Even though bearded dragons have exploded in popularity over the past few years, they are still considered and exotic pet and have very specific diets. So what exactly can a bearded dragon eat? This page will go over everything you need to know about feeding your bearded dragon.
Bearded dragons are omnivores, meaning that they eat both plants and animals. Generally when bearded dragons are very young, they eat 80% bugs and 20% plants, however sometimes people have trouble getting their dragons to eat any vegetables at all when they are young. Adult bearded dragons are nearly the exact opposite and their diet will consist of 80% plants and 20% bugs and insects.
Bearded dragons will eat just about any insect that moves, however it is up to their owner to make sure that they only eat safe bugs. Below is a list of the most common bugs that owners will feed their bearded dragons:
You should never feed your bearded dragon bugs that you have found in your house or property because those bugs could contain parasites and/or pesticides that may cause negative health effects on bearded dragons.
Two of the most common feeder insects for bearded dragons are dubia roaches and crickets. While both crickets and dubia roaches are considered healthy for bearded dragons, each insect has its own pro's and con's, which can make it a bit difficult for beardie owners to choose the right insect for their needs. We have created a list of the pro's and con's for both crickets and dubia roaches below so you can better determine the best feeder insect for your needs.
There are many vegetables that are safe for bearded dragons to eat. In fact, we have a list of over 50 safe vegetables to feed your bearded dragon on our bearded dragon diet page. Below is a list of the most common staple vegetables that you can feed your bearded dragon every day:
Besides plants and insects, bearded dragons will also eat fruit. The following list of fruit is safe for you to feed your bearded dragon. For a much larger list of safe fruit please visit our bearded dragon diet page.
Bearded dragons can sometimes accidentally ingest the substrate around the food they're eating. Because of this, it is not recommended to feed smaller bearded dragons in tanks with loose substrate. Usually older bearded dragons are more accurate with eating and have an easier time dealing with the little substrate they may occasionally ingest, however you will need to keep this in mind with younger bearded dragons.
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