What Do Bearded Dragons Eat? Best Food List and Feeding Guide (2024)

FAQs

What foods can I feed my bearded dragon list? ›

Bearded Dragon Diet Plan

Since they are omnivores, they eat both plants and animals and can dine on a wide range of food, from live mealworms, kingworms and crickets to greens such as parsley and kale and vegetables like pepper and sweet potato. You can even give them limited amounts of fruit.

Bearded dragons need a well balanced diet of insects, fruits, and veggies. For an adult dragon, that typically means 80% plants and 20% insects. For a juvenile dragon, that could mean anywhere between 80% insects/20% plants, and 50-50 (it's a good idea to consult with your veterinarian on your specific dragon's needs).

A typical juvenile can eat 20 to 50 insects each day. Adults will consume more greens than insects, fresh greens should be introduced daily. When using supplements such as waxworms, or Calciworms® dragons should be fed 3 to 5 worms 3 times a week.

Diet Requirements of Baby Bearded Dragons

It can be very common to feed a baby four or five times per day, and consume up to 70 – 80 pinhead crickets per day. Baby bearded dragons (hatchling to 5 months old) should be fed approximately 60% – 80% insects and 20% – 40% plant matter.

Best fruit for bearded dragons

Grapes (not green ones) Apples. Berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries) Tomatoes (sometimes)

How often should I feed my bearded dragon? Most young bearded dragons eat once or twice daily, while older lizards can be fed once daily, depending upon each pet's individual appetite.

Crickets are a very popular feeder insect for Bearded Dragons, nutritionally they offer a good amount of protein and calcium, and they are widely available at pet stores and online retailers.

Adult bearded dragons, or those older than 18 months, will need to be fed just once a day every day. Now, if you miss a day here and there it will by no means be the end of the world. But, you really should strive to feed your bearded dragon once daily.

Regular handling helps bearded dragons get used to people, so you should handle your beardie daily. Doing so also minimizes stress during regular care, such as bathing or tank cleaning. They are generally gentle and easy to hold.

Avoid vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and romaine as too much can be harmful, or they offer limited nutritional value. Bearded dragons will also eat fruits like apples, strawberries, watermelon, and peaches. Aside from delicious fruits and vegetables, dragons will eat just about any insect that moves.

Can bearded dragons eat fruit everyday? ›

Bearded dragons should only eat fruit as a treat, not as a staple in their diet. For blueberries in particular, there are two main reasons they can't be a daily snack: Too much sugar. High sugar content is one of the biggest reasons fruit is off the daily menu for bearded dragons.

Ultraviolet light, specifically UVB, is essential to maintaining healthy bearded dragons. Without it, they cannot process calcium and vitamin D appropriately, leading to fatal conditions like metabolic bone disease. The best source of UVB is the sun, but special bulbs like Reptisun are typically used instead.

But my bearded dragon likes collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, and absolutely loves kale. My beardie will also eat bell peppers, squash, and cilantro straight from my garden.

75-80% of an adult dragon's diet should be vegetables. If you're feeding a juvenile, a daily salad will suffice. Since bearded dragons are omnivores like humans, they need a variety.

Most bearded dragons love playing around in the water. It's a great way for them to have some fun while also getting hydrated. A large plastic storage bin that is at least twice as long as your bearded dragon makes for a perfect swimming hole. A small kiddie pool works well, too.

You may be surprised to hear that dragons actually enjoy eating the banana peel as well as the fruit, and it adds a little extra nutrition to the treat. So you can slice the banana up with the peel and place the pieces in your dragon's food bowl alone or with some other fruits and veggies in a colorful, healthy salad.

The following list of insects, vegetables and fruits are good choices to include in your bearded dragon's diet: Dubia roaches, earthworms, crickets and superworms. Apples, blueberries, peaches, strawberries and watermelon.

Bearded dragons can have cucumbers every other week or so.

