Giant Gecko Diet
Rhacodactylus leachianus is a frugivorous species. A frugivorous diet consists primarily of fruit. Another part of the leachianus diet is live prey which can consist of crickets, roaches and occasional hairless baby mice also referred to as "pinkie mice." There are diets for frugivorous geckos available such as Repashy Superfoods Crested Gecko Diet.
Giant Gecko Food
Fruit Puree and Nectar
I offer Crested Gecko Diet by Repashy Superfoods to both Grande Terre and Henkeli every other night leaving the remaining food in the enclosure until the next feeding. Superfoods is a balanced and complete diet specifically formulated for Rhacodactylus geckos and other frugivorous geckos.
Live Prey
I offer live prey in the form of crickets and roaches at least once a week. All live prey is dusted with Repashy Calcium Plus. This is the same product found in large pet chain stores under the name of Leopard Gecko Dust. Live feeders are a poor source of nutrition for all nocturnal reptiles. The insect needs to be balanced with the right calcium to phosphorus level and vitamin D3 is required to process calcium. I also like to switch between Calcium Plus and Zoo-Med Repti Calcium with D3.
Some Juveniles will not take crickets or roaches immediately. Offering one cricket at a time will increase the appeal of the live prey. I generally offer a more robust prey (but still no larger than the space between the eyes) item. At a certain point Juveniles will no longer accept crickets at all. When it comes to this point I offer B. Dubia roaches or hairless baby mice. To avoid the potential of gout I only offer the hairless baby mice once every-other-week.
Lack of Interest
Some geckos become accustomed to a certain diet and although they devour the food it does not mean that the food is nutritious. It can be difficult to change diets after an animal becomes accustomed to the diet that they are on. If your gecko was not fed the Superfoods then you can do a gradual introduction of the diet while still offering live prey. Starting with the food they are accustomed to change 25% of the food with the Superfood for the first week. The next week incorporate 50% of the Superfood with the original. On the third week mix 75% of the Superfood with the original and by the fourth week your gecko should be enjoying the Superfood without the original. Try to keep with the same flavors that your animal is accustomed to. If peach flavored food was offered then use peach Superfood. If you're uncertain of the flavor your gecko likes you can use one of the more popular flavors such as banana, mango, fig or strawberry.
Healthy Giant Geckos
Tracking Weight 
It is also appropriate to note that while changing the diet, breeding or changing enclosures it is a good idea to document weight and eating habits. I use an electronic scale that measures in grams to document weight. While changing diets there should be a little drop in weight but it should balance and stay steady keeping the appearance of a healthy gecko. A significant amount of weight loss and lack of gecko feces in the enclosure is what to look for in a gecko that is reluctant to eat.
Health by Appearance
- A giant gecko will show a couple of signs of poor health. A series of tail kinks throughout the tail or at the base where the hips meet the tail reflect a lack of calcium. This is common with hatchlings and can be easily remedied by supplementing a high Calcium diet with vitamin D3. Often this is remedied when the giant gecko starts eating dusted crickets.
- A slim tail or ribs and even hips protruding reflect a poor diet. It may be a difficult eater or not given the right diet on a consistent basis. It is difficult to return an animal to proper health with these signs. Hand feeding may be the only option for a giant gecko in this scenario.
- Sunken eyes are a sign of dehydration and can be remedied with increased misting or mixing more water in the Meal Replacement Powder. If you opt to mix more water make sure the consistency is still somewhat thick and hand feed a good portion at every feeding. If the consistency is too thin it will not be as readily consumed. Picky eaters, what can we do?