Best Insects for Bearded Dragons: Nutrition & Feeding Guide

Bearded dragons are generalist feeders, thriving on a diverse diet that also encourages natural hunting behaviors important for their mental and physical well-being. The quantity and type of insects required depend on the bearded dragon’s age and life stage with variety being important.

Bearded dragons start life as insectivores which supports their rapid growth and development during the early stages of life. As bearded dragons mature from hatchlings to juveniles, they transition from primarily insectivorous diets to omnivorous, incorporating more plant matter. By adulthood, about 10% of their diet consists of insects, with the rest being vegetables and fruits. Some studies show only ants in the stomach content of wild caught bearded dragons which may have been accidental when eating grasses and herbs.

Key Points

1. Diet Changes with Age:
   • Hatchlings need more protein as they are insectivores, but as they grow into juveniles and adults, they require more plant matter. Adults only need about 10% of their diet to be insects.
2. Protein for Adults:
   • Adults need very little protein compared to hatchlings and juveniles, but some insects are still required, with variety being important.
3. High-Fat Insects and Obesity:
   • Overfeeding high-fat insects, such as mealworms or waxworms, can lead to obesity and other health issues. A varied diet, supplemented with nutrients, helps prevent these issues.
4. Calcium and Phosphorus Balance:
   • Most feeder insects are low in calcium and high in phosphorus, which can cause health problems for bearded dragons. Supplementation is often necessary.
   • The recommended ratio of calcium to phosphorus (Ca:P) for juveniles is 2:1 (Brown, 2012).
5. Dietary Imbalance in Adults:
   • Adult bearded dragons eating too many insects meant for juveniles can experience nutritional imbalances, which can lead to health problems such as kidney stones or sludge formation (Gimmel et al., 2017).
6. Gut Loading and Dusting:
   • Feeder insects should be kept healthy and gut-loaded with nutrient-rich foods before being fed to your bearded dragon. Dusting with supplements (especially calcium) prior to feeding is essential.
7. Feeding Insects as Enrichment:
   • Feeding live insects can be used as mental stimulation promoting natural hunting behaviors in bearded dragons.
8. Breeding Your Own Insects:
   • Breeding feeder insects at home allows control over their hygiene and nutritional value, ensuring the highest quality food for your bearded dragon.
9. Environmental Factors:
   • Ensure the bearded dragon’s habitat has the correct lighting and temperature for proper digestion.
10. Insect Variety:
    • Feed a mix of hard-shelled and soft-bodied insects to ensure your dragon gets the right nutrients and dental health benefits.

Insects Bearded Dragons Can Eat

The best insects for bearded dragons come in many forms, variety is the key. No single insect can provide the best nutrition and should be part of a rotation of insects prepared for the reptile. The most popular insects for bearded dragons include crickets, roaches, mealworms and black soldier fly larvae.

Ants (Harvester)

• Nutritional Value: Harvester ants have a high protein content of 73.6% and their fat content is relatively low at 8.4%. Ants also have a significant amount of fiber (32.7%), which may be beneficial for digestion (May et al., 2019).
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Harvester ants have a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 0.64:1. While this is higher than many other insects, it is still below the optimal ratio of 1:1 (May et al., 2024).
• Feeding Tips: Harvester ants can provide a good option in a reptile’s diet, but it’s still recommended to dust them with calcium to balance their calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

Bees

• Nutritional Value: Adult bees are high in protein; a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc; and have the lowest fat content of all the stages.
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Bees are low in calcium and high in phosphorus.
• Feeding Tips: Likely source of bees for pet owners is from the wild. For safety sake in homes, trigger the stinger to dislodge by touching it with an object before feeding. It will not be practical to gut load a bee so use only the dusting techniques as discussed in this post.

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL)

• Nutritional Value: Black solider flies are typically fed as larvae which are high in fat.
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Black soldier fly larvae have a high calcium content reducing the need for dusting supplements.
• Feeding Tips: Black soldier fly larvae have a tough exoskeleton. They can be fed at all life stages but the larvae stage should be cut up before being fed to bearded dragons for better digestibility (Boyer, 2021). Alternatively use tongs and allow the bearded dragon to bite into the larvae breaking it into two before releasing from the tongs.

Cockroaches

• Nutritional Value: The mineral content of cockroaches varies greatly with species and fat content increases as they age. Larger cockroaches are lower in many minerals than smaller ones with some exceptions.
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Cockroaches have a poor Ca:P ratio like many other insects. They are higher in phosphorus than calcium.
• Feeding Tips: Cockroaches can encourage natural hunting behaviors, making them a popular choice.

