No, bananas are not suitable for leopard geckos. They are low in calcium compared to phosphorus, have high amounts of sugar, and are challenging for leopard geckos to bite since geckos have tiny teeth. In addition, the leopard gecko’s digestive system is adapted to digest insects, so bananas can be challenging to digest and absorb.
While there is much information about how geckos can eat bananas and even videos supporting this, scientifically, leopard geckos cannot eat bananas. Below, we explore why bananas are not fit for leopard geckos.
Disadvantages of Bananas for Leopard Geckos
A leopard gecko may munch on a banana out of curiosity to try new things. They may even like how the banana tastes due to the high sugar content and, therefore, may want to eat some more.
However, just because your gecko likes the fruit doesn’t mean you should give it to them. Below are the reasons why leopard geckos should not eat bananas.
1. Low Calcium Content
The first reason you should avoid giving bananas to your gecko is that bananas have low calcium levels and a poor calcium-to-phosphorus ratio meaning that bananas have more phosphorous than calcium.
Calcium is an essential nutrient for the healthy growth of your gecko; it helps strengthen its bones and skeletal structure. This mineral also protects your gecko from metabolic bone disease- a fatal illness common in reptiles where the bones weaken, and the reptile cannot move effectively, among other issues.
Metabolic bone disease arises due to calcium deficiency, and common symptoms include; weakened bones, limping, muscle weakness, inflexible lower jaw, and decreased appetite. In most severe cases, death results in a matter of weeks.
Phosphorous binds with calcium in the body, inhibiting the proper absorption of calcium. To counter this, the ratio of calcium to phosphorus should be at least 2:1 to ensure some calcium remains for absorption in the leopard gecko’s body.
Sadly, bananas have more phosphorus than calcium, meaning that the more bananas your gecko eats, the less calcium is left in its body.
2. Not Adapted to Feed On Bananas
Another reason you should avoid feeding bananas to your leopard gecko is that these lizards lack the adaptation to digest bananas. Since leopard geckos are insectivorous, their digestive system is different and does not have some organs for digesting bananas like herbivores or omnivores.
For instance, leopard geckos’ intestines are pretty short, denying the body the time needed to digest the complex sugars in bananas. It is because bananas, other fruits, and vegetables need a longer digestive tract for effective absorption, as they take longer than insects.
Another reason is that these geckos lack caecum, a vital organ in the digestion of cellulose, the primary sugar in a banana. Undigested food will, in most cases, result in stomachache and other complications for your gecko.
3. Bananas Contain High Amounts of Sugar
Too much sugar in a gecko’s body is not good, and bananas have plenty of it. Unfortunately, for leopard geckos, the process of digesting sugar is slow due to their body organs’ structure. Slow digestion means that sugar will stay longer in the gecko’s body, which is unsuitable for their development.
Leopard gecko’s low metabolism worsens the situation because most digested sugars are converted into and stored in the body as fat instead of being metabolized.
Although leopard geckos store extra fat in their tails as a cushion in case of sickness or severe starvation, too much of it negatively impacts their growth and can cause obesity.
Another drawback is that high sugar levels may also trigger diabetes which can be fatal for your lizard. Furthermore, the high sugar is not suitable for the gecko’s teeth and can contribute to mouth rot or teeth loss.
4. Geckos Have Small Mouths
Geckos, like most lizards, are small animals with tiny mouths. For them to eat, the food must be small to fit in their mouths. In addition, leopard geckos would not feed on anything bigger than the space between their eyes, and bananas are multiple times the distance.
If you are to provide the lizard with bananas, you will need to chop the bananas into small sizes, and even then, there is a significant chance that your gecko may choke when swallowing. You don’t want to subject your lizard to such a fatal hazard.
5. Geckos Have Small Teeth
The other reason leopard gecko owners should keep away from bananas is that a gecko’s small teeth are not adapted to chew on bananas. Half-chewed bananas will put the gecko at significant risk of choking when they try swallowing.
Also, the gecko’s teeth are sharp and thin, like incisors, which means they are not very effective at grinding bananas.
Furthermore, a leopard gecko has about 100 teeth that get replaced every three months. When chewing on bananas, there is a good chance that your gecko may swallow some teeth together with the bananas.
Such can lead to impaction or the puncturing of the digestive tract, which can be uncomfortable or cause internal bleeding.
6. Bananas Are Not Available in Their Natural Habitat
Another reason bananas are bad for your gecko is because they are foreign to them. Since bananas are unavailable to your gecko in the wild, your pet leopard gecko will have difficulty eating them. In addition, geckos are used to feeding live insects and hence may not identify bananas as food.
In general, if your gecko cannot get the food in its natural habitat, it is enough reason not to introduce it to them as a pet.
7. Risk of Chemicals and Parasites
Banana plants are known to host lots of animals and other plants. Many birds like making their nests within the spaces of ripening fruit, while rats love feeding on bananas and climbing up the plant to get to the fruit.
With so many animals preferring to eat bananas, there is a high chance for them to spread diseases and parasites to the fruit.
