Leopard geckos can be stubborn eaters. You can give them their favorite insects, even superworms, and have them look at you with disdain.

Since a forgotten superworm can turn into a beetle, many with leopard geckos at home have turned to dried mealworms as an alternative dietary product. This food source is rich in protein, but some animals don’t recognize that they can eat the product.

The best way to offer food to a leopard gecko is to provide live, fresh resources daily or every other day. Feeding dried mealworms or only one food type only could lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Can I Feed My Leopard Gecko Only Mealworms?

A leopard gecko can survive on a diet of only mealworms, but this approach is not advisable. This food source doesn’t offer a well-rounded set of nutrients for the animal, which is why other insects should be part of the diet. Crickets and waxworms are excellent additions to consider.

Mealworms deliver excellent levels of protein for leopard geckos while staying quiet in their container. If you’ve ever had to deal with crickets singing in the middle of the night, you can see the advantage of this food source.

The advantage that you have with mealworms compared to other similar larvae is that they can be frozen or heated. By drying them out, you won’t need to worry about their transformation into a mealworm beetle.

Since this product is easily consumable once it’s treated in this fashion, it can be a wonderful addition to the diet.

Although some leopard geckos love dried mealworms, most prefer their food to be prey. That means it needs to breathe and crawl, so live products typically work better. Some aren’t enticed enough to consume the dried product.

Mealworms are like vegetables for humans when looking at how the nutrient profile changes during the preparation process. The additional nutrients that leopard geckos receive are reduced or removed from the dried product. That means more items are necessary to ensure long-term health is achieved.

Why Add Dried Mealworms to a Leopard Gecko’s Diet?

Although dried mealworms shouldn’t be the only thing a leopard gecko eats, there are specific advantages to consider when adding this product to their diet.

1. No Evolution

Although leopard geckos are above-average hunters, a few mealworms tend to escape their attention. This issue usually happens when they’re offered as food when your leo isn’t hungry. If they stay in the enclosure long enough, they’ll transform into a mealworm beetle.

Some leopard geckos will try to eat the beetle when they see it in their enclosure. The exoskeleton could be hard enough to be problematic.

You’ll want to check your enclosure periodically to remove beetles to prevent unwanted injuries. When you feed dried mealworms, you eliminate the risk altogether.

2. Less Maintenance

You can store dried mealworms the same way that you keep dried herbs and spices in the kitchen. As long as the product is kept at room temperature and away from moisture, it can be a go-to food resource at any time of day.

If dried mealworms are the primary source of a leo’s diet, they can be dusted with extra supplements to create a more well-rounded diet. Supplements tend to be more expensive than live insects, so it’s a matter of what method you prefer.

3. Buy in Bulk

Live mealworms typically come in small containers. When you purchase the dried variety, you can get them in much larger packages.

Hatortempt Non-GMO Dried Mealworms are an excellent choice for any leopard gecko. The manufacturer adds zero preservatives or artificial ingredients to the product while processing to ensure your animal receives the best food possible.

This brand quick-dries each mealworm to ensure it stays crisp and tempting while maintaining as many of the fiber vitamins as possible. No refrigeration is needed.

How to Feed Dried Mealworms to Leopard Geckos

When you feed dried mealworms to a leopard gecko, there are a few best practices to consider. These ideas make it easier for the food to be consumed while keeping the risks associated with this product low.

• If dried mealworms are the only food source, the amount of water given to the leopard gecko should be doubled each day.
• Baby and juvenile leopard geckos struggle to consume whole dried mealworms. Although feeding them this product should be avoided, a small amount of finely chopped product could be an occasional treat (not recommended).
• Dust the mealworms with essential supplements to ensure the leo has a well-rounded nutritional profile to support their health.
• Regularly inspect the dried mealworms to ensure they’re safe to offer. If you see mold or mildew form, the product should be thrown away or composted.

Instead of using generic reptile dust for your leopard gecko when supplementing dried mealworms, it helps to use an animal-specific product. That’s why I have T-Rex Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus at home.

This product is like having an all-in-one superfood to add to your leopard gecko’s diet. You just sprinkle the dust onto the dried mealworms (or live ones) before feeding. That allows the combined dietary value of both products to support animal health.

It’s an excellent resource to add the trace elements that leos need that aren’t always available, even from live insects.

Some geckos are a bit finicky with their food. It took about a week for mine to give it a try, and then she loved it.

I’ve also had success dusting crickets with T-Rex Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus for an extra boost.

A couple of the bottles I’ve had over the years have been a little clumpy, like some moisture got inside. I use a mortar and pestle to grind it back into the powder, then store it in a dry space to ensure it works well.

What Are the Risks of Feeding Dried Mealworms to Leopard Geckos?

Leopard geckos are chill guys and gals that love a quiet space to contemplate life. When you give them a few minutes of attention each day, they’re content underneath their lamp or lighting to sit and watch the world.

When you feed them a well-rounded diet, their energy levels stay where needed to explore when the urge strikes.

If they aren’t getting the vitamins and minerals they need for their health, you might see more lethargy throughout the day.

Here are some of the potential disadvantages to consider if you’re planning to feed your leo dried mealworms as the primary part of their diet.

Dried Mealworms Don’t Offer Moisture

Leopard geckos need fresh water each day to ensure they stay hydrated. One of the primary sources of fluids in their diets is from their prey.

If you provide dried mealworms, the product contains only 5% moisture. That’s compared to the 62% that the live variety offers.

The dried product also contains 28% fat, while live prey offers 13%.