Crickets

• Nutritional Value: Crickets are high in protein, with moderate levels of fat.
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Juvenile crickets have a better Ca ratio (1.29:1) compared to adults (0.21:1) (Barker et al., 1998).
• Feeding Tips: Crickets encourage natural hunting behaviors, making them a popular choice. The exoskeleton will softer directly after molting making it a better time to use as a feeder.

Earthworms

• Nutritional Value: Earthworms are high protein. An excellent supplemental insect for hydration and nutrients (Ding et al., 2019).
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Earthworms offer a well balanced calcium to phosphorus ratio.
• Feeding Tips: A touch of calcium may still be beneficial.

Earthworms (Red Wrigglers)

• Nutritional Value: Red wigglers have a crude protein content of 66.8% and a high moisture content of 82.5%, making them a good source of both protein (May et al., 2019).
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Red wigglers have a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 0.71:1, which is relatively good compared to other invertebrates. They also contain trace minerals such as selenium (2.57 ppm) and iron (447 ppm) (May et al., 2019)
• Feeding Tips: Some earthworms like the red wrigglers can produce an unpleasant taste when stressed, so it’s best to soak them in water before feeding. A tad of calcium dusting is still useful.

Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila hydei)

• Nutritional Value: Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) have a high protein content at 75.3% and a low fat content of 9.7% whereas the fruit fly Drosophila hydei have a slightly lower protein content at 62.4% but a higher fat content of 18.8%. Both species offer good protein sources, though D. hydei provides more fat (May et al., 2019).
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is 0.19:1 for fruit fly D. melanogaster and 0.27:1 for D. hydei (May et al., 2019).
• Feeding Tips: Fruit flies, especially D. melanogaster, are good for young bearded dragons due to their small size and high protein content. Like other insects, dusting them with calcium is recommended to balance their low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

Hornworms

• Nutritional Value: The research indicates that hornworms are high in protein, with crude protein levels of 71% to 72%, making them a good source of protein. Their moisture content is also high (86.7% to 88.3%), confirming their usefulness for hydration​(May et al, 2019).
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Hornworms have a low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 0.38:1 (for those under 1 inch) and 0.17:1 (for 1–2 inch hornworms). A ratio below 1:1 is considered suboptimal for most reptiles, as higher calcium levels are generally preferred.
• Feeding Tips: Dust with calcium to improve their calcium to phorosphorus ratio and be cautious of size and choking hazard.

Mealworms and Superworms

• Nutritional Value: Superworms and mealworms and are high in protein and fat content. The beetles stage of mealworms offer a lower fat content.
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: All stages of mealworms and superworms are low in calcium and high in phosphorus although the ratios are better in the adult beetle stages.
• Feeding Tips: Best used sparingly, especially for younger bearded dragons. Beetle stages offer more hunting stimulation opportunities.

Termites

• Nutritional Value: Termites have a crude protein content of 63.5%, making them a good source of protein for insectivorous reptiles. Their moisture content is also high at 77% (May et al., 2019).
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Termites have a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 0.43:1, which is lower than the ideal ratio for reptiles (May et al., 2019).
• Feeding Tips: Termites can be offered as part of a varied diet, but due to their low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, it is advisable to dust them with calcium powder before feeding.

Waxworms

• Nutritional Value: Waxorms are high in fat and energy. Waxworms have a high Vitamin E content at 509 IU/kg DM, the highest among the studied invertebrates (Barker et al, 1998). Waxworms are not suitable as a staple feeder.
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Waxworms are low in calcium and high in phosphorus.
• Feeding Tips: Use as a treat for bearded dragons, as their high-fat content can lead to obesity.

Weevil (Cowpea Weevil, Bean Beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus)

• Nutritional Value: Cowpea weevil beetles have a low crude protein at 58.2%. Cowpea weevils are high in fat (26.7%) and fiber (24.5%), making them a high-energy food source (May et al., 2019).
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Cowpea weevil beetles have a very low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 0.10:1 (May et al., 2024).
• Feeding Tips: Due to their high fat content, cowpea weevil beetles should only be used occasionally as a high-energy treat. Dust with calcium.

Woodlice (Slaters, Pill Bugs, Roly Poly – crustaceans, not insects)

• Nutritional Value: Woodlice (slaters, pill bugs, roly poly) have a low protein, low fat but high mineral content.
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio: Pill bugs have a high calcium to phosphorus ratio.
• Feeding Tips: Can encourage natural hunting behaviors.

How Many Insects can a Bearded Dragon Eat?