If the banana fruit is not washed thoroughly before being fed to your gecko, it might carry parasites and diseases that may infect your pet. Also, when people spray bananas with chemicals and pesticides, most of the toxins will be absorbed by the skin of the banana fruit. If your gecko happens to eat those skins, these chemicals will end up in their bodies which might be fatal.
Best Sources of Nutrition for Leopard Geckos
From the above, it is evident that bananas are not suitable for leopard geckos. Luckily there are other healthier meals that you can choose from.
Some qualities of an ideal leopard gecko meal are; it should have a high calcium-to-phosphorous ratio, be easy to eat and digest, and be rich in proteins. The insects should also have low-fat amounts and be free from chemicals, harmful bacteria, fungi, and diseases.
Below we have some of the best foods for a leopard gecko that meet these requirements. While some may not meet all, they meet a majority of them; hence they are a good choice for including in your leopard gecko’s diet.
Dubia Roaches
These are slow, making it easy for your gecko to catch them; they also breed quickly, so you will always have a steady supply of food for your gecko. In addition, dubia roaches are rich in calcium and have decent protein levels.
Mealworms
Mealworms offer a good source of nutrition for your geckos as they are readily available in stores; their long lifespan means you can buy them in bulk and keep them longer. These worms are also rich in proteins but have a high-fat content. The other downside is that they have chitin– a hard outer cover to digest.
Hornworms
Hornworms have high protein and vitamin content, making them suitable staple foods for your gecko. They are also easy and inexpensive to breed and maintain. In addition, these worms have high moisture content, making them preferable food for rehydrating geckos, as leopard geckos rely on most of their moisture intake from food.
Superworms
Superworms are a popular feeder insect choice for leopard geckos primarily because they have an excellent calcium-phosphorous ratio. They are also rich in vitamins and proteins, making them ideal for your young geckos. Another good reason is that superworms are easy to feed as they lack chitin; hence easy for the gecko to digest.
Crickets
Crickets are another inexpensive source of good nutrition for pet leopard geckos. They are easy to find and can provide food for your gecko for a long time since they have a long lifespan.
The major downside is that they produce an offensive smell and sound that might put off your gecko. In addition, crickets jump around a lot which can stress a leopard gecko and make hunting a challenge.
Waxworms
Wax worms are another excellent source of nutrition for geckos. They offer a good source of calcium, vitamins, and proteins, making them suitable particularly for baby and juvenile leopard geckos.
They also move slowly and do not have chitin; hence easy to eat and digest. The only downside is that they have a lot of fat and can easily make your geckos obese.
The above are ideal staple diets that you may consider for feeding your geckos. A good recommendation is combining several insects to ensure your gecko has all the nutritional benefits it needs for a healthy life.
You should provide live insects since it helps stimulate the gecko to hunt while keeping it active.
Tips To Enhance the Nutritional Value of Leopard Geckos Food
When dealing with insects, two crucial tips will ensure your gecko gets the best nutrition: gut loading and dusting.
Gut Loading
Gut loading is where you stuff your worms with all the nutrients that will benefit your gecko. These nutrients can be from healthy fruits and beneficial vegetables that, although nutritious, the leopard gecko shouldn’t directly eat.
It would be best if you gut-loaded the worms within a day before feeding them to your gecko. As the gecko eats the worms, they absorb all the nutrients, which is excellent.
Dusting
Dusting with calcium powder helps supplement your gecko’s calcium intake. It involves putting insects in powdered calcium for a few minutes before feeding.
As the gecko eats the insects, it also takes in calcium powder. This exercise is crucial if your gecko suffers from calcium deficiency and for healthy leopard geckos too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Leopard Geckos Eat Fruits?
No, leopard geckos can not eat food no matter how nutritious the fruit is. Fruits are rich in sugar which is not good for the lizard. In addition, a leopard gecko’s digestive tract is not adapted to feeding on fruits; hence eating the same can cause severe stomach problems.
What Is Bad for Leopard Geckos?
Anything a leopard gecko wouldn’t ordinarily eat in the wild is not ideal for them in captivity. As such, you should not give the lizard stinging or poisonous insects, human foods, and all fruits and vegetables. You should also not give them dead insects.
What Do Leopard Geckos Eat?
These geckos are insectivorous and hence primarily feed on insects. The best insects for them are rich in calcium, have low phosphorus amounts, rich in proteins, and have moderate amounts of fat and moisture. If you are unsure what is available in your locality to give the pet, consult your vet.
Conclusion
Leopard geckos may munch on a banana, but these fruits are not suitable no matter how much your pet seems to enjoy them. The biological makeup of a leopard gecko is not ideal for bananas.
In addition, bananas are rich in sugar, low in calcium, and generally nutritionally poor for a leopard gecko’s needs.
Instead, provide the leopard gecko with ideal insects such as dubia roaches, silkworms, crickets, mealworms, hornworms, and black soldier fly larvae, among others.
Ensure that, where possible, you gut-load these insects with nutrient-rich vegetables and dust them with calcium supplements before providing them to your leopard gecko.