96% water, making it a great source of hydration especially if your bearded dragon is dehydrated. Fiber, which prevents constipation. Vitamin C, which fortifies your dragon's immune system, vision, reproduction, and growth.

Bearded dragons can eat carrots once or twice a week, but not every day. Carrots aren't on the menu in bearded dragons' natural habitat (Australian deserts), but they do offer some great nutritional benefits: Vitamin A and beta carotene, which promote healthy skin, a healthy immune system, and good vision.

As a general rule, bath time three times a week should be sufficient to keep your dragon clean and hydrated. If your dragon absolutely hates baths, then once a week may be a reasonable goal. If your dragon can't get enough bath time, you may want to do it more frequently, maybe even once a day.

How long can Beardies go without food? ›

If your bearded dragon stops eating, don't despair as this doesn't mean they will die. While it mostly depends on the age, health, and weight of your pet, the fully-grown dragon can usually live for three weeks and sometimes up to two months without eating.

Bearded dragons don't need very much water, so it may be hard to catch them drinking. A bearded dragon's water dish needs to be cleaned everyday, since they will often defecate in their bowls.

Because of this issue, it's best not to feed superworms to your dragon every day, and to dust the worms with calcium powder before feeding them to your bearded dragon. That way, at least some of the damage phosphorus could cause will be minimized. Obesity. Superworms have a lot of fat!

Bearded Dragons are omnivores in the wild!

However feeding whole pinky mice and not ones that have been cut into pieces can also be a very healthy addition to a bearded dragons diet as they do naturally eat whole prey in the wild.

Bearded dragons can stop eating or lose their appetite for a variety of reasons. We as first-time owners of these lizards may experience worry when they go off feed. Reptiles don't need to eat everyday, and sometimes a few days off is a normal occurrence.

Feeding Bearded Dragons

A full grown bearded dragon can eat three to five Dubia roaches over the course of two to three feedings per day. In contrast, you'll need larger quantities of Dubia roaches for baby bearded dragons. They typically eat 25 to 50 of these insects per day and can be fed multiple times each day.

Environment: Don't - While bearded dragons are relatively docile; they can still experience stress. You never want to overstimulate your pet by handing them off to too many different people or getting them out of their habitat in a particularly busy or loud environment.

You can get sick from touching your bearded dragon or anything in its environment, and then touching your mouth or food and swallowing Salmonella germs. Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching or feeding your bearded dragon and after touching or cleaning the area where it lives and roams.

When your bearded dragon starts to feel more comfortable being outside, you can try walking with him. Again, walk slowly and gently, so you do not frighten your lizard. Walk right next to him and when he turns to a direction where he should not go block him or turn him the other way if needed.

Avoid vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and romaine as too much can be harmful, or they offer limited nutritional value. Bearded dragons will also eat fruits like apples, strawberries, watermelon, and peaches. Aside from delicious fruits and vegetables, dragons will eat just about any insect that moves.

Can Beardies eat tomatoes? ›

So you may be wondering if you can share this veggie-like fruit with your reptile friend. Can bearded dragons eat tomatoes? As is the case for many fruits, the answer is qualified. Yes, bearded dragons can safely eat tomatoes...but only a small amount served once a month.

Fruits like oranges, tomatoes, lemons, limes, grapefruit, pineapple, tangerines should never be fed or given rarely. The acidity in these fruits can be very high and can seriously upset the balance of the digestive tract. This can cause digestive problems such as runny stools for your bearded dragon.

So can bearded dragons eat chicken? The short answer is no. Chicken is not exactly a safe food for your beardie. A very small piece or two might be fine every few months, but if your bearded dragon eats a lot of chicken, he may become ill or die.

Can bearded dragons eat cheese? The answer is a resounding NO. Bearded dragons cannot have cheese or any dairy, for that matter. Sure, it's a great source of calcium for people who don't have an allergy or lactose intolerance.