Assessing how many insects to feed is based on:

• The total weight of a bearded dragons diet being about 5% of their body weight.
• The portion of insects (arthropods) being dependent on the stage in life and biological needs. For example, a juvenile growing as opposed to an adult or a gravid female as opposed to a male bearded dragon outside of mating season.

As a generalisation the calculations are as follows:

Bearded Dragon Stage	Body Weight	Total Food (5% of Body Weight)	% of Food to be Invertebrate	Invertebrate Portion
Juvenile	150 gm	7.5 gm	70%	70% of 7.5 gm = 5.25 gm
Young Adult	375 gm	18.75 gm	20%	20% of 18.75 gm = 3.75 gm
Adult	450 gm	22.5 gm	10%	10% of 22.5 gm = 2.25 gm

So a juvenile weighing around 150 grams could be fed 5.25 grams of insects whereas an adult at 450 grams may only need 2.25 grams of insects. The specifics for how much a feeder insect weighs can be found on the articles for that species.

The above data is generalised, your bearded dragon may need more or less. Consult with your vet for advise tailored to meet your reptiles needs.

Life Stage of Insects to Feed

Insects for bearded dragons should include less than 50% of soft bodied larvae. Research on the natural diet of wild bearded dragons indicates that their primary food sources are insects such as termites, ants, and locusts, in addition to other arthropods and vegetation. Tougher foods may aid in the mechanical removal of dental plaque and preventing bacteria from colonizing the underlying bone.

Larval stages of insects are not the best insects for bearded dragons due to their high fat. However, young insects like cricket nymphs have a lower fat content than adults (Barker et ak, 1998). Feeding insects younger insects or those that have freshly molted will offer less chitin and more digestible content. This is particularly noted with insects such as mealworms.

Insects typically have high levels of protein but often are low in preformed vitamin A (Barker et ak, 1998).

Choosing the Right Size Insects for Bearded Dragons

Insects for bearded dragons should be no larger than the distance between the its eyes. More on that in the post What Bearded Dragons Eat.

Smaller, easy-to-digest insects reduce the risk of choking and impaction. Younger bearded dragons require more frequent feedings of smaller insects, while adults can handle larger prey.

Larger prey must never be offered as the bulky undigested remains may press on the pelvic spine and cause paralysis.

Baines (2017)

Improving Nutritional Value

Insects for bearded dragons should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement as per their requirements to prevent health issues such as metabolic bone disease.

Many owners seem to believe that insects live on thin air and never actually feed them.

Bairbre O’Malley,2015

Environmental Enrichment & Hunting Opportunities

Feeding arthropods (including insects) should provide an opportunity to active hunting behavior. This in turn improves environmental stimulation and the overall health of the bearded dragon. The best feeder insects should be chosen for their nutritional value and to stimulate the bearded dragon’s agile hunting instincts. The feeding area should also aid in the enrichment.

Live Feeding Techniques for your Bearded Dragon

Feeding live insects to bearded dragons in the enclosure: Live feeders can be added to the enclosure for the reptile to access them at its leisure.

• Benefits: Simpler for the handler, no need to move the reptile.
• Issues: Insects must be removed once feeding is completed or they may create issues in the enclosure including causing harm to the reptile or burrowing into accessories. Crickets, for example, have a history of biting reptiles causing wounds.
  Reptiles are often kept in small spaces which become contaminated quickly and can lead to high bacterial and parasitic loads which the animal is then eating.

Feeding live insects in a feeding station: A large container or enclosure can be setup for feeding. Small containers will not provide sufficient room to improve environmental stimulation. Some objects in the feeding enclosure will aid in the stimulation by giving some hiding spaces for the insects and create a situation where the bearded dragon will need to put effort in to eat which is generally ideal.

• Benefits: Insects can be left in the enclosure if not eaten. The insects could be gut-loaded and dusted in place if needed for next feed. Easily cleaned.
• Issues: In cool or dark environments heating and lighting may need to be added.

Feeding live insects by tongs: Live feeders can be fed by tongs.

• Benefits: Insects for bearded dragons can be offered by tongs in a way that ensures its death before releasing. An insect held by tongs provides the bearded dragon something to tug against making it easier to break apart the insect.
• Issues: Doesn’t offer any environmental stimulation or challenges.

Environmental Dependencies for Digestion

It is important to provide the right environmental conditions for a bearded dragon to digest its food. Incorrect temperatures and settings, feeding before the reptile has warmed up or too late in the afternoon when the environment cools down again can result in digestion and health issues.

Hygiene and Handling

Feeder insects for bearded dragons should be kept in clean containers. Effective cleaning practices will help protect the feeder insects and subsequently the consumers, bearded dragon, health.

