Crested Geckos Fruit Feeding Guide 101: What Fruits Can Crested Geckos Eat?

Crested geckos are insectivorous and frugivorous. This means that they eat both fruits and insects.

But you should not rely completely on either fruits or insects only.

There needs to be a balance between the two forms of diet in order to provide a good ratio of nutrients to your crested gecko.

The recommended way is to have a staple diet of commercially available crested gecko diet powders and give fruits and insects as treats on occasion.

This is because crested gecko diet powders are made keeping in mind the nutritional requirements of crested geckos.

So, a crested gecko diet powder will ensure that your crested gecko gets all the nourishment from its diet.

And fruits and live insects will provide the much-needed enrichment which is also an essential component of the overall health and well-being of your crested gecko.

Things To Know Before You Give Fruit To Your Crested Gecko

While crested geckos are frugivorous, you cannot just feed any fruit to your pet.

This is because some fruits may be toxic and some may just be empty calories with no nutritional value for your crested gecko.

To avoid health problems for your crested gecko, it is best to avoid fruits that are nutritionally empty.

The Calcium To Phosphorus Ratio

One of the most important factors to take into consideration whenever you make any modifications in the diet of your crested gecko is to analyze how it will impact the overall calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of the diet.

Your crested gecko needs a diet that maintains a minimum 2:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorus.

Going below this ratio will lead to a deficiency of calcium in your crested gecko and make it prone to fatal health problems such as metabolic bone disorder.

Calcium To Phosphorus Homeostasis

Phosphorus and calcium have an antagonistic connection.

This implies that when blood phosphorus levels rise, blood calcium levels fall because phosphorus binds to calcium, lowering the amount of free calcium that is accessible in the blood.

In simpler terms, calcium, and phosphorus share an inverse relation.

The more phosphorus in the body, the lower will be the absorption of calcium.

Thus, in order for your crested gecko to get ample calcium from its diet, it should get at least 2 times as much calcium from its food as the quantity of phosphorus available.

So, for example, if a certain food item has 2 mcg of phosphorus present in it, it should have at least 4 mcg of calcium in order for the calcium to be effectively absorbed by the crested gecko.

Calculating The Calcium To Phosphorus Ratio

The complete nutritional chart of most fruits, vegetables, and even feeder insects is available on the open-source internet easily.

Once you get the nutritional chart of whichever food item you were looking for, you should note down three things:

1. The weight for which the nutrient quantities are being mentioned.
2. The quantity of calcium for that weight.
3. The quantity of phosphorus for that weight.

Then you simply need to take a ratio and adjust it to the weight of the food that you will be providing.

For instance:

If a nutritional chart shows the nutrient quantities for 100g of a food X as follows:

Calcium = 12mcg

Phosphorus = 6mcg

And if you plan on giving 25g of that food X to your pet crested gecko, then the adjusted nutrient quantities will be calculated as follows:

Calcium (100g) = 12mcg
=> Calcium (1g) = 12/100 mcg = 0.12mcg
=> Calcium (25g) = 0.12 * 25 = 3mcg

Phosphorus (100g) = 6mcg
=> Phosphorus (1g) = 6/100 mcg = 0.06mcg
=> Phosphorus (25g) = 0.06 * 25 = 1.5mcg

Now, you know the exact quantity of calcium and phosphorus that your crested gecko will be getting from the quantity of food X that you feed.

Now simply calculate the Ca/P ratio: 3mcg/1.5mcg = 2:1

Oxalic Acids

Oxalic acids hinder or obstruct calcium and magnesium absorption in a crested gecko’s body, just like potassium does.

Crested geckos that consume excessive amounts of potassium or oxalic acid may become severely malnourished.

Oxalic acid is not beneficial to crested geckos in the same way it is to humans since they are unable to absorb it.

Oxalic acid, it turns out, is more harmful than beneficial.

Crested geckos may be more susceptible to metabolic bone problems due to a calcium deficit that can result from high consumption of oxalic acid.

What Are The Best Fruits For Crested Geckos?

