Crested geckos have one of the most unusual feeding situations in the hobby: they are the only commonly kept reptile that genuinely thrives on a commercially prepared, meal-replacement powder as their primary food source. This isn’t a shortcut or a compromise — it’s simply how their nutritional needs are best met in captivity. But “use a powder diet” leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Which brand? How often? Do they still need live insects? What happens if they stop eating the powder? Those are the questions this guide answers.
At Toronto Reptiles, we’ve kept crested geckos for years and worked through the full range of feeding situations — picky eaters, juveniles that won’t touch CGD, adults that gorge on Pangea but ignore insects. Here’s what actually works, based on keeping these animals daily and handling them through our educational programs across the GTA.
Key Takeaways
- Crested Gecko Diet (CGD) powder is the foundation — not a supplement. It should make up 70–80% of the diet for most adults
- Live insects are enrichment and supplementation, not the primary food source; offer 1–2 times per week maximum
- Fresh fruit is an occasional treat — 1–2 times per week, small amounts; never replace CGD with fruit
- Calcium and D3 supplementation is still required when offering live insects, even though CGD contains both
- Refusing CGD for a few days is normal — crested geckos naturally go off food temporarily, especially during breeding season or a shed; don’t panic until it’s been 7–10 days
What Crested Geckos Eat in the Wild
Crested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus) are native to New Caledonia, a French island territory in the South Pacific. In the wild, they’re largely nectarivorous and frugivorous — they eat nectar, ripe fruit pulp, and the insects they encounter while foraging. They don’t sit and wait for prey like a leopard gecko does; they move through the canopy licking nectar from flowers and ripe fruit while opportunistically catching insects.
This is why the CGD formula works so well. A quality crested gecko powder replicates the nutritional profile of their wild diet — fruit sugars, amino acids, calcium, and vitamins — without the logistical challenge of sourcing fresh tropical fruits. It’s not a compromise. It’s closer to their natural diet than most keepers’ well-intentioned “natural” alternatives.
CGD Powder: The Foundation of Your Crested Gecko’s Diet
Several quality CGD brands are available, and the choice between them matters less than using one consistently and offering variety by rotating flavours. Here’s how the major brands compare:
| Brand | Best For | Notes | Approximate Cost (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pangea Fruit Mix | All life stages; wide flavour variety | Most widely recommended; excellent acceptance rates; multiple formulas (Breeding, Growth, Fig & Insect) | ~$25–35 / 226g |
| Repashy Crested Gecko | Adults; budget-conscious keepers | The original CGD formula; slightly less variety than Pangea; still well-accepted | ~$20–28 / 170g |
| Leapin’ Leachie | Picky eaters; juveniles | Higher insect-protein content; excellent for animals that resist pure fruit formulas | ~$28–38 / 170g |
| Black Panther Zoological | Variety / rotation | Good nutritional profile; useful as a rotation option alongside Pangea | ~$22–30 / 170g |
How to Prepare CGD
Mix CGD powder with water to a smooth, lickable consistency — slightly thicker than heavy cream. The ratio is typically 1 part powder to 2 parts water, but check your specific brand’s instructions. You want it to cling lightly to the inside of a small dish or a lick mat without running. Too watery and they won’t engage with it; too thick and it’s difficult to lick.
Serve in a shallow bottle cap, a small dish, or a magnetic feeder cup stuck to the glass. Position it in the upper third of the enclosure — crested geckos are arboreal and prefer to feed above ground level.
How Often to Replace CGD
Replace the CGD dish every 24–36 hours. Mixed CGD grows mould and bacteria quickly at room temperature, especially in the humidity-friendly environment of a crested gecko enclosure. Fresh every 1–2 days is the rule; don’t let a dish sit for three or four days because “they haven’t touched it yet.” Remove and refresh on schedule regardless of whether it looks eaten.
Live Insects: Enrichment, Not the Foundation
Live insects add hunting stimulation, animal protein, and variety. They’re not a substitute for CGD — a crested gecko fed exclusively on insects will eventually develop nutritional deficiencies because insects alone don’t provide the fruit sugars, calcium ratio, and vitamin profile that CGD covers. Think of live insects as the supplement, not the staple.