Preparing Insects for Feeding

To ensure your bearded dragon gets the best nutrition, feeder insects should be:

• Fed a nutrient-rich diet throughout their life to maximize their value.
• Gut-loaded with vitamins and minerals 24-72 hours before feeding.
• Dusted with supplements (especially calcium) right before being offered to your bearded dragon.

Catching Insects

There are a few ways to easily catch insects, here are a couple that avoid touching them (useful for the squeamish):

• Use tubes in the insect housing which can be plastic or cardboard. Some of the insects will hide in the tubes. Pick up the tube, tap out as many insects as you need in a zip lock bag (or any plastic bag).
• Cut some egg carton sections into pieces that fit into a zip lock bag or similar. As with the tubes, some insects will hide in them and just tap out what you need in a bag.

Gut Loading Insects

Gut loading involves feeding insects nutrient-dense meals just before they are consumed by your reptile, optimizing the nutritional value for your bearded dragon rather than the insect itself. This includes feeding multivitamins, calcium and the right diet. For example, if you want to improve the carotenoids then feed insects foods like carrots, bell peppers, pumpkin, mangoes, spinach, watermelon, leafy greens or other veggies for the last 24 hours before feeding time (Finke & Oonincx, 2014).

It is important not to overdo nutritional values which can easily occur when using supplements. For example, adding too much calcium can interfere with the uptake of other minerals, potentially causing a deficiency in essential trace minerals. Excessive amounts of vitamins A and D, which are fat-soluble, may lead to toxic effects.

Finke & Oonincx (2014) provide guidance on how it works:

• Duration: Gut-loading should last between 24 to 72 hours. Too short, and the insect won’t absorb enough nutrients; too long can harm the insect.
• Boosting Nutrients: You can increase almost any nutrient through gut loading, provided the insect will eat the gut-load diet and hold enough nutrients.
• Boosting Calcium: Studies show that adding calcium carbonate (4-9% of the diet) significantly increases the calcium content of feeders like wax moth larvae, crickets, mealworms, and silkworms.
• Boosting Carotenoids: Feed insects high-carotenoid foods such as carrots, bell peppers, pumpkin, and leafy greens 24 hours before feeding time to increase carotenoid levels.

Important Notes:

• Separate feeder insects 24 hours before feeding and place them in a substrate enriched with calcium, vitamins, and minerals. This allows for optimal nutrient absorption​ (Finke & Oonincx, 2014).

Dusting Insects

Dusting refers to coating insects with a nutrient powder (primarily calcium) immediately before feeding to ensure your bearded dragon receives essential minerals.

• Effectiveness: Insects like crickets can groom off the powder quickly, so offer them immediately after dusting (Finke, 2002).
• Tricky to Measure: It’s hard to determine how much dust sticks to insects, making nutrient delivery less precise.
• Surface Matters: The amount of powder that adheres depends on the insect’s surface area and exoskeleton texture. For example, softer-bodied insects hold more powder than harder ones. Smaller insects offer more surface area for the nutrient powder to stick to. This means that when feeding small insects more supplement will be consumed than when larger insects are fed.

Calcium Supplement: A small pinch of calcium carbonate powder is usually sufficient for most insects (Finke & Oonincx, 2014).

Slowing Insects Down Making Them Easier to Catch

Ideally, the insects should be moving around and encouraging activity from your reptile but there are times it is useful to slow them down, especially for a handicapped reptile. To slow insects down, such as fast roaches, place them in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes prior to feeding.

Sourcing Feeder Insects for Reptiles

Insect varieties such as dubia roaches, silkworms, mealworms, hornworms, and waxworms are commonly sold at pet stores. Arthropods such as pill bugs, bees and ants can be sourced in the wild.

• Pet Stores:
  • Pro’s: Wide selection, specifically for pet consumption. May be used to start feeder insect colonies.
  • Con’s: May be more expensive and control over hygiene unlikely to be known.
• Home Bred:
  • Pro’s: Once set up it is:
    • Cheap to maintain.
    • You are in control of the hygiene.
    • You are in control of the nutritional value of the insect.
  • Con’s: Additional effort required to maintain.
• Wild Insects:
  • Pro’s: Doesn’t cost anything. May be used to start feeder insect colonies.
  • Con’s: Potential exposure to chemicals in some areas.

Insects from Pet Stores and Suppliers

Benefits of Buying Feeder Insects from a Store or Supplier:

• Pet stores and suppliers provide easy access to insects. Clearly buying a well kept insect is a sensible practice but it is not always possible when there are limited suppliers.
• Pet shops and suppliers provide a ready source of insects for starting your own colonies of feeder insects at home.

