What Should I Feed My Bearded Dragon?
March 28, 2021
It is important to feed your bearded dragon the right foods. Bearded dragons are omnivores, so they eat both plant and animal foods. A bearded dragon’s diet should consist of live insects, leafy greens, and vegetables.
Feeding Schedule
Bearded dragons need to be fed the right amount of food. Baby bearded dragons eat about 80% bugs and 20% vegetables. Adults eat 20% bugs and 80% vegetables. Baby bearded dragons should eat bugs 2-3 times a day and have vegetables in their tank all day. Once your bearded dragon is 18 months old, you can start feeding them bugs once a day and leave vegetables in their tank all day. Feeding your bearded dragon too much or too little food can result in serious health problems. It is crucial that you feed your bearded dragon the right amount of bugs.
What Fruits and Vegetables Can I Feed My Bearded Dragon?
Bearded dragons can eat various types of fruits and vegetables. Some vegetables include bok choy, kale, collard greens, butternut squash, bell peppers, and dandelion greens. Fruits that they can eat are strawberries, grapes, raspberries, watermelon, and blueberries. You can also feed your bearded dragon papaya, but make sure to take all the seeds out and chop or shred it. Fruit should only be fed once a week, or sparingly. Never feed your bearded dragon avocado because it is poisonous to them. You should provide your bearded dragon with fresh vegetables in a bowl in their tank. Feed your lizard the right amount of vegetables based on its age.
What Bugs Can I Feed My Bearded Dragon?
Bugs are a critical part of a bearded dragon’s diet. Although it might sound disgusting to feed your lizard live bugs, it is not that bad. You can safely keep bugs in special containers without them escaping in your house. Bugs that bearded dragons can eat are dubia roaches, crickets (banded or brown), waxworms, silkworms, super worms, mealworms, and hornworms. Hornworms should only be fed once in a while, and count as 3 meals since they are very filling. Dubia roaches are the best bugs to feed to your bearded dragon because they are extremely high in protein. You will also need separate containers to keep the bugs in. Waxworms, silkworms, super worms, mealworms, and hornworms usually come in disposable cups with enough food for a week. Dubia roaches and crickets usually do not come in containers. You can get cricket containers to keep the roaches and crickets in. For more information on caring for dubias and crickets, read the articles How to Take Care of Live Crickets and How to Take Care of Live Dubia Roaches. You can feed your bearded dragon in its tank or in a container. It is best to feed your bearded dragon in a container so the tank does not get a mess from the bugs. To do this, place your bearded dragon in a storage container without a lid, put calcium powder and bugs in a small bowl, and dump the bugs in the container with the lizard. Your beardie will start to chase the bugs around the container and viciously eat them. Once your bearded dragon is done, put them under the UVB light to warm up. If you do not put your lizard under the UVB light, they can get cold and not be able to digest the bugs.
Live Insects and Parasites
Live insects, such as crickets, are known to carry parasites. Once a bearded dragon eats a bug with a parasite, they get the parasite. Some signs of parasites are diarrhea, dehydration, constipation, and lethargicness. Not all bearded dragons with parasites will show symptoms, which is why it is important to take your bearded dragon to the vet every year. To treat parasites, you have to give your bearded dragon oral medication from the vet.
It is important to feed your bearded dragon the right foods. They can eat bugs such as; crickets, dubia roaches, and hornworms. They eat vegetables like; bell peppers, collard greens, bok choi, and many others. Baby bearded dragons eat about 80% bugs and 20% vegetables. Adults eat 20% bugs and 80% vegetables. Make sure to feed your bearded dragon the right foods.