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Q: Is it ok to feed Crested Geckos fresh fruit?
Posted By:

VictorE24

In Relation To:

Geeky
Hi all,
I was just curious if it was ok to feed Cresties fresh fruit such as bananas, strawberries...things like that..

That's all! :D

Thank you!

Points: 50
Topics: Feeding
Tags: Crested, Diet, Feeding, Fruit, Gecko, Rhacodactylus
Species: Lizards > Geckos > Correlophus ciliatus
Administrative: Show/Hide

Member Comment 11/12/2010 8:31:17 PM

Katie M
It's best to feed them just the crested gecko diet, as it's been carefully formulated to contain the exact amount of nutrients they are meant to have.  That said, if you want to give them an occasional treat, say once a week or every other week, that should be okay.  You'd be better off making that treat a dubia or lobster roach, though :)
 
Member Comment 11/12/2010 8:31:43 PM

Katie M
I miss my cresties sometimes... I had 8 at one point
 
Author Comment 11/12/2010 9:54:22 PM

VictorE24
haha Roaches creep me out Katie!! Lol!! He does get crickets once a week. my kids were trying to feed him a banana and I had to stop them because I didn't know if they were OK or not!! We'll see you Sunday! -Catherine
 
Member Comment 11/13/2010 4:21:54 AM

abi21491
You can definitely feed fruit, but ONLY once in a while, like a treat ;) I myself wouldn't do it more than once every 2 weeks probably... Especially super sugary fruits like bananas. I would say stuff like berries, if they are interested in those types of fruit would be safer to feed more frequently... But you don't want to overload their little bodies with sugar/carbs. Some get spoiled with sugary foods and start refusing the good stuff - CGD.
 
Member Comment 11/13/2010 12:13:41 PM

Sylvias
I give my cresty some fresh fruit usually once a month... so far watermelon is his favorite, closely followed by banana. It is perfectly fine as the occasional treat and they seem to really enjoy it :) Mine actually seems to like it more than wax worms... which is the only insect type thing he will actually eat (obviously those are a rare treat as well)
 
Member Comment 11/13/2010 6:28:36 PM

Joseph Jenkins
I often mix my rhaco diet with pureed bananas for my leachianus geckos
 
Member Comment 11/13/2010 9:03:31 PM

TomPiperni
Blend the fruits up, it's fine to give to them. You can add some calcium powder too.
 
Member Comment 11/13/2010 11:19:28 PM

WillC
I feed mine blended fruits once and awhile. Some don't care for it.

Will
 
Accepted Answer 11/13/2010 11:24:13 PM

HurricaneJen
They eat rotting fruit in the wild...why not give them similar food items in captivity?  Hits tend to be overripe bananas, mangoes, papaya, and other similarly mushy fruits. 
Back in the day (ten years ago...woo!) when cresties first started being kept as pets, mashing up fresh stuff was the way to go, especially combined with occasional animal protein in the form of crickets or meat baby food.  The powdered formula is just a more convenient and sure fire way to provide essential nutrients.  Kind of like making your own dog food vs. buying a quality pre-made food. 
 
Member Comment 11/14/2010 10:07:50 AM

aaron
jen +1,000,000
 
Member Comment 11/15/2010 12:27:06 PM

WingedWolfPsion
The commercial CGD has taken the guesswork out of crested gecko nutrition, and you see a lot fewer animals with serious deficiency these days, but there's nothing wrong with offering a little fruit, every once in a while, as a treat.  It's much the same as offering live insects once in a while. 
 
Member Comment 11/16/2010 9:47:46 AM

Herpetological_Girl
Yup! Jen says it all :)
 
Member Comment 11/17/2010 4:26:27 PM

dbarrm
We have a gecko hooked on bad banana.  You get close to the cage and he is walking to his feeding spot.  He loves the stuff but the next few days he wont eat his CGD.  I only give it to him every 3 weeks or so. 

Dan
 
Member Comment 11/17/2010 5:09:21 PM

Aimee
most of mine like champagne mango :D
 
Member Comment 11/17/2010 6:26:15 PM

Tiger Onzuka
My Crested Geckos will go bonkers over Papaya and Mangos. And, I only recommend tropical fruits and the same rules apply as for size of the food item as compared to insects. Avoid phase 2 baby food because they WILL get addicted to sugar and can be fussy with the Repashy diet. The Repashy diet with occasional insects is by far the best diet. Save the fruits for special treats only!
 
Member Comment 11/17/2010 7:01:15 PM

Aimee
totally. it's definitely a rare thing for mine, but they just love it.
 
Member Comment 3/7/2011 1:12:40 AM

abi21491

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