular pet lizards in the western world.
What do geckos typically eat?
Gecko’s are Insectivores, meaning that they typically snack on nutritious insects. You may squirm when I say “nutritious” insects, but believe it or not, did you know you can buy Protein that i made from crickets? Yes, Crickets! (Facts). And yes, I am talking about humans eating crickets.
Therefore there is some nutritional value in some insects. And this explains why Geckos devour these meaty mortals all day long. In reality Cockroaches are not their preferred diet. They typically feed on mealworms or crickets.
Are roaches bad for Geckos?
They are not always bad, but you have to be careful which type of cockroaches you feed them. If you are thinking that you have a cockroach infestation and you want to use your Gecko as a “roach hoover”, instead of paying for pest control, then think again.
Whilst they can each roaches, it is not good practice to feed they random roaches you find as pests roaming around your house. These are some reasons why:
- Germs
- pesticides
- Dangerous bacteria
What do I mean? There is a good chance that these pets will have germs, pesticides and potentials unwanted bacteria that can harm your pet. So please try and avoid that.
How much do Geckos Eat?
They will eat as much as you give them. But this is not a good thing. Reason being they have a tendency to over eat and become sick. This comes from their natural instinct to overeat and store fat reserves in the wild for bad hunting days.
In the desert they are not guaranteed daily meals, so if they get food they would store the fat reserves and over eat. But as a house pet this natural behaviour can become a health risk. Therefore it is your responsibility not to overfeed them.
A healthy amount of food is usually as much as they can consume within a 15 minute time period. And it is [not advisable to feed them daily]. It is better to feed them every other day in fact.
What happens if you over feed your Gecko?
If you feed your Gecko too much there is a chance that it will bring the food back up, basically to be direct with you, it will be sick. If you notice this happening it is a sign that you are giving her too much food and you need to adjust the portion sizes.
What is the ideal body proportion for a Gecko
To make sure that you understand how to identify a healthy Gecko I will reveal the expected body proportions. In an ideal world the tail will be wider than its body. Also when you look at their stomach, it should look flat.
The only deviation on this general rule is immediately after eating. You may notice that they may be a little bloated and not maintain a flat stomach.
What food should you avoid giving your Gecko?
It is just as important to learn what you shouldn’t be feeding your lizard, as well as what to feed it. For that reason I will share with you some big “no-no’s”. Avoid feeding them them insects or bugs that generate light in anyway. This is just one of natures warning signs.
Also, you should avoid feeding her wild insects. We touched on this briefly earlier. To re-iterate, the issue is we have no idea where these wild insects have been. And there is a chance that these insects could harm your lizard.
Related Questions:
Do geckos eat spiders? The short answer is yes. In . the wild they will typically eat any insect or small animal it can physically fit into its mouth. However in captivity they have a more of a reduced list due to convenience and availability of food sources by their owners.
Do geckos eat ants? Similar to above, Yes they will. As stated above, in the wild they will pretty much eat anything they can get hold of and can physically fit in their mouth.
Do geckos eat scorpions? Yes, geckos do eat scorpions. In particular baby scorpions in the wild. In fact some species help to control the population of scorpions.
Do rats eat geckos? Yes, rats will Geckos if they get a chance. However they would have to be quite big and more likely to eat it if they find it dead and easy prey. On the flip side, Geckos will eat small rat babies if available.
Do lizards eat termites? Yes, they will eat Termites, as well as any small insect for that matter.
Do geckos bite? Yes, but only if they are actually provoked. And in reality the bite is not that powerful, so in the event that the average man was bitten, it would not likely be a big issue. It’s more likely to surprise someone rather than cause major physical damage.
Is it possible for a Gecko to eat another Gecko? Yes, but it is more likely to happen if they are different species of Gecko. Or a substantial size difference.
Do Geckos eat Fruit or Vegetables? No, They do not each fruit or veg. As discussed earlier they are insectivores, so they only real go for insects. They will eat an insect that eats fruit and veg but that is really as far as it goes for them.
