Tokay geckos are native to Southeast Asia. In turn, they originally lived in a tropical landscape. You’re likely wondering, “Can Tokay geckos eat fruit?”
In the wild, these geckos are no strangers to tropical fruits like papayas and bananas. Subsequently, they fed on them occasionally.
Tokay geckos can eat fruits with some constraints. Too much fruit consumption can cause health risks.
Meanwhile, feeding them in moderation bears benefits like vitamin and mineral intake. Stick around to learn more about Tokay geckos feeding on fruits.
Is It Okay to Feed Your Tokay Gecko Fruit?
Despite being insectivores, Tokay geckos can enjoy nibbling on fruit. Wild Tokay geckos typically feed on fruit if they’re on short insect supply. For this reason, it might take some time for your captive Tokay gecko to enjoy the colorful plate.
How to Prepare Fruits for Your Tokay Gecko
You can prepare fruits in a couple of different methods for your Tokay gecko to indulge in. No matter which way you choose, ensure that you serve fresh fruits. Check them out below.
Method #1: Minced
You’ll want to ensure that you’ve cut the fruit into small pieces to avoid a choking hazard risk. You can mince the fruit until it’s in paste form and mix it with fruit baby food to minimize health concerns.
We suggest spreading the fruit paste on the gecko’s platter. That way, your reptile can lick it off easily.
Limit your gecko’s fruit platter intake to one to two tablespoons per week. The treat will only supplement their primary insect diet. In addition, fruits also provide hydration.
Method #2: Cut
Alternatively, you can cut the fruit into tiny portions for your adult geckos. Then, mix the fruit cuts with the gecko’s regular food of live insects.
The fruit addition will offer a richer diet with more vitamins and minerals. Remember to feed it in moderation to avoid digestive health issues.
Which Fruits Can Your Tokay Gecko Eat and Avoid?
Tokay geckos can eat a variety of fruit options, such as bananas, papayas, cherries, strawberries, apples, figs, grapes, and mangos.
As a rule, try to limit their fruit consumption to ones with high water intake and less acid. You should sparingly feed your Tokay high-sugar fruits like bananas, dates, and figs.
Avoid acidic fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and lemons. Otherwise, your pet gecko could experience digestive issues.
How to Feed Fruits to Your Tokay Gecko
Feeding your Tokay gecko fruits may take some time since they’re likely only used to munching creepy crawlers. That said, you’ll want to feed them safely, depending on their age.
Adults
Adult Tokay geckos can handle cut pieces of fruit. Be sure to hand them along with their live insect feed in its shallow platter.
Juveniles
You can provide smaller cut pieces for juvenile geckos compared to adults. We recommend mixing the cut pieces with some paste to make them more easily digestible in the initial juvenile stages.
Baby
Baby Tokay geckos will only consume fruit in puree or paste form. You can feed them with a spoon or dropper. Begin with tiny portions before steadily increasing them as the baby geckos grow.
Benefits of Fruit for Tokay Geckos
Fruits offer several benefits for Tokay geckos, such as:
- Source of hydration
- Increase in vitamins and minerals intake
- High fiber intake can prevent impaction
- Provides a varied diet
What to Consider Before Feeding Tokay Geckos Fruit
Before engaging in a fruit diet for the reptile, you’ll need to consider a few factors, such as the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.
Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio
Tokay geckos need to maintain a balanced calcium-to-phosphorus two-to-one ratio. Subsequently, their calcium content needs to be double their phosphorus.
Keeping that balance is essential to help avoid metabolic bone disease. The complication can lead to other issues, such as deformities and fractures. In severe cases, it can result in death. For this reason, you’ll need to be aware of phosphorus-rich fruits.
They can include grapefruits, plums, grapes, pineapples, avocados, apricots, cantaloupes, and raspberries. That said, if you plan on feeding your Tokay gecko these fruits, be sure to increase their calcium supplement intake.
Potassium in Fruits
Like phosphorus, potassium also hinders calcium absorption in geckos. For this reason, bananas should be fed in moderation or not at all.
That said, if you’re worried about your gecko’s nutrition balance, we suggest resorting to powdered calcium supplements.
Oxalic Acid in Fruits
Oxalic acid is a compound found in fruits that can bind with calcium and disrupt its absorption. Fruits like raspberries, oranges, avocados, and grapefruit contain oxalates.
Now, you can feed your Tokay gecko these fruits but in moderation. Nonetheless, if you want to stay on the safe side, we suggest avoiding them altogether, especially if your gecko is dealing with calcium deficiency or metabolic bone disease.
What Can Tokay Geckos Eat?
Tokay gecko owners usually resort to feeder insects when lunchtime rolls around. The reptiles rely on these pests for their natural diet. That said, gecko diets are low-maintenance since adults usually eat every other day.
You can feed them pinky mice, crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, beetles, mosquitos, moths, locusts, and cockroaches. Tokay geckos are nighttime, solitary hunters. The omnivores usually wait for their prey to approach them before initiating their attack.
To ensure their calcium intake, you can dust calcium powder on the live insects before giving it to the gecko. Overall, diversifying their diet is preferred to keep their nutrition intake satisfied.
Final Thoughts
Can Tokay geckos eat fruit? In short, the gecko species can munch on fruits occasionally. You should limit their consumption to once or twice a week to prevent possible health risks.
That said, you’ll want to chop the fruits into tiny bite-size pieces for the gecko to stomach. Meanwhile, baby geckos can’t eat cut slices and will require a puree form instead.
Overall, feeding your Tokay gecko fruits offers benefits, such as an intake of fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Aside from a balanced diet, it can keep their hydration levels in check.
This is what inspired me to start The-Lizard-Lounge.com. I wanted to create a space that offers information about the care of various reptiles and lizards, to help those passionate about these animals learn how to care for them.
Join me, and learn all about these fascinating and fantastic creatures!
- Can Leopard Geckos Eat Silkworms? - March 11, 2024
- Do Leopard Geckos Climb? - March 4, 2024
- Do Leopard Geckos Bask? The Answer Will Surprise You - February 21, 2024