Bearded Dragon Diet

Almost all bearded dragons LOVE FOOD! Just like us, right? But how much is too much? What kind of food should they be eating and how often? What supplements should you use? Lets dive in and I'll answer these questions for you.

This guide will discuss things differently depending on age/weight/gender/pet or breeder status of your dragon. It's important to note that you should never receive a dragon that is less than 10 grams unless it was agreed upon between you and a breeder and you have experience with that age of dragon. With that being said, keep in mind this is a GENERAL DIET GUIDE and one size never fits all. This will vary between every dragon. Do not panic if your dragon does not fit perfectly and contact your vet if you have any concerns!

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Feeders

Variety is always key. Nobody, including your pet dragon, wants to eat the same old thing, day in and day out. A healthy dragon is offered a varied diet. I do recommend key staples but will also list other items you can add to spice it up from time to time! Be sure you are dusting bugs with calcium at least 5 times a week as a young dragon and then I always dust my adults bugs with calcium since I only offer them once a week.

(This is the calcium with minerals all in one that I recommend: https://amzn.to/3kVSoSw and they also offer one without D3). It's a good idea to offer a probiotic as well! They one I use currently I cannot find anywhere online! This is where I used to get it with an image so you can see what it is and you can find something similar: https://amzn.to/3Y56gI7

STAPLE PROTEIN:

Dubia Roaches

Discoid Roaches

Mealworms

Superworms

Red runners

BSFL (Black Soldier Fly Larvae)

Silkworms

Repashy Beardie Buffet https://amzn.to/40dWeGI

You will hear a lot of incorrect information on facebook and all over the web stating that mealworms will cause impaction and I am here to say that is completely false. Mealworms have 5% more protein than crickets, 2% less fat, 4% less chitin (which is what causes impaction), and 4mg b-carotene. I recommend these all day over crickets.

OPTIONAL/OCASSIONAL PROTEIN:

Crickets

Hornworms (similar to eating a twinkie for a dragon)

grasshoppers

NEVER FEED THESE!!!!

Lightning Bugs / Fireflies

Citrus

Mushrooms

Swiss Chard

Onion

Beet Tops

Avocado

STAPLE GREENS:

Turnip Greens

Mustard Greens

Collard Greens

Dandelion Greens

Cactus Pads

Squash

Bell pepper

okra broccoli

Occasional Greens/Fruits:

Spinach

kale

Dandelion Flowers

Blueberries

banana

This chart is a VERY general guide to associate an age with how they should be eating. This is important because more and more people are being told by random facebook heros that their dragon should be eating 40-80 bugs a day and no dragon at any age should be eating this much! Overfeeding is guaranteed to make your dragon obese which can cause liver issues and premature death.

0-1 month old	Offer a bite size piece of turnip or mustard greens, daily. They need 80% protein so a small bite will do	Offer a mix of 10-15 bugs up to 4 times daily. It can be 10-15 dubia, or 5 dubia, 8 mealworms and 2 bsfl, etc. They may eat 5 bugs at 1pm and then when you offer again later they may eat 10.	They should poop once a day and never go more than 3 days without pooping
1-4 months old	Offer a small salad daily (pieces of mustard, turnip and collard greens in bite size pieces). Always offer this well before ANY bugs.	They should be eating 10 bugs 1-2 times a day! Once a day, 5 days a week, lightly dust one feeding of bugs a day, with calcium. I recommend Miner-all with D3 on Amazon.	They should still be pooping minimum once a day. Sometimes it may be every other day, which is fine.
4-12 months old	Offer a full salad of collard, mustard, and turnip greens. I like to chop mine to limit choking risks. Too big of a piece can get lodged in their throat. They enjoy some bee pollen on their salad as well!	No more than 10 bugs a day and as they get bigger, over 200 grams, start only offering them every other day. For breeder females this may not be introduced yet as you want them to gain a good amount of weight before breeding them.	Poop may be less frequent but I still expect it almost every day from my adults. Males who eat less than my females tend to poop less.
1 year & up	They should be eating 80% greens and only 20% protein. It doesn't seem like a lot, but they should only have protein once a week! Again, adults breeder females will need to differ since they tend to lose weight with laying season.	Full salad daily, always offered before any protein. You can safely add blueberries, shredded squash, cactus pads, and many other fruits and veggies from time to time. They also love fresh green beans.	Same as above