Here’s how the major feeder options stack up for crested geckos:
| Feeder Insect | Nutritional Value | Ease of Offering | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crickets | Good protein, low fat | Easy to source; need gut-loading | Most commonly available; loud and can escape; must be dusted |
| Dubia Roaches | Excellent protein/fat ratio | Easy; can’t climb smooth surfaces | Best all-around feeder; quieter and harder to escape than crickets; gut-load and dust |
| Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) | High calcium naturally | Easy; can be purchased dried or live | Good rotation option; naturally high in calcium so reduces dependency on dusting |
| Waxworms | High fat, low protein | Easy | Treat only — 1–2 per feeding, once a month maximum. Addictive; some geckos refuse everything else after waxworms. |
| Mealworms | Moderate protein, high chitin | Easy | Hard exoskeleton (chitin) can cause impaction in juveniles; adults only, occasional |
Gut-Loading and Dusting Live Insects
Any live insect you offer should be gut-loaded for 24–48 hours before feeding — this means feeding the insects a quality diet (leafy greens, commercial gut-load pellets) so the gecko benefits from the nutritional content of their prey. An unfed cricket is a nutritionally empty cricket.
Dust insects with a calcium + D3 supplement immediately before offering. “Immediately” matters: calcium dusting rubs off quickly, so dusting 30 minutes ahead and then offering them defeats the purpose. Dust, offer within a few minutes. A reptile calcium/D3 powder like Repashy SuperCal or Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 works for this purpose.
Our complete reptile feeding guide covers gut-loading and dusting in more depth across species if you’re keeping multiple reptiles with different nutritional needs.
Feeding Schedule by Life Stage
Crested geckos have different requirements at different ages. Juveniles are growing fast and need more frequent opportunities to eat; adults do fine with every-other-day CGD and occasional insects:
- Juvenile (0–6 months): CGD available every day (replace every 24 hours); live insects 2–3 times per week in small quantities (1–3 small crickets or dubia per feeding). Prioritise protein intake to support growth.
- Sub-adult (6–12 months): CGD every day or every other day; live insects 2 times per week. Shift slightly toward the adult schedule as the animal approaches its growth plateau.
- Adult (12+ months): CGD every 1–2 days (replace on schedule regardless); live insects 1–2 times per week, 3–5 appropriately sized feeders per session. Most adults do very well on this schedule indefinitely.
Note: crested geckos are nocturnal. Offer all food in the evening or after lights-out. Food offered during the bright part of the day is often ignored entirely — this is normal behaviour, not a feeding problem.
Fresh Fruit as an Occasional Treat
Ripe fruit pulp can be offered 1–2 times per week in small amounts. Crested geckos tend to respond enthusiastically to fruit — which is exactly why you need to be careful not to let it displace CGD. An animal that expects mashed mango every day will often refuse to go back to CGD, and mango doesn’t contain the balanced nutrition they need.
Safe fruit options: mango, papaya, banana, fig, pear, apricot (all without pits, mashed or in small pieces). Offer in tiny amounts — a fingertip-sized portion is enough.
Avoid entirely: citrus (high acid, disrupts digestion), avocado (toxic to many reptiles), grapes/raisins (renal concerns, though less studied in geckos than in mammals), and any canned or preserved fruit with added sugar or syrup.
Foods to Never Feed a Crested Gecko
- Citrus: oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit — high acid damages the gut lining over time
- Avocado: contains persin, which is toxic to many animals
- Wild-caught insects: carry pesticides, parasites, and pathogens; never use insects caught outdoors
- Fireflies / lightning bugs: acutely toxic to reptiles — even one can kill a small gecko
- Onion, garlic, rhubarb: toxic to reptiles
- Waxworms in quantity: not toxic, but highly addictive — a gecko that develops a waxworm preference will refuse all other food. Strictly limit to treat status.
- Meat or processed food: not appropriate for a frugivore/nectarivore; their digestive systems aren’t built for it
Hydration: Misting and Water
Crested geckos drink primarily from water droplets on leaves and enclosure walls, not from standing water bowls (though a shallow dish won’t hurt). Mist the enclosure once or twice daily with dechlorinated water — once in the morning and once in the evening works well. Aim for 60–80% humidity overall, letting it drop slightly between mistings so the enclosure doesn’t stay saturated.
CGD itself has a moisture component, and crested geckos will lick liquid from the dish — this contributes to hydration. But misting is still essential. A chronically dehydrated crested gecko will develop retained shed, sunken eyes, and eventually serious health problems.
