Bearded dragon food

What food should you buy for a bearded dragon?

A bearded dragon's food has three parts: live insects, fresh vegetables and calcium and vitamin supplements. Bearded dragons are omnivores and the proportions change with age: a hatchling needs up to 70% of its diet to be insects, whereas an adult should eat 70-80% vegetables. None of the three groups is optional.

• Live insects: crickets and Blaptica dubia roaches as the staple, in several sizes depending on age.
• Vegetables: endive, chicory, kale, watercress or dandelion, which you can buy from any greengrocer.
• Supplements: calcium without D3 and a reptile multivitamin.

Which vegetables and fruit they can eat, which to avoid and in what proportions is explained in our bearded dragon feeding guide. This collection covers what you buy from a specialist shop: live food and supplements.

How many insects does a bearded dragon eat?

An adult bearded dragon eats insects only 2 or 3 times a week, in a feed of 10 to 20 crickets; hatchlings and juveniles eat far more. According to our feeding guide:

• Hatchling under 3 months: between 50 and 80 small crickets a day, spread over 3 or 4 feeds.
• Juvenile from 3 to 12 months: between 20 and 40 medium crickets a day, in 2 feeds.
• Adult: 10 to 20 crickets, 2 or 3 times a week.

The insect should not be wider than the distance between the bearded dragon's eyes: one that is too large can cause impaction or neurological problems. For example, a hatchling starts with XS (0.5 cm) or S (0.9-1.3 cm) crickets, and an adult accepts L/XL (1.8-2 cm) crickets and M or L/XL Blaptica dubia. Any insects it does not eat are removed so that they do not stress the animal.

Can bearded dragons eat worms and roaches?

Yes. Blaptica dubia roaches are an excellent option for adult bearded dragons: they are high in protein, low in fat, have a good calcium to phosphorus ratio, and cannot climb smooth surfaces, so they do not escape from the feeding dish. They can be offered 2 or 3 times a week, alternating with crickets.

Worms, on the other hand, are an occasional supplement. Mealworms and superworms or zophobas are high in fat and chitin, which makes them unsuitable as the staple of the diet. They work as a treat, for variety or to encourage a bearded dragon with a poor appetite to eat. For hatchlings and juveniles there are mini mealworms (1.2-1.4 cm), and for adults mealworms (2-3 cm) or superworms (4 cm). They are all in our live worms collection, along with locusts, another very well-accepted alternative, when available.

Is there dry food for bearded dragons?

There is no pellet food that replaces a bearded dragon's diet: the basis is live insects and fresh vegetables, and juveniles need animal protein to grow properly. For adult bearded dragons that refuse insects there are occasional alternatives, such as freeze-dried insects, which lose some of their nutritional value, or a small amount of hard-boiled egg.

The feed we sell is for the insects, not for the bearded dragon. This is called gut loading: feeding the crickets and roaches well for the 24-48 hours beforehand with leafy greens, carrot or a calcium- and protein-rich insect feed. An unfed insect is just a chitin exoskeleton with no nutritional value, whereas a well-fed one passes those nutrients on to the bearded dragon. It is the step that improves the diet most for the least effort, and the feed comes in 500 g and 1 kg bags.

What calcium and vitamins does a bearded dragon need?

A bearded dragon needs calcium without vitamin D3 dusted over the insects at every feed and a complete multivitamin twice a week, according to our feeding guide. The calcium is D3-free because a bearded dragon makes its own vitamin D3 using the UVB light in the terrarium; without a suitable UVB lamp it cannot synthesise it, cannot metabolise calcium and develops metabolic bone disease.

Oral calcium does not replace UVB light: both are needed. Nor does the multivitamin replace calcium, because it provides vitamins, essential amino acids and trace elements, but not the amount of calcium the animal needs. All three supplements are from Zoo Med and can be found in calcium and vitamins for reptiles. If a bearded dragon stops eating, first check for shedding, brumation between October and February and the basking spot temperature; if an adult goes without food for more than 2 weeks, it is worth consulting a specialist reptile vet.