Feeding Tips for Bearded Dragons

Keeping your bearded dragon healthy and happy.

Bearded dragonBearded dragon close-up

Bearded dragon feeding

A bearded dragon’s diet should consist primarily of mealworms, crickets and a mixture of dark leafy greens. Food must never be larger than the distance between the dragon’s eyes. Dust crickets with a calcium supplement until they are slightly white, and supplement mealworms with a multivitamin. Feed bearded dragons twice daily: once first thing in the morning and once mid-afternoon.

Juveniles

Feed small mealworms, 3/8″ crickets and finely chopped greens. Before the first feed, remove any leftover greens and mealworms. If there is feces in the food bowl, clean and sanitize it before feeding.

  • First feed: per dragon, 3–4 small multivitamin-dusted mealworms, 1/4 teaspoon of greens, and 2–3 calcium-dusted crickets.
  • Second feed: mist any remaining greens with water and add another 1/4 teaspoon per dragon. Top mealworms back up to 3–4 per dragon and add 2–3 calcium-dusted crickets. Use the same rule for crickets.

Large juveniles and sub-adults

Same routine with larger food: 1/2″ crickets for large juveniles and 3/4″ for sub-adults, medium mealworms for both, and 5–6 mealworms for sub-adults. Greens don’t need to be cut as finely; increase to about a tablespoon per dragon.

Adjusting amounts

If your dragons finish everything within the first few minutes, gradually increase the amounts until they eat about 3/4 of their food in the first 30 minutes.

Both reptiles and rodents can carry diseases that are transferable to humans. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling your pet or the frozen rodents you feed them.

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