Give your dragon a nice warm bath, followed by cuddles in a soft towel. Simply pause as much noise as possible to give your dragon some quiet time. Try turning off the lights until your dragon is more calm (of course you wouldn't want to leave the tank like this for too long so your dragon doesn't get too cold).

Every dragon needs a basking spot, and this spot should be between 95 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Other parts of the tank should be cooler so your dragon can regulate body temperature as needed. Nighttime temperatures. At night, the entire tank should range from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Unlike lizards who are active at night, bearded dragons are awake during the day. They often like to climb branches and sit on logs to bask in the sun. As a result, they make great pets for people who want to interact with their pets during waking hours.

Of the popular salad lettuces, romaine offers the most nutritional value for bearded dragons and humans alike. So if you are going to feed your bearded dragon lettuce, romaine would be the best choice.

Unfortunately, lettuce is a vegetable you should avoid feeding a bearded dragon unless it's an absolute emergency and it is all you have available. Lettuce does not contain any nutritional value for a bearded dragon, and cause cause some digestive conditions such as diarrhea.

Can bearded dragons live without vegetables? ›

Bearded Dragons are omnivores and can eat a range of insects, fruit and vegetables. One of the most important things about your bearded dragon's diet is variety, they need a varied diet and the amount of edible options makes them a fun reptile to feed, as anyone who has seen one chase a cricket will know.

Keeping your beardie's nails trimmed neatly or clipped is very important for comfortable and safe handling. Their nails grow fast, so regular clipping (once a month) is necessary to prevent scratching or them getting their nails caught on something and damaged.

Bearded Dragons can eat a wide range of live food such as crickets, mealworms and kingworms; vegetables such as sweet potato and pepper and leafy greens such as kale and parsley . They can also eat limited amounts of fruit.

Appropriate animal-based protein sources include grasshoppers, gut-loaded (i.e., fed nutritious food that is then passed on to the lizard) or calcium-dusted crickets and mealworms, spiders, wax worms (occasionally, as they are high fat), silk worms (occasionally), tofu, moths, slugs, and earthworms.

So that's why bearded dragons can eat bananas only in small doses once or twice a month. Another reason dragons shouldn't be eating too many bananas: they contain a lot of sugar when ripe. Similar to humans, It's perfectly fine for dragons to have some sugar...but too much can cause obesity and other health issues.

Overfeeding your baby bearded dragon can cause painful constipation, or worse, the formation of a food bolus, or mass, in his stomach. As a result of the bolus, pressure is placed on the spinal nerves, causing paralysis in the hind quarters. If not treated immediately, this condition is usually fatal.

Bearded dragons eat a diet of live insects and vegetables. They need a wide variety of safe plants and vegetables, as well as the correct supplements.

As desert dwelling reptiles, bearded dragons can go weeks without food, sometimes a few months. This allows them to survive in their native habitat when food sources are scarce. In captivity, this usually occurs during brumation.

Although bearded dragons can eat grapes whole, many owners prefer to cut them up into smaller pieces to make it easier for their dragons to eat and to eliminate any possibility of choking. Cutting up the grapes also ensures that there are no seeds, since even the occasional seedless grape actually does have a seed.

Can bearded dragons eat apples? Good news: bearded dragons can eat apples weekly! In fact, apples are one of the safer fruits for dragons to eat on a regular basis. It's important to note, though, that beardies don't need fruit every day.

Should I hold my bearded dragon a lot? ›

Bearded dragons usually tolerate handling better than other lizards. Regular handling helps bearded dragons get used to people, so you should handle your beardie daily. Doing so also minimizes stress during regular care, such as bathing or tank cleaning. They are generally gentle and easy to hold.

Thin tail – A healthy beardie should have a robust (but not too large) tail. A boney or thin tail is a common sign of a malnourished bearded dragon. Deflated fat pads – Bearded dragons have fat pads on their heads. If your dragon appears to have deflated fat pads, it could be missing critical nutrients in its diet.