It’s a fair comparison to say that dried mealworms are the fast-food option for leopard geckos. If they have it as a treat occasionally, there won’t be much of an issue. When it is the only thing in their diet, you’ll be encouraging them to get supersized in unhealthy ways.

Dried Foods Can Trigger Impaction Problems

All foods carry impaction risks for leopard geckos. When they consume prey, the higher moisture levels provide extra lubrication to keep the digestive process working as expected.

When too many dried mealworms are consumed at once, the exoskeletons can be chewed into a powder that can clump while being processed.

The easiest way to track impaction is to review the animal’s bowel movements. You will also see a distended belly or unnatural swelling at some point in the digestive tract.

Leos with impaction problems also tend to become lethargic. As the issue grows, severe stress and pain occur as the intestines stretch to accommodate the food. If this condition is left untreated, the symptoms can create life-threatening results.

This issue is why dried mealworms are typically recommended for adults only. The lower moisture content can make it hard for juveniles to swallow this food resource.

You can reduce the risk of impaction by hydrating the mealworms before giving them as food.

Lack of Food Recognition

Leopard geckos are avid hunters. When they’re hungry and prey is in the vicinity, you’ll see them attack with impressive speed.

Dried mealworms don’t trigger the hunting instinct. Although some recognize this product as food, many won’t even pay attention to the product.

You can lead a leopard gecko to the dried mealworms, but you can’t force him to eat.

Comparison of Live vs. Dried Mealworms as Leopard Gecko Food

If you’re thinking about adding dried mealworms to a leopard gecko’s diet, here are the different comparison points to consider.

Category	Live Mealworms	Dried Mealworms
Fiber Content	2% Per Serving	6% Per Serving
Fat Content	13% Per Serving	28% Per Serving
Protein Content	20% Per Serving	53% Per Serving
Moisture Content	62% Per Serving	5% Per Serving
Supplement Dusting	Yes	Yes
Gut-Loading	Yes	No
Maintenance	Requires Food and Temperature Controls to Maintain Food Source	Requires a Sealed and Dry Environment
Shelf Life	Approximately 30 Days	Approximately 36 Months

There isn’t a fixed number of dried mealworms that a leopard gecko chooses to consume. Many animals will eat whatever you put into their enclosures. That means it is up to you to control their feeding habits by limiting all food sources.

If you mix live and dried mealworms, the best combination is to offer about one live food source per day and a few dried ones throughout the week.

How to Store Mealworms for Leopard Geckos

When you purchase dried mealworms for your leopard gecko to consume, you’ll want to protect the integrity of the product to prevent mold and mildew growth.

Here are the steps to take to ensure that your dried mealworms can continue providing a healthy dose of protein and fiber vitamins.

• Keep the dried mealworms in a sealed bag or an airtight container. Rolling over the top of a plastic bag to close with a clip will cut the storage time by 50% or more.
• The container or bag should be kept in a cool and dry place. It should be kept away from any humidity.
• Dried mealworms can be stored in freezers or refrigerators, but any compromise to the container could lead to bacterial growth.

Alternatives to Mealworms for Leopard Geckos to Try

Leopard geckos can be picky eaters. Some won’t touch anything but their favorite foods, which means you can end up with a significant stock of unwanted items at home.

If you’ve found that dried or live mealworms aren’t desirable, consider using black soldier fly larvae instead. The shelf life can be as little as five days, but the nutritional profile is excellent.

There’s as much protein and fiber content per serving with black soldier fly larvae as there is with dried mealworms.

Superworms are another alternative. Although they are known to bite occasionally, they have a minimal impaction risk. The fat content is about double what live mealworms offer, so they should be considered a treat.

Waxworms are a great choice because they’re soft-bodied, high in moisture, and have a shelf life of up to 90 days. They’re also low in fat, but the protein and fiber content is also below average.

Any of these options are relatively low-maintenance choices for leopard geckos. If you don’t mind caring for other live insects, you can stock crickets, centipedes, and tiny spiders for them to eat.

Silkworms, hornworms, and Phoenix worms are also popular choices. Some have even found that their leos love to eat roaches.

Items That Shouldn’t Be in a Leopard Gecko’s Diet

A leopard gecko is an insectivore, not an omnivore. That means they cannot eat fruit. Any fruits or vegetables can cause a severe illness because their digestive tracts aren’t built to process these foods.

Raw meat can carry dangerous bacteria, while cooked animal products don’t offer the correct nutrient profile.

Only feed farm-grown or commercial insects to your leopard gecko. The ones you capture in the wild could be contaminated with pesticides or other harmful agents.

Should I Feed Dried Mealworms to a Leopard Gecko?

Dried mealworms are an excellent addition to a leopard gecko’s diet when offered in moderation. This food delivers more fiber and protein, ensuring those requirements are met effectively. The best way to provide this product is by mixing it with live mealworms or dusting it with a supplement powder.

My leopard gecko tends to look a little green under her full-spectrum LED light. That effect is enhanced when she sits in her hidey, surrounded by a few live plants.

That led to her getting the name Ms. Pickles.

Now, Ms. Pickles is a picky eater. She will not touch crickets unless they’ve been dusted with T-Rex Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus.

As for dried mealworms, she’ll eat those all day. I didn’t realize how much fat content they had at first, so she got to binge for a few weeks until I noticed she was getting a bit large in unwanted ways. That’s when I did more research, made some dietary adjustments, and got her the supplements she needed.

Most mealworms and live insects will not bite. Just don’t accidentally spill an entire container into the enclosure. Ms. Pickles was happy, but then I had a ton of beetles to remove.

A well-rounded diet can help your leopard gecko live a long and healthy life. The info in this guide can help you make appropriate decisions for your animal’s health.