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Feeding Your Bearded Dragon

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Feeding Your Bearded Dragon

So you have decided upon a Bearded Dragon as a pet,or are considering purchasing one. Feeding your Bearded Dragon a balanced and nutritious diet is Essential for your Bearded Dragons Survival.
Bearded Dragons are voracious eaters and will need to be fed several times a day, and their diets differ according to age so feeding a hatchling Bearded Dragon is different than feeding a juvenile or adult Bearded Dragon. Knowing The proper diet and feeding requirements of your Bearded Dragon will make its care and health a simple thing to do. Bearded Dragons make great pets and can live for many years with the right care.
A Healthy Dragon is a Happy Dragon !!!

Feeding your Omnivorous Bearded Dragon

Bearded Dragons are Omnivorous

Bearded Dragon eatingBearded dragons eat both fruits and vegetables as well as insects, which makes them omnivorous. When feeding a bearded dragon you need to make sure that you can provide both feeder insects as well as fruits and vegetables. One without the other, means an unhealthy lizard.

Age should always be taken into consideration when feeding a Bearded Dragon. Baby and juvenile beardies need to have more proteins in the diet to supplement for growing bones and tissues, but they should still be provided with veggies. An adult bearded dragon diet should consist of mostly fruits and veggies.

Feeding your Bearded Dragon Insects

Insects and other Prey

cricket size chartThe major food for a bearded dragons diet are live insects, typically ranges from crickets, mealworms, waxworms, superworms Dubia roaches and other insects; the cricket is the main source of diet for bearded dragon as the crickets simply eat everything and gut loading them is easy. It should be reminded that gut loading the crickets should be done the night before feeding them to your bearded dragons because high nutrients and vitamins consumption in fact kill the crickets. Make sure the gut loading to crickets is done properly.
Be sure the size of food you feed is proportional to your dragon's size. Malnourishment, seizures, and intestinal blockages can occur if hatchlings and juveniles are fed insects too large for them to capture or digest.

Bearded dragons from hatchling to six months should be offered a total of about 50 crickets per day, split into 2-3 smaller feedings. From six to nine months, reduce the number of crickets to 30 per day. From nine to twelve months, 30 crickets every other day is sufficient. At one year, the total number of crickets should be 50 per week. This can be split into any quantity and fed daily or every other day.

Did You Know?
Fireflies are poisonous to Bearded Dragons, other reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

Get Your Bearded Dragon Feeders

Purchase your Feeders Online For Bearded Dragons

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Do Not Feed Bearded Dragon

Things Not To Feed Bearded Dragons

what NOT to feed a Bearded Dragon! Yes, that's right; there are things that you should NEVER feed to a Bearded Dragon. If they eat these items they will most likely become sick or may even die.

It is ok to feed meal worms to mature adult Bearded Dragons (they love them) but only in moderation and only a few at a time, but Juvenile, or baby Bearded Dragons, will be affected in their digestive system by the hard outer shells on the meal worms and die.

Do not feed your Bearded Dragons Crickets or Insects that you have captured outdoors because they could carry a disease which might kill or make your Bearded Dragon sick..

Stay away from vegetables like iceberg lettuce, carrots,Avocados,kale,cabbage and spinach they are low in nutrients and hard to digest

Avoid fruits with citrus such as oranges, and lemons

FireFlies are Extremely Fatal to your Bearded Dragon

Feeding Your Bearded Dragon Poll

Bearded Dragons Eat a Variety of Foods

Bearded Dragon Babies eating Thier Greens

Healthy Bearded Dragons need a diet that is properly balanced including insects like crickets,meal worms and super worms. they also require plant matter such as greens and fruits. Bearded Dragons are individuals and each will have their likes and dislikes. They are similar to people when it comes to eating and some can be real picky about what and how they will eat. Please take a moment to answer this fast poll about Feeding your Bearded Dragon.

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Featured Breeder of Bearded Dragons

Moonstone Dragons Top Quality Bearded Dragons

Orange-Translucent-Male

Moonstone Dragons is the featured Breeder for Bearded Dragons offering only the Best of the Best when it comes to Bearded Dragons. Moonstone Dragons is owned and operated by Mark Romansky who is a private hobbyist breeder of unusual snakes and high colored bearded dragons. Marks goal is not just to produce reptiles, but to produce outstanding dragons and snakes, and then make them available to other breeders and hobbyists. All of Moonstone's dragons are "hand raised". All are handled on a daily basis. making them more calm and gentle natured.

Moonstone Dragons offer only the highest quality of Bearded Dragons . Visit Moonstone Dragons and see what Mark has available now.

Bearded Dragon products on eBay

Bearded Dragon Themed Tshirts and Gifts

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“Bearded dragons eat both fruits and vegetables as well as insects, which makes them omnivorous.”

Care Of Crickets

Tips for taking care of your crickets

tub for housing cricketsCaring for crickets isn't too much different then caring for your other pets. Provided a suitable environment, warmth, food and a water source and they will thrive, won't smell, and will be ready to provide a tasty treat for your pet.
We use a 30 gallon plastic storage bin. Don't use the clear plastic ones as with any heat they tend to give off an odor which can be toxic to the crickets. The bin needs to be well vented, as crickets are extremely sensitive to any fumes or gases. crickets need a lot of surface space to roam around on. Using a hot glue gun, glue several egg cartons or egg flats together creating a cricket condo and stand it upright in the bin. Laying it flat will form pockets that may trap dead ones and the gases they give off which can lead to more dead crickets.