Some of the best fruits for your crested gecko are:

• Mango
• Pear
• Banana
• Grapes
• Fig
• Apricot
• Strawberry
• Watermelon
• Dates
• Peach
• Plum
• Etc.

These are some of the healthiest fruits for your crested gecko.

How Should You Feed Fruits To Your Crested Geckos?

 There are two ways to feed fruits to your crested gecko:

1. You can cut the fruit into very small pieces and let your crested gecko chomp on it.
2. You can mash the fruit into a pulpy mush and give it to your crested gecko to lick and consume.

How Often Should I Feed My Crested Gecko Fruit?

It is recommended that you keep a staple diet of crested gecko diet powder for your pet and only give fruits as treats.

Giving fruits as a treat once a week with one of the meals will be ideal to avoid any disproportion in nutrients and prevent obesity.

What Kind Of Fruits Should You Not Feed Your Crested Geckos?

The following are the fruits that can be toxic for your crested geckos. You should not feed these fruits to your crested gecko.

1 – Citrus Fruits

Oxalic acid and vitamin C concentrations are greater in citrus fruits.

The oxalic acid build-up in the body prevents the body of a crested gecko from absorbing calcium, resulting in calcium insufficiency and consequent health issues including metabolic bone disease or unviable calcified eggs when mating.

Additionally, a crested gecko’s diet should be low in vitamin C to prevent diarrhea.

Because alternative fruits with lesser quantities of oxalic acid and vitamin C may easily satisfy the crested gecko’s nutritional needs, it is always best to stay away from citrus fruits entirely.

2 – High Oxalic Acid Fruits

Many non-citrus fruits also contain a significant amount of oxalic acid, at least higher than what a crested gecko needs.

Oxalic acid is known to be present in high amounts in berries like raspberries and dried fruits like walnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, almonds, and cashews.

A crested gecko’s diet should include only limited amounts of any of these fruits.

3 – Avocado

While avocados are a wonderful source of healthy fats and have a lower quantity of oxalic acid than other foods, they should be excluded from the diet of your pet crested gecko.

This is due to the presence of a compound called persin, a fungicidal toxin that can negatively impact crested geckos’ health.

Persin is harmful to birds and crested geckos, according to research conducted so far, and when consumed in excessive doses, it can even cause your pet crested gecko’s death.

4 – Rhubarb

Due to its increased oxalic acid level, even rhubarb should be avoided. Even eating rhubarb can block the body’s ability to absorb calcium, which can result in calcium shortage and other illnesses and medical issues.

5 – Tomato

Again closely similar to citrus fruits, tomatoes are a fruit and plant that should not be fed to your pet crested gecko since it may be harmful to its long-term health.

The New Caledonian rainforests, which are crested geckos’ native environment, do not naturally contain tomatoes.

Furthermore, it is advised not to offer this fruit or the plant that produces it to your pet crested gecko because of the greater acidity and inappropriate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio (less than 2:1).

Apart From Fruits, What Else Can Crested Geckos Eat?

Apart from fruits, crested geckos can also eat some vegetables like celery, alfalfa, and dandelion greens.

They eat insects like crickets, roaches, and worms. And crested geckos can also eat crested gecko diet powders that are available in the market.

FAQs

Can Crested Geckos Eat Mango?

Yes, crested geckos can eat mango.

Can Crested Geckos Eat Raspberries?

Yes, crested geckos can eat raspberries in moderation.

Can Crested Geckos Eat Pineapple?

Yes, crested geckos can eat pineapple in limited quantities.

Can Crested Geckos Eat Pears?

Yes, crested geckos can eat pears.

Can Crested Geckos Eat Avocado?

No, crested geckos cannot and should not eat avocados. It can lead to the death of your crested gecko if eaten in large amounts.

Summary

Crested geckos are frugivorous and insectivorous.

However, when feeding fruits to your crested gecko, you should ensure that the overall ratio of calcium to phosphorus does not fall below 2:1.

Moreover, it is better to give fruits as a treat rather than a staple diet.