Hazards of Buying Feeder Insects from a Store or Supplier:

Research by Galecki and Sokol (2019) focused on examining edible insects from household farms and pet stores across Central Europe. The goal was to identify parasites present in edible insects and assess their potential to transmit diseases to humans and animals.

A total of 300 insect farms, including mealworm, house cricket, Madagascar hissing cockroach, and migratory locust farms, were sampled for parasitological evaluation. The study found that edible insects could serve as significant vectors for parasites, some of which are pathogenic to both insects and humans as well as their pets. They detected parasites such as:

Galecki and Sokol (2019) also noted some unethical practices which only serve to exacerbate the health issues such as feeding feces from pet shops, dead animals and rotten food. While there is some control on what can be sold for human consumption, pets have no such luxury.

Breeding Insects at Home

Benefits of Breeding Insects:

• Breeding insects for bearded dragons at home provides a self-sustaining supply of feeders.
• It enables you to increase or decrease production as needed to provide just the right size feeder when you need it.
• You can be assured of the quality since you are in control.
• You manage their diet which directly impacts the nutrition they provide to bearded dragons when consumed.

Common Insects for Breeding in Home Environments:

• Cockroaches
• Mealworms
• Silkworms
• Crickets

Home Breeding Basics: Breeding insects for bearded dragons requires the initial setup and ongoing maintenance.

• Set up proper housing: Secure containers with adequate ventilation.
• Provide food and water: Such as fruit, vegetables, and grains.
• Maintain the colony: Regular cleaning and introducing new colony members where inbreeding is a risk (long term colonies only).

Feeding Bearded Dragons Wild Caught Insects

There are lots of things a bearded dragon can’t eat but wild caught insects may not be one of them. There are differing opinions from veterinarians and herpetologists about whether to feed wild caught insects to bearded dragons or not. The main reason often cited for not feeding wild insects is due to a risk of insects being exposed to chemicals.

In the wild bearded dragons have access to a far wider variety of insects that can be offered in captivity. Feeding bearded dragons wild caught non-toxic healthy insects from areas that have not recently been exposed to chemicals means a greater variety can be fed at home. This practice is recommended by many expert veterinarians including Boyer (2021).

There is often concern about introducing parasites from wild caught insects however, this is not the case. Studies done on crickets transmitting parasites found they were only a risk if they have been feeding on reptile feces (Boyer, 2021).

In addition, there is great concern from many pet owners over pesticide risks from wild caught insects. Again, Dr Boyer has not witnessed this as an issue (2015) but if you are aware of pesticides in the area then use caution.

FAQs

References

• Baines, F. (MRCVS). 2017. Your First Bearded Dragon Care Information.
• Barker, D., Fitzpatrick, M. P., & Dierenfeld, E. S. (1998). Nutrient composition of selected whole invertebrates. Zoo Biology, 17(2), 123–134.
• Brown, D. BVSc (Hons) BSc (Hons) (2012) A Guide to Australian Dragons in Captivity. Reptile Publications, QLD.
• J. Ding, D. Zhu, B. Hong, H.T. Wang, G. Li, Y.B. Ma, Y.T. Tang, Q.L. Chen. Long-term application of organic fertilization causes the accumulation of antibiotic resistome in earthworm gut microbiota. Environ. Int., 124 (2019), pp. 145-152
• Finke, M. D. (2002) Complete Nutrient Composition of Commercially Raised Invertebrates Used as Food for Insectivores. Zoo Biology 21 pp 269–285
• Finke, M. D., & Oonincx, D. (2014). Insects as Food for Insectivores. Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms, 583–616.
• Gałęcki, R. and Sokół, R. (2019) A parasitological evaluation of edible insects and their role in the transmission of parasitic diseases to humans and animals PLOS ONE 14(7): e0219303
• Gimmel, A., Kempf, H., Öfner, S., Müller, D., & Liesegang, A. (2017). Cholelithiasis in adult bearded dragons: retrospective study of nine adult bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps ) with cholelithiasis between 2013 and 2015 in southern Germany. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 101, 122–126.
• ‌May, S., Reppert, A., Ward, A., & Coslik, A. (2019). Nutrient Analysis of Less Common Invertebrate Prey. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition Foundation and AZA Nutrition Advisory Group.
• O’Malley, Bairbre. (2015). Nutritional Problems in Reptiles. World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress Proceedings, 2008. VIN.com.
• Oonincx, D. G. A. B., & Finke, M. D. (2020). Nutritional value of insects and ways to manipulate their composition. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 7(5), 1–22.