I'll present some information for you to consider on your own.
Cholesterol levels in insects vary from low ... to approximately the levels found in other animals ... depending on species and diet (Ritter, 1990). Insect fatty acids are similar to those of poultry and fish in their degree of unsaturation, with some groups being rather higher in linoleic and/or linolenic acids, which are the essential fatty acids (DeFoliart, 1991 ). see: http://www.food-insects.com/Insects as Human Food.htm
Depending on the source crickets contain around 21% protein, 6% fat, and 3% carbohydrates. Mealworms close to 19% protein, 14% fat, and 4% carbohydrates.
If you fed just these two insects in the following ratios (by weight) you would end up with a macronutrient content of;
10% crickets 90% mealworms = 19.2% protein 13.2% fat 3.9% carbohydrate
20% crickets 80% mealworms = 19.4% protein 12.4% fat 3.8% carbohydrate
30% crickets 70% mealworms = 19.6% protein 11.6% fat 3.7% carbohydrate
40% crickets 60% mealworms = 19.8% protein 10.8% fat 3.6% carbohydrate
50% crickets 50% mealworms = 20.0% protein 10.0% fat 3.5% carbohydrate
60% crickets 40% mealworms = 20.2% protein 09.2% fat 3.4% carbohydrate
70% crickets 30% mealworms = 20.4% protein 08.4% fat 3.3% carbohydrate
80% crickets 20% mealworms = 20.6% protein 07.6% fat 3.2% carbohydrate
90% crickets 10% mealworms = 20.8% protein 06.8% fat 3.1% carbohydrate
Proetin contains 4 calories per gram
Fat contains 9 calories per gram
Carbohydrates contain 4 per gram
The calorie content of 100g of crickets and mealworms in the same ratios listed above works out to;
10% crickets 90% mealworms = 211.2 calories
20% crickets 80% mealworms = 204.4 calories
30% crickets 70% mealworms = 197.6 calories
40% crickets 60% mealworms = 190.8 calories
50% crickets 50% mealworms = 184.0 calories
60% crickets 40% mealworms = 177.2 calories
70% crickets 30% mealworms = 170.4 calories
80% crickets 20% mealworms = 163.6 calories
90% crickets 10% mealworms = 156.8 calories
Considering the macronutrients protein and carbohydrates are fairly similar between crickets and mealworms there is no real loss in total amino acid availability or sugars, by mixing the two feeders.
The two insects though will contain differing levels of each amino acid. I must be honest in that I do not know the exact amino acids and their levels in these two feeders. The general thought is that a diverse diet averages out the nutrients at this level, where one insect falls short another does not. In effect the average value of the two is thought to be better than the values of just one.
In this example the gain in fat content simply elevates calorie content of the meal without altering the other macronutrient values greatly. While at first look this seems to favor the feeding of more mealworms than crickets in a situation where the gecko is still growing. Yet because I do not have a break down of both insects amino acid content and levels I would warn that it is possible that at each end of the range you may be missing out on providing something the other end of the rage has to offer in the form of particular amino acids or the level at which they are present.
I should also note that feeding just crickets or just mealworms has shown to provide the minimum nutrition required to breed leopard geckos through many many generations. The varried diet method produces similar results.
To the best of my understanding there is little data on long term effects regarding health, reproductivity, longevity, and growth rates where the only alteration in care is the feeder insect type.
As well I do not believe there has been a study that details the exact nutritional requirements of the leopard gecko.
There you have it, with as minimal fluff and opinion as I can muster.
Maurice Pudlo
