How Often to Feed a Leopard Gecko: Schedule by Age

The answer to how often to feed leopard gecko depends mostly on age. A veterinarian reviewed care sheet gives the rule. Juveniles up to 12 months eat daily, and adults at 12 months and older eat 2 to 3 times per week.

The RSPCA care sheet agrees on daily feeding for juveniles. It puts adults on every other day. So the adult answer sits between two and four feedings a week.

Hatchlings follow the juvenile rule. This page covers the schedule, the portion, the insect size and the dusting plan. For the full list of foods and the reasoning behind them, see the leopard gecko diet overview.

How Often to Feed Leopard Gecko by Age

Growth is the reason the schedule changes. A hatchling measures about 85 mm (3.3 inches) and an adult about 220 mm (8.7 inches). Captive leopard geckos reach maturity at roughly 18 months, with a range of 16 to 24 months.

The frequency and counts for juveniles and adults come from the Pets in the Classroom care sheet, which a veterinarian reviewed. The RSPCA gives daily for juveniles and every other day for adults, with no count.

No source I opened gives a separate hatchling count. Treat the hatchling row as common keeper practice and judge it by the belly: a hatchling that eats everything offered each day and keeps a rounded tail is on track.

Between 12 and 18 months the gecko is an adult by the care sheet’s rule, even though it may still grow. A slim animal in that window can stay on a daily or every other day plan. Move to the adult plan only when it is no longer thin.

How Many Insects per Feeding

Count by what the gecko eats, not by a fixed number alone. Offer the care sheet range of 6 to 10 insects, then watch.

If every insect is gone in 15 to 20 minutes and the gecko still hunts, add a few next time. If several are left, offer fewer.

Remove uneaten live insects after the feeding. The RSPCA says to remove uneaten bugs so they do not bite the gecko. It also suggests feeding in a separate container so no substrate is swallowed.

Crickets can bite a resting gecko, and a leopard gecko is nocturnal, so offer food in the evening when it is active. In the wild it hunts at night and shelters under rocks or in burrows by day, which is why daytime feedings are often ignored.

Size rule

The care sheet sets one size limit for every age: no larger than the width of the gecko’s head. A feeder wider than the head can be refused or swallowed with difficulty. Hatchlings need small crickets or small roach nymphs, and adults can take large ones.

A Sample Weekly Plan

This weekly plan is an example built from the care sheet frequencies, not a sourced requirement. It shows how often to feed leopard gecko adults and juveniles across seven days.

Fresh water in a shallow dish should be available every day, whether or not it is a feeding day. The care sheet says to clean the dish daily.

Dusting and Supplements

The Merck Veterinary Manual says to dust insects with calcium immediately before offering them to a reptile. It also says insects should eat a nutritionally complete, calcium rich diet first. Dusting the moment before the feeding matters because calcium on an insect rubs off fast.

The care sheet gives the schedule: calcium without D3 at most feedings, D3 once or twice weekly depending on UVB exposure, and a multivitamin once or twice weekly. For product choices, see the guide to the best calcium supplement for leopard geckos.

A study on leopard gecko hatchlings found that a supplement labeled 4,400 IU/kg of D3 measured 15,500 IU/kg in the lab, about 3.5 times the label. The geckos in that study showed no signs of metabolic bone disease. The finding is a reason to follow the label dose and not to double up on D3 products.

Which Insects to Use

The care sheet names crickets and dubia roaches as staples, with dubia lower in fat. It calls mealworms and superworms high in fat, to be fed in moderation, and waxworms a high fat treat. Silkworms and hornworms are low in fat and add moisture but are harder to find.

Merck lists these calcium to phosphorus ratios for whole insects. A ratio under 1 means the insect holds more phosphorus than calcium, which is why dusting and gut loading are needed. The table is for reptiles generally, not for leopard geckos alone.

Rotate feeders so no single insect makes up the whole diet. Crickets or dubia roaches can anchor the week, with a worm as variety. More options are in the guide to feeder insects.

Adjusting for Weight and Condition

Merck warns that obesity combined with limited exercise and excess calories can lead to hepatic lipidosis in reptiles, and it advises a gradual diet reduction. That advice covers reptiles generally, but it applies to any gecko that is being overfed. Cut back by dropping one feeding per week or one or two insects per meal, not all at once.

Underfeeding has costs too. In a University of Calgary study of juvenile leopard geckos on high, medium and low diets, a regenerating tail took priority over body growth when food was limited. A gecko that has dropped its tail needs steady feeding so growth is not traded away.

No source I opened gives a numeric weight target or a healthy weight range for adults, so use body condition as the guide:

• A thin gecko with visible hip bones and a narrow tail needs more insects or more feedings.
• A gecko with a plump tail and a rounded belly that refuses food now and then is on a good plan.
• A gecko with a very wide tail base and fat pads on the neck or limbs needs fewer insects per meal.

The RSPCA advises weighing a gecko regularly. It says a well fed gecko has a thick tail. The only published weights opened for this guide come from the hatchling study, where geckos averaged 52 to 60 g at about six months, so no sourced adult target exists.

Weigh on a gram scale every month or two and log the number. A falling trend is a reason to review husbandry or call a reptile veterinarian. The leopard gecko care guide covers the temperatures that support digestion.

When a Gecko Will Not Eat

Merck lists anorexia as a sign of both metabolic bone disease and vitamin A deficiency in reptiles. Low heat is also on its list of causes for bone disease. If a gecko stops eating for more than a week or two, check the warm side first.

The care sheet gives 88 to 92 F (31 to 33 C) for the warm side and 70 to 75 F (21 to 24 C) for the cool side.

Weakness, a swollen jaw, tremors or abnormal walking call for a reptile veterinarian. Merck says the prognosis is favorable for metabolic bone disease when the animal is still eating, so early action matters. How long a gecko can safely go without food has its own page, which is not live yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should you feed a leopard gecko that is a hatchling?

Daily, the same as any leopard gecko under 12 months. Offer small insects no wider than the head, and remove leftovers. The exact count per meal is common keeper practice, since no source I opened sets one.

Is it a problem if my adult leopard gecko skips a meal?

One skipped feeding is not an emergency in a gecko of normal weight with a thick tail, which the RSPCA treats as the sign of a well fed animal. Check temperatures and the water dish, then offer food again at the next scheduled time. A gecko that refuses food for weeks, or looks thin, needs a veterinary exam.

Can I feed an adult every day?

For adults, the care sheet sets 2 to 3 feedings per week. Daily feeding of an adult adds calories without exercise, which Merck links to obesity and liver disease in reptiles. If the gecko is thin, increase the insects per meal before adding days.

Should I leave insects in the enclosure overnight?

No. Remove uneaten insects after the feeding, because crickets can bite a resting gecko. A short feeding window also keeps the enclosure cleaner.

Do I dust every feeding?

Calcium goes on at most feedings, per the care sheet, and D3 and a multivitamin are added once or twice weekly. Merck says to dust immediately before offering the insects. Skipping calcium for long periods raises the risk of metabolic bone disease.

Do wild leopard geckos eat on a schedule?

Animal Diversity Web lists scorpions, centipedes, spiders and beetles in the wild diet, but it gives no schedule. Wild feeding depends on what the hunt finds each night. A captive plan is a human standard built on growth and body condition.