What to Know About Your Bearded Dragon’s Diet

From nurturing your Baby Bearded dragon, to maintaining a healthy adult, here are just a few things you need to know about your Dragon’s diet!

A Dragon’s diet changes with age

Just like humans, a Bearded Dragon’s diet and nutritional needs evolve over time.

Baby Bearded Dragon

Bearded Dragon DietWith a baby, your main goal is to provide them with as much protein to help them gain strength and grow as they mature. With babies, you want to avoid fat. For example, wax worms are fat and must not be fed to babies. Many if they do eat them, will only consume them once and ignore them after.

This results in a diet that consists of mostly insects, offering your baby them twice a day.

Juvenile Bearded Dragon

Once they have reached the juvenile stage, they will be rapidly growing which means they will be ravenous! A high amount of vegetables and limited number of insects can keep a dragon thin but always hungry, which is not ideal to say the least. Instead, always try to keep fresh greens in the enclosure.

However, keep in mind that some Dragons don’t eat greens and vegetables—we know—they’re picky creatures! This just means that a careful balance must be achieved with feeding them insects.

Overfeeding can get dangerous quickly, so just remember that as your Bearded Dragon matures into an adult, they will turn more towards the greens to sustain their healthy figure. A fat dragon with a large belly means too much food, especially in juveniles.

Your Dragon should have access to plenty of water at all times, as well.

Feeding your Dragon insects

There are several types of insects you can feed your Dragon, and trust us, they’ll really jump on anything.

Do feed them: crickets, super worms or roaches

Do not feed them: mealworms, wax worms or pinhead crickets

If your Bearded Dragon is keen on greens and vegetables, we suggest:

  • Sprouts
  • Mulberry leaves
  • Radish tops
  • Green leaf lettuce
  • Green beans
  • Red leaf lettuce
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Rose petals
  • Hibiscus flowers and leaves
  • Grape leaves
  • Dandelion greens
  • Turnip greens
  • Beet greens
  • Mustard and collard greens – seal in two bags so that they don’t wilt!
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Nasturtiums flowers and leaves
  • Shredded carrot
  • Chopped soft squash

Feed greens and vegetable first in the morning, leaving them in the enclosure overnight. Take them out in the morning and put some fresh ones in!

Tip from the expert: Do not feed your Dragon any type of fruit. It could cause a parasite build-up that is harmful to your Bearded Dragon.

At Atomic Lizard Ranch, we’ve made a life in raising and caring for these wonderful creatures. If you’re searching for a happy, energetic, and well-tempered Bearded Dragon, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a call at 520-432-9161 to learn more and check out our available Bearded Dragons here!

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