What do Bearded Dragons eat is one of the first questions you should be asking yourself before purchasing one of these lizards.
Bearded Dragons need to be fed a varied diet of insects, fruit and vegetables in order to meet their dietary needs. An unbalance or deficient diet can lead to serious health Problems and in severe cases, even death.
So, what do Bearded Dragons eat and how do we ensure that their dietary needs are met? In this article we are going to answer all the questions you have about what your Bearded Dragon should eat.
What Insects do Bearded Dragons Eat
Bearded Dragons love to eat a wide variety of insects. Not only are they nutritious for your lizard but chasing down these critters is also a great form of exercise for your lizard.
Crickets
Crickets are probably the most common insects that Bearded Dragons eat in captivity. They are readily available in most pet stores and most lizards will readily eat them.
In general, most Bearded Dragons will have a strong feeding response to Crickets and will franticly chase them around their enclosure. This is a great form of exercise for your lizard.
Crickets offer a variety of important nutrients for you lizard including Protein (18%), Fat (6%), and Calcium (14mg/100g).
Dubai Roaches
Dubia Roaches have around twice as much protein as Crickets, so they are another great option. However, they are slower than crickets and will often hide, reducing the amount of exercise your Bearded Dragon will get trying to catch them.
Variety is key when it comes to feeding a Bearded Dragon. We recommend feeding a variety of different insects. So aside from Crickets and Dubia Roaches, what do Bearded Dragons eat?
Mealworms
Many people supplement the insect portion of their Beardies diet with a variety of different worms. The most popular and easy to source worm is the mealworm. These can be used to bulk up your Bearded Dragons diet, but they are not very nutrient dense.
Mealworms only contain about 3mg/100g of Calcium. This is far less than many other feeder insects. Calcium synthesis is vital for Bearded Dragon health so mealworms should not be the primary insect food source for your lizard. However, there is nothing wrong with offering them as part of a balanced diet.
Superworms
Superworms are like a larger, more notorious version of a mealworm. They have around twice as much protein as a mealworm and about 3 times more calcium. However, some lizards find it difficult to digest the hard shell of a superworm so it is probably best to feed them in moderation.
Waxworms
Waxworms can be a great treat for many species of lizards. Many Bearded Dragons love to eat Waxworms but they should only be offered as an occasional treat. They have a hight fat content, but they are also high in protein and calcium, so they are not all bad.
One Waxworm every second week or so will not do any harm and will offer your lizard a bit of a nutrient boost. Underweight lizards or Beardies who are recovering from an illness can be offered the occasional Waxworm to help them regain weight.
Hornworms and Silkworms
These worms are like the reptile version of a ‘Super Food’. Unfortunately, they are not as readily available as many other feeder insects, so they are not as commonly used as other feeder insects.
These worms will add a massive nutrient boost as they are 10-15 times higher in Calcium than a mealworm. Hornworms have a soft outer layer of skin as opposed to a hard shell like many other feeder worms. This makes them much easier to digest.
Silkworms are slightly lower in Calcium but still have about 10 times the Calcium content of a mealworm. They also contain a massive 64% protein content as well as other important nutrients such as iron, magnesium, sodium and Vitamin B.
What Fruit and Veg do Bearded Dragons Eat
So now we have answered the question ‘What do Bearded Dragons Eat?’ when it comes to the insect portion of their diet. But another very important part of their diet consists of fruit and vegetables. So, What do Bearded Dragons Eat when it comes to Fruit and Veg?
Vegetables
Vegetables and plants can make up a large part of a Bearded Dragons diet. Choosing a good variety of different vegetables will help to ensure that your Bearded Dragon gets all the nutrients they need.
Different vegetables and plants you can offer your Bearded Dragon include Broccoli, Kale, Lemon Grass, Mulberry Leaves, Bell Peppers, Green Beans and Watercress.
Probably the most common vegetables that are fed to a Bearded Dragon in captivity include Lettuce and Spinach. However, lettuce contains very little nutrients so should not be used as a primary source of food.
Another vegetable to be careful with is Spinach. Calcium powder can bind to the spinach making it difficult for your lizard to digest. Spinach itself is good for the lizard, but you should not add supplement powder to the spinach.
Fruit
Insects and Vegetables will make up the bulk of your Bearded Dragons’ diet. However, you should offer them a small serving of fruit with the vegetables. Many lizards love fruit and they will provide them with a big nutrient boost.
Bearded Dragons love Berries. You can offer them berries such as Strawberries, Cranberries, Blueberries and Blackberries. Larger berries such as Strawberries should be cut up into bitesize pieces.
There are a wide variety of other fruit you can offer your Bearded Dragon. This includes Apples, Apricots, Mangos, Pears and Watermelon. Again, it is important to cut the fruit into bitesize pieces for your lizard.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin and Mineral supplementation are very important for Bearded Dragons. These lizards require high levels of Calcium and can get very ill if their dietary needs are not met.
We recommend lightly dusting their food with a Calcium powder with every feed. You can alternate every second feed between a supplement that contains Vitamin D3 and one that does not.
It is also recommended to dust their food with a general reptile mineral supplement once a week. This will help ensure that your Beardie is getting any nutrient that may be missed as part of his normal diet.
A good idea is to dust the vegetable portion of your lizard’s diet. If you dust the insects, the powder can get wiped off of them as they are running around the tank.
