Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been looking around for what is the best thing to feed bearded dragons and I always here there main diet should be crickets, but I have a friend who said he just fed them vegetables with different supplements dusted on them. He also said they were completely fine and healthy. He would feed them crickets every once in a while like once a month. I would like to know if this is ok to do from a few other sources.

An adult dragon should eat about 80% vegetables. The 20% live food can be every other day or once a day depending on amount.

Babies and Juveniles should be fed about 80% live food with 20% Greens.

I think you friend is just defending what is most convenient for him.

What is best to feed your dragons depends on their age. Dragons under a year old will have alot of insects in their diet. The best breakdown I like from reading and researching is as follows:

Hatchlings to 4 months. Insects 2-3 times a day (in the first two months, 3-4 feedings works best). Insects should be of the following: Small crickets (same length as the space between the dragon's eyes), small silkworms, butterworms, roaches and phoenix worms (these are new on the market and are great. Very active, soft bodied larvae of the black soldier fly).

Juveniles: 4-8 months. Insects 2 times a day (same assortment as above, just appropriately bigger). Mixed greens/vegetables should be offered, finely chopped once a day. (I find dropping the insects on the greens is a better incentive to get your dragon to eat some, especially the 'worm' kind). Insects about 60-80% of the diet, rest greens/vegies.

Young Adults: 8-14 months. Salads (mixed greens/vegies, some fruit/flowers) once a day and insects once a day. As they get older, vegetables/greens should be about 80% of their daily diet.

Adults: 14 months. Salad once a day. Small amount of insects daily ( a couple crickets, roaches or worms) or a feeding of insects 2-3 times a week.

Adults entering their senior years (4 years or more) should get 90% or more greens, with only a few insects a week to help prevent fatty liver disease and other health issues. If they drop weight, a small increase of healthy insects (such as silkworms, roaches, well gut fed crickets) could be added to the diet for a short period of time.

Vitamin/Mineral/Calcium suppliments. Hatchlings should have dusted insects once daily. Juveniles and young adults should have insects dusted every other day. Adults 1-2 times a week and senior adults once a week.

Breeding/gravid females: These need extra servings of insects, as well as healthy salads. Give them insects once a day with their salads and dust 3 times a week.

For treats and variety, adding superworms, waxworms and mealworms (for dragons over 10" can be included. None make a good staple insect for various reasons. Some are too fatty, some have hard exoskeletons and thus hard to digest. Some are too big for smaller dragons.

Dragons can live their whole lives on just crickets and greens, but crickets don't make a well balanced diet. If not properly gut loaded with a healthy diet/gutload, crickets can often be empty shells. I offer my crickets all the same greens and vegetables as I do my adult dragons with the addition of either crushed low fat cat or dog food, fish flakes, or a home mix of dried skim milk powder, rolled oaks, and some other stuff I can't recall off hand.

I feel offering as much a variety of insects in a dragon's diet as we do with greens/vegetables, is just as important. Dragons in the wild will eat a wide variety of insects, probably anything that crosses their path they can catch and swollow.

A great site that lists all the vegetables, fruits and other foods that are good to give bearded dragons is below. The nutrition chart clearly color codes what vegetation should be fed and how frequently it is safe to do so. Some greens are ok if offered sparingly and with more healthy greens, such as kale and spinach, mostly due to calcium binding agents which can work against your dragon's health, but are fine in small amounts. Study the chart and names, then see what is available in your area. Not all grocery stores will have all these variety of greens, but try to find at least two staple greens to offer every day to your dragon and mix in others as you find them to give variety. Good staples are dandilion greens, mustard greens, collard greens, endive and escarole. (one of the last two may be better known as Chicory).

www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/home.html

This other site is not as detailed as the above but its greatest advantage, is it includes pictures which will make it easier to identify greens in locations that have alternative names for them.

www.reptilerooms.com/Sections index-req-viewarticle-artid-98-page-1.html
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PHLdyPayne