How To Gut Load Mealworms For Leopard Geckos

Mealworms are a popular pet food, especially for leopard geckos. However, mealworms aren’t very healthy on their own, so it’s important to feed them a nutritious meal prior to feeding them to your leopard gecko. This process is called gut loading. By gut loading your mealworms, you will be able to provide your leopard gecko with the essential nutrients they need.

Feeding your leopard gecko a variety of insects will ensure they receive everything they need to be healthy.

Mealworms are a good source of protein for your leopard gecko. But mealworms aren’t the only insect you should be feeding your gecko. In fact, mealworms are deficient in calcium, fat and vitamin A when compared to other types of insects like dubia roaches and super worms.

That’s why it’s important to feed your leopard gecko a variety of insects so they get all the nutrients they need to be healthy.

What Do I Need To Gut Load Mealworms?

You’ll need:

• Mealworms (about 15 for a leopard gecko, or 30 for an adult)
• Substrate – you can use any type of substrate you like, but we recommend using either coco bedding or paper towel. If the worms escape from the lid and get into your substrate, it’s much easier to clean up after they’ve escaped if you use either coco bedding or paper towel as they are both very absorbent and don’t stick to your fingers like other substrates.
• Container – this will be used to store your substrate in while keeping it fresh. It should be large enough so that it doesn’t look overcrowded once all the worms are added to it (probably about 1 gallon). We recommend something opaque so that light doesn’t have an effect on their growth rate.
• Lid – this is optional but recommended if you want to keep any moisture from escaping while also allowing ample ventilation inside your container so that mold doesn’t form in between feedings. If using an opaque container with no lid, make sure there is plenty of ventilation at the top by leaving gaps between pieces of mesh screen or cardboard lining each side before adding substrate so air can flow freely through without being obstructed by anything else within reach (especially if using coco bedding).

You will need a shallow container with a lid, such as a 35mm film container or similar food storage container. A few holes poked in the lid will provide ventilation.

• You will need a shallow container with a lid, such as a 35mm film container or similar food storage container. A few holes poked in the lid will provide ventilation.
• The substrate should be 2-3 inches deep, depending on how much substrate you have and how many mealworms you plan to raise at once. The substrate can be any kind of reptile bedding (coir fiber, peat moss, coconut fiber), but we recommend Zoo Med Natural Bedding for Leopard Gecko Vivariums.
• Make sure your tank has proper ventilation by placing three or four air holes around the upper portion of the tank—we recommend using small plastic cups from inside cereal boxes as additional ventilation holes if needed!

Next you will need some type of substrate. A substrate is what the mealworms live on, which is why it’s important to feed this substrate to your mealworms just before feeding them to your leopard gecko. This can be whole wheat flour, rolled oats, bran or you can buy specially made mealworm bedding from a pet store. Just place about an inch of substrate in the bottom of your container.

Next you will need some type of substrate. A substrate is what the mealworms live on, which is why it’s important to feed this substrate to your mealworms just before feeding them to your leopard gecko. This can be whole wheat flour, rolled oats, bran or you can buy specially made mealworm bedding from a pet store. Just place about an inch of substrate in the bottom of your container.

Now that you have everything set up with your food and the bedding, you can add your mealworms. You want enough so that there is about 1-2 inches of them covering the entire bottom of the container when they are all spread out evenly over it

Once you have your substrate in the container, add some mealworms. You won’t need too many – just 10 or so should be enough for feeding time. Put a couple of slices of potato on top of the substrate to provide water and keep them fresh.