Chapter 3 of 9 · Bearded Dragon Care Guide
Feeding
Disclaimer: I'm not a veterinarian and I don't hold a degree in animal science or animal care. This guide is compiled from the published sources listed in every chapter. For a sick animal, a reptile vet is the authority.
The short version
- Babies eat mostly insects; adults eat mostly greens. Overfeeding adults causes obesity, which is very common in pet dragons [5].
- No insect should be wider than the space between your dragon's eyes [5].
- Gut-load feeder insects for at least 24 hours before feeding them off [5][6].
- Dust insects with plain calcium most feedings, and give a multivitamin with D3 once or twice a week. Do not double up on D3 [5][6].
- Keep a shallow, clean water bowl in the enclosure at all times [6].
How diet changes with age
Bearded dragons switch from mostly insect-eating babies to mostly plant-eating adults. Overfeeding and over-supplementing can be fatal: ReptiFiles names obesity and, in females, yolk coelomitis (inflammation from egg yolk in the body cavity) [5]. Fatty liver is also widely linked to obese dragons (keeper experience, not proven).
| Age | Insects | Vegetables | Insect share of diet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby, 0–6 months | 1–2 times a day, as many as it will eat | Fresh daily, left in | 60–80% [1][5] |
| Juvenile, 6–12 months | Once a day, 5–6 insects about the size of the head | Fresh daily; salad volume about 3 times the insect volume | 50–60% [1][5] |
| Adult, 12 months+ | 2–3 times a week, 3–4 head-sized insects | Daily, or at least 3 times a week | 15–30% [1][5] |
| Gravid (egg-carrying) female | 4–5 head-sized insects twice a week | 3 times a week | Higher than an adult male [5] |
ReptiFiles splits juveniles from adults by length rather than age: under 12 in (30 cm) eats like a juvenile, over that like an adult [5].
Size rule: no insect wider than the space between the eyes. This matters most for crickets, roaches and pinky mice [5].
Feeder insects
Staples: dubia roaches, crickets, black soldier fly larvae, discoid roaches, silkworms, captive-bred hornworms, and grasshoppers or locusts where legal [5][6].
Treats only: superworms, mealworms, butterworms and waxworms. They are high in fat [5][6].
Never feed: wild-caught insects (pesticides), fireflies (toxic), wild hornworms or box elder bugs [5][6]. Pinky mice only rarely (no more than once a month), and only to large adults [5][6].
Gut-loading
An insect is only as nutritious as its last meal. Feed your insects a quality commercial gut-load diet, or fresh greens and vegetables, for at least 24 hours before offering them. VCA's guidance is to gut-load within 12 hours of feeding [5][6].
Greens and vegetables
Staples, in daily rotation: collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, endive, escarole, arugula, bok choy, watercress, cactus pad, pea shoots, kale and spring mix [5][6].
Occasional: grated squash, bell pepper and grated carrot [5][6].
Sparingly: spinach, Swiss chard and beet greens. Their oxalates bind calcium [6]. VCA also advises rotating kale, cabbage and mustard greens rather than feeding them heavily, since large amounts can affect the thyroid [6].
Fruit: a treat about once a month, not a staple [5].
Never feed: avocado, onion or mushrooms [5]. Garlic and rhubarb are also widely listed as unsafe, so leave them out too. Iceberg and romaine lettuce are not toxic, but they are mostly water and fill your dragon up without much nutrition (keeper experience, not proven).
Supplements
You need two products, or one all-in-one supplement [1].
- Calcium without D3: lightly dust insects and salads at most feedings. VCA says daily; ReptiFiles says skipping a dusting now and then is fine [5][6].
- Multivitamin with D3: babies, juveniles and gravid females twice a week; adults once a week, dusted on salad [1][5]. VCA's alternative is calcium with D3 two or three times a week [6]. Ask your vet if you are unsure; VCA calls bad supplementing a common problem [6].
- Do not over-supplement D3. This is a real and common mistake. With correct UVB, your dragon's D3 need from powder is small, so do not double up [5][6].
Water
Keep a shallow bowl in the enclosure, changed and scrubbed daily [6].
Many dragons do not recognize a water dish and get their water from food, so serve salads freshly rinsed [6].
Soaking is optional. Sources disagree: ReptiFiles considers it unnecessary [1], while VCA suggests a warm soak of several minutes a few times a week [6]. If you soak, use lukewarm water no deeper than your dragon's elbows and stay with it the whole time.