How Often to Feed a Gargoyle Gecko (By Age & Diet)

Gargoyle geckos (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) are one of the easiest arboreal geckos to feed, largely because they thrive on a prepared powdered diet rather than requiring live insects at every meal. Getting the frequency right, though, changes with the animal’s age.

The foundation: a complete commercial diet

The bulk of a gargoyle gecko’s nutrition should come from a complete crested/gargoyle gecko diet (CGD) — a powdered fruit-and-insect formula (brands like Pangea and Repashy) mixed with water to a smooth consistency. It is nutritionally balanced, convenient, and readily accepted. Offer it fresh in a shallow dish and remove any uneaten portion within about 24 hours, since it spoils.

Feeding frequency by age

Hatchlings and juveniles are growing rapidly and need food available often. Offer fresh CGD roughly every other day — effectively 3 to 4 times per week — so food is regularly available.

Adults (generally over 12–18 months and around 35+ grams) do well on CGD about 3 times per week. Overfeeding an adult, especially with too many insects, can lead to obesity.

Where insects fit in

Insects are a valuable supplement, not the base of the diet. Offer appropriately sized, gut-loaded feeders — dubia roaches or crickets — dusted with a calcium supplement. Juveniles benefit from insects 2 to 3 times per week to fuel growth; adults typically need them only about once a week. Prey should be no wider than the space between the gecko’s eyes.

Calcium and supplementation

A quality CGD already contains calcium and vitamins, but dusting feeder insects with a calcium (and periodic vitamin D3) supplement helps prevent metabolic bone disease, particularly in growing and breeding animals.

How to tell if you are feeding correctly

Weigh your gecko regularly with a small kitchen scale and track the trend. A healthy gargoyle has a rounded (not sunken) body and a full tail base, without heavy fat deposits. Steady growth in juveniles and a stable, appropriate weight in adults is the goal. Sudden weight loss, a thinning tail, or refusal to eat warrants a closer look at husbandry — and a reptile vet if it persists.

Find diet, feeders, and supplements in our terrarium shop, and explore full care details in the SpeciesVault Nature Database.