Health & Feeding › Diet BasicsFundamentals

What Do African Fat-Tailed Geckos Eat? Feeders, Schedule, and Technique From My Own Routine

Fat-tailed geckos eat bugs. There's no getting around that. But you don't have to feed every day, and with a little effort, a commercial gecko diet can be part of the menu. There's a realistic path even for the "I hate bugs but I really want one" crowd.

This article runs through feeders → schedule → technique → supplements, exactly the way I do it at home.

🛒 What you'll need

StapleHouse crickets (live)
SupplementLeopa Dry — a rehydratable gecko diet made in Japan, calcium-fortified
EssentialCalcium + vitamin D3 powder — I use GEX Exo Terra
ToolsFeeding tongs plus a food dish (mine's a dollar-store dish)

Table of Contents 1. Feeders: insects are the staple 2. Schedule and amounts (my real numbers) 3. Two techniques: the tong wiggle and dish feeding 4. Supplements (dusting)

1. Feeders: insects are the staple

Feeder	Role	Notes
Crickets (house / banded)	Staple	Strongest feeding response by far. Movement flips on the hunting instinct
Dubia roaches	Alternative staple	Big in the US. Nutritious and easy to keep
Mealworms	Treat	On the fatty side. Not a staple
Rehydratable gecko diet	Supplement / backup	Can work its way up to staple status once accepted. More below

African fat-tailed gecko leaning out of its open enclosure door toward a cup of mealworms

The second I show him the mealworm cup, he's leaning right out the door. They're supposed to be "just a treat," but look at that enthusiasm

2. Schedule and amounts (my real numbers)

My routine is every three days, about three crickets, with gecko diet in the rotation. On that, Ohagi went from 24.2 g to 31 g right on schedule. Daily feeding isn't necessary — in fact, feeding an adult every day is the fast track to an overweight gecko.

Juveniles / young adults: every 2–3 days, as much as they'll eat (they're growing — feed them well)
Adults: drop down to about twice a week. Adjust based on tail thickness (see the tail article)
Feeder size: no wider than the space between the gecko's eyes

3. Two techniques: the tong wiggle and dish feeding

The tong wiggle. Hold the feeder in tongs and give it tiny twitches right in front of his nose. Fat-tailed geckos are hunters that key in on movement — the response to a wiggling feeder is in a whole different league from a still one.

Gecko diet goes in a dish. Putting it straight on the floor risks him swallowing substrate along with it, so I use a small dish (from a dollar store). Once I made that switch, he started eating out of the dish with no fuss at all.

Offering rehydrated gecko diet on an open palm to an African fat-tailed gecko

Offering rehydrated Leopa Dry on my palm. Once he's this comfortable with you, feeding time is basically bonding time

💡 Want to move toward a commercial diet? Don't go all-in overnight. Alternate it with live feeders so he learns "oh, this is food too." I soak Leopa Dry in water until it's soft and chewy.

4. Supplements (dusting)

Insects on their own don't provide enough calcium. About once a week, dust the feeders with calcium + vitamin D3 powder. If you're not running UVB lighting, go with a D3-fortified powder — that's what keeps metabolic bone disease away.

Since my gecko diet is already calcium-fortified, I skip the dusting on diet days and dust the crickets once a week.

FAQ

I hate bugs. Can I feed nothing but commercial diet?: Doable with a gecko that's fully converted to it, but individuals vary a lot, and some never take to it. Honestly, bringing home a gecko on the assumption of "zero bugs" is a gamble.
Do I have to keep crickets in my house?: Keeping a small batch in a container is the usual way. If that's a hassle, plenty of keepers find dubia roaches easier and a lot less smelly.
Can I feed wild-caught bugs?: Not recommended — pesticides and parasites. Stick with commercially raised feeders.

African fat-tailed gecko on its keeper's hand

✍️ About the author

I keep Ohagi, an African fat-tailed gecko, at my home in Japan. Every photo here was taken in my home. Written from my own notes and photos, with AI helping me put it into English.