Common Feeding Problems
My Crested Gecko Won’t Eat CGD
First: are you checking at the right time? Offer CGD after lights-out and check in the morning. If the dish is licked clean overnight but appears untouched during the day, the gecko is eating on schedule — they’re just nocturnal.
If they’re genuinely not eating: try a different CGD brand or flavour (Leapin’ Leachie’s higher insect-protein formula converts a lot of holdouts), offer the dish slightly warmed, or reduce handling stress by leaving them alone for 5–7 days. Crested geckos can safely go 10–14 days without eating as adults — a few missed days is not an emergency.
Refusal During Shed
Most crested geckos reduce or stop eating entirely 2–5 days before and during a shed. This is completely normal. Don’t force-feed or add variety to entice them — just maintain the offering schedule and let the shed complete. Feeding resumes naturally within a day or two after a successful shed.
Obesity in Crested Geckos
Crested geckos can become obese, particularly adults that receive too many waxworms, too much fruit, or CGD that’s available 24/7 without management. Signs: a wide, flattened body profile when resting, excess fat deposits visible at the base of the tail and behind the head. Reduce calorie density by switching to lower-fat CGD formulas and cutting insects to once a week for a few months.
Calcium Deficiency (MBD)
Metabolic bone disease is less common in crested geckos than in lizards requiring UVB (like bearded dragons), because quality CGD contains calcium and D3. But it can still occur if the gecko consistently refuses CGD and is fed mostly insects without calcium dusting. Signs include rubbery or bowed limbs, difficulty climbing, and lethargy. This requires veterinary attention — it’s manageable if caught early.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I feed my crested gecko?
CGD should be available every 1–2 days (refresh daily or every other day). Live insects 1–2 times per week for adults; 2–3 times per week for juveniles under 6 months.
Do crested geckos need live insects if they have CGD?
No, they can thrive on CGD alone — many adults are maintained exclusively on powder diet for their entire lives without issue. That said, live insects provide hunting stimulation, added protein, and behavioural enrichment that benefits the animal. If you can manage live feeders, do; if you can’t, a quality CGD is genuinely sufficient.
What is the best CGD brand for crested geckos?
Pangea and Repashy are both excellent and both have decades of positive outcomes behind them. Pangea tends to have better flavour variety and slightly higher acceptance rates; Repashy is the original formula and is widely available. Rotating between brands and flavours keeps the gecko interested and ensures nutritional variety. For picky eaters or juveniles, Leapin’ Leachie’s insect-protein formula often converts holdouts.
Can crested geckos eat fruit from the grocery store?
Yes, in small amounts. Mango, papaya, banana, and fig are all good options. Avoid citrus entirely. Offer fruit as an occasional supplement (once or twice a week), not as a replacement for CGD. Keep portions small — a fingertip-sized amount is sufficient.
My crested gecko hasn’t eaten in 5 days — should I be worried?
Not yet. Crested geckos routinely go off food for 5–10 days, especially during sheds, breeding season (males in particular), temperature fluctuations, or after a stressful event like moving to a new enclosure. Continue offering CGD on schedule. If the animal goes 14+ days without eating and shows other symptoms (weight loss, sunken eyes, lethargy during its active period), consult a reptile vet.
How do I know if my crested gecko is actually eating the CGD?
Check the dish in the morning after a full night cycle. You’ll often see lick marks, a distinct reduction in the volume of CGD, or a dish that’s been completely cleaned. If the dish looks completely untouched after 24 hours on multiple consecutive days, try offering at different positions in the enclosure (higher up), warming it slightly, or switching flavours.
Can I feed my crested gecko the same diet as a leopard gecko?
No — they have fundamentally different dietary needs. Leopard geckos are insectivores that rely entirely on live prey; they don’t eat plant matter or fruit. Crested geckos are frugivores/nectarivores whose primary nutrition comes from plant-based CGD powder. Learn more about how leopard gecko feeding works in our complete crested gecko care guide, which also compares these species in more detail.
See a Crested Gecko Up Close
Crested geckos are some of the most charismatic animals we bring to our GTA events — their wide eyes, velcro feet, and outgoing temperament make them a hit with every age group. If you want to handle one before deciding whether a crested gecko is the right fit for your home, come meet ours at a Toronto Reptiles birthday party or educational visit. We bring our animals across the Greater Toronto Area and are always happy to talk through feeding, housing, and what the first six months actually look like.