The temperature the crickets are raised in has a direct impact on their metabolism and in turn their rate of growth. They will do well in temps ranging from the low 70's to the high 80's. They tend to live longer and flourish with less stress when the temp is around 75.
crickets require a safe and constant supply of water. Crickets tend to drown easily in open water. They think they can swim but can't. There are several watering dishes available but whatever used it is essential that a sponge or pebbles be placed in the dish so that they can access the water without taking a dip

Crickets seem to have a huge appetite and a colony can make a large romaine lettuce leaf disappear in a matter of minutes. As a primary diet staple we use a high protein, calcium enriched chicken laying mash. One could also use a multi-grain cereal or dry cat food. We supplement that with cut up potato which provides another water source as well as numerous vitamins and minerals. They also love carrots, lettuce and bread

Bearded Dragon Supplies on Amazon

Supplies for your Bearded Dragon

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Videos of Bearded Dragons Feeding

Bearded Dragons Caught on Video in a Feeding Frenzy

Bearded Dragon Daisy eating superworms
by anqul1993 | video info

1 rating | 24 views
automatically generated by YouTube

Feeding your Bearded Dragon Plant Matter

Fruits and Vegatables

Salad Mix for Bearded DragonsPlant matter should make up approximately 20% of your Bearded Dragon's diet and should consist mainly of green leafy vegetables.Vegetables should be fed early in the day to give them enough time to properly digest before the cooler night temperatures. You may also include other vegetables. Fruit should make up the smallest portion of the diet. Shred or tear vegetables and fruits into small pieces and mix them together to encourage your dragon to eat all that is offered.

Bearded Dragons require a variety of greens high in calcium such as collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, parsley and dandelion greens. They also love the herb cilantro, which can be added to their dark leafy greens. Small amounts of kale and spinach greens can be fed a few times each month but not as often as the other greens mentioned. Kale and spinach are high in phosphorous and too much phosphorous in their system can inhibit the absorption of calcium into the bloodstream causing hypocalcemia also known as Metabolic Bone Disorder or MBD which is a dangerous drop in the blood calcium levels. Stay away from iceberg lettuce, cabbage and standard "human" type salad lettuces, as they are generally low in nutrition or food value and can cause episodes of diarrhea and calcium deficency.

We also recommend feeding a variety of fresh vegetables such as finely shredded carrots, shredded yellow squash, shredded sweet potato, shredded zucchini, small tender green peas, diced up green beans and fruits such as diced up strawberries, cut up peaches, mango, pineapple, banana, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, kiwi or melon.
Bearded dragons also love flowers such as dandelion flowers, hibiscus flowers, and small dianthus or carnations. Offering a variety of greens, veggies and fruits mixed together in a salad form will keep your bearded dragon happy and healthy; ensuring that he/she is getting the proper dietary requirements.

Bearded Dragon Diet Resources

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Bearded Dragons in the News

News about Bearded Dragons

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Feeding your Bearded Dragon Supplements

Calcium and Diet supplements

rep-cal vitamins for Bearded DragonBearded Dragons require a proper intake and absorption of calcium and vitamin D3. Too much or too little can be a problem for the health of your dragon. Not enough calcium in their diet can cause Metabolic Bone Disorder. use phosphorous free calcium with vitamin D3 to dust your crickets and worms prior to feeding your Bearded Dragon.The reason you want to use phosphorous free is because too much phosphorous can cause the calcium to bind and not be successfully absorbed into the bloodstream and system of your bearded dragon. We also recommend using a good multi-vitamin supplement, 3-4 times a week. Calcium and vitamin deficiencies can lead to serious health problems in your bearded dragon. Too little calcium and vitamin D3 can lead to a serious bone disorder called Metabolic Bone Disorder (MBD) or hypocalcemia.

Learn More About Bearded Dragons

Bearded Dragon Care Guides

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Feeding your Bearded Dragon Questions or Comments

Here you can share feeding tips and what your Bearded Dragons favorite food is or Ask Questions. together we can help keep our Bearded Dragons Healthy.

Remember a Healthy Dragon is a Happy Dragon

  • COUNTRYLUTHIER Nov 23, 2011 @ 3:37 pm | delete
    Very interesting lens. First time to see the Bearded Dragon up close and personal. Many thanks for sharing.
  • Vladi Aug 21, 2011 @ 5:56 pm | delete
    I'm not sure about these bearded dragons. Could they become more popular as household companions than cats?
  • Goldenpig999 Jun 28, 2011 @ 7:45 pm | delete
    Very good lens.
  • Lironah Apr 8, 2011 @ 1:24 am | delete
    Nice tips on feeding crickets...I had some as pets when I was young, and couldn't find any information on it, so they didn't live long. Of course, there was no such thing as google back then either...
  • Yawapi Mar 13, 2011 @ 9:35 pm | delete
    My kids keep bugging me to get them one - doing some groundwork to see if this kind of pet would be a good fit for us!
  • bejeezers Oct 31, 2010 @ 3:54 pm | delete
    Love the lens... wonderful pictures and great advice.
  • Jimmie Sep 21, 2010 @ 8:34 am | delete
    I don't have any of these reptiles, but this is an attractive lens! I love the pic with the bearded dragon looking up. He's actually CUTE.
  • spunkyduckling Sep 5, 2010 @ 11:12 pm | delete
    A lot of good information here for people who want to know about feeding their bearded dragon. I won't mind an animal like that - he is too fussy lol
  • GonnaFly Jun 21, 2010 @ 6:22 pm | delete
    We have a friend with a bearded dragon and we have stick insects as pets. He often suggests a happy union!!!
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