Skip to Content

Can Mealworms Kill A Leopard Gecko? Everything You Need To Know!

With leopard geckos being the second most commonly kept pet reptile in the world now with only the bearded dragon being more popular, we have noticed more and more people asking various questions about keeping a pet leopard gecko recently.

We really are seeing a wide range of questions about leopard geckos right now but after we published our article going over if leopard geckos can eat wax worms or not, we noticed a number of other questions about other types of worms, mainly mealworms.

There have been a number of different questions based around if mealworms can kill a leopard gecko recently so we wanted to publish this article on the topic to try and help our readers.

For the most part, mealworms are a safe food for leopard geckos when used in moderation but overfeeding them can cause health issues that may result in eventual death but the chances of this occurring really are minimal.

Another potential risk that is also minimal is that mealworms can bite your leopard gecko if they are not eaten quickly and although the risk is low, their bites may become infected in time and cause death in your pet leopard gecko.

Are Mealworms Safe For Leopard Geckos?

Mealworms are definitely a safe food source for your leopard gecko to eat but as with any live food, there is always the potential risk that they may carry diseases that can be passed on to your pet.

The best way to avoid this is by only purchasing mealworms from reputable breeders who follow good hygiene practices and also by ensuring that you store them correctly.

You should also avoid feeding your leopard gecko mealworms that are too big as they may struggle to eat them and this can cause health problems further down the line.

As we mentioned earlier, overfeeding your leopard gecko on mealworms can cause health issues so it is important that you only feed them as part of a varied diet and in moderation.

Mealworms should only ever make up a small part of your leopard gecko’s diet and if you are feeding them live food, you should always offer a variety of different types to ensure that they are getting all the nutrients they need.

As well as this, it is also important to remember that mealworms are not a complete food source and should not be the only thing that you feed your leopard gecko.

They should always be supplemented with a good quality leopard gecko diet as well as being dusted with calcium powder before being offered to your pet.

Can Mealworms Harm A Leopard Gecko?

Mealworms are generally a safe food source for leopard geckos but there are a few potential risks that you need to be aware of.

The first is that overfeeding them can cause health problems in your pet leopard gecko which, if left untreated, could eventually lead to death.

This is usually due to the leopard gecko keeper not understanding the nutritional requirements of their pet rather than anything that the mealworm does though.

In addition to that, you may also find that allowing mealworms to make up too much of your pet leopard geckos diet may actually cause other nutritional deficiencies that can cause other problems too.

Malnutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and metabolic bone disease as the most common ones to keep in mind.

Do Mealworms Bite?

Mealworms are not known to be aggressive but they can and do bite if they are not eaten quickly enough.

Whilst the bites themselves are usually not harmful, there is always the potential that they could become infected which could then lead to serious health problems for your leopard gecko.

Infectious diseases that can be passed on from mealworms to leopard geckos include septicemia, pneumonia, and mycosis.

As we mentioned earlier, it is always best to purchase your mealworms from a reputable breeder who follows good hygiene practices to reduce the risk of your pet becoming infected with anything.

You should also ensure that you store them correctly and only feed your leopard gecko those that are an appropriate size.

Can Mealworms Kill A Leopard Gecko?

Mealworms are not known to be deadly to leopard geckos but there is always the potential that they could cause health problems if they are not fed as part of a varied diet.

Overfeeding your leopard gecko on mealworms can lead to health issues such as malnutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and metabolic bone disease.

If left untreated, these health problems can eventually lead to death.

Although mealworms can technically kill your leopard gecko due to overfeeding or a bite getting infected, the risks are minimal and most people will not worry about it when using mealworms as a food source for their leopard gecko.

Conclusion

Mealworms are a safe food source for leopard geckos when used in moderation but overfeeding them can cause health issues that may result in eventual death. Another potential risk that is also minimal is that mealworms can bite your leopard gecko if they are not eaten quickly enough and these bites could become infected.

As long as you purchase your mealworms from a reputable source, store them correctly, and only offer them to your leopard gecko as part of a varied diet, they should pose no problems for your pet.