Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In my bearded dragon research, I came across an article that states a young beardie can eat 20-60 crickets a day. Sixty crickets is a LOT. Do they really eat that much? And how many of you breed your own crickets? I've considered starting a breeding colony in the past, but I don't want them in my utility room and I don't have any place to keep them warm in the winter.

What do you guys do? Surely you don't buy 2000 crickets a month per dragon?
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0.10.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise

yes you read correctly. baby and young dragons can and will eat that many crickets in a day. this is one of the biggest expenses in owning a dragon. and yes breeders, and owners go through that thousands of crickets a week. some of the bigger breeders i know of go through 50,000-100,000 a week at peak breeding season.

i no longer use crickets as a feeder. i have turned to roaches which are by far better feeders. more meat, less chitin, easier to digest, less water. and more meat means less you have to feed. my young baby dragon eats 10 or so small roaches, sometimes more, vs 30 crickets. and me knowing shes getting better food is better to me.

when dragons grow up their diet changes. hatchlings and small dragons need 90% insects 10% veggies and greens. at 6 months old their diet will be about 50/50. and at 12 months or so it should be 90/10 in favor of the greens and veggies. insects fed only every couple days or so.

if you are thinking about getting a dragon research the cost of crickets or other feeders, how you will get your crickets, whether it be a pet shop or online, and if you can afford them. also keep in mind the costs of a vet which will be needed somewhere down the road, and if you even have a vet local who knows exotic animals.

btw, trying to breed crickets is almost worthless. they are a pain, and they smell terrible
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Beach Beardies

2.2. bearded dragons
1.1. Sugar Gliders
0.2. Felines *queen athena and missy*

I've had young dragons eat 60 in one sitting and over 100 a day. This is not a lifetime thing though. Once they grow enough to eat bigger crickets their demand decreases. At $10/1000 it's not all that bad for only 4-5 months.

Each dragon eats different amounts but 20-60 crickets a day is a good average range.

The first 4 months of a bearded dragons life is typically when they eat the most crickets, as much as 100 a day. However most newly bought dragons are around the 6-8 week age (except for petstores, they tend to buy them much longer) and a good 6" in length. These need to still eat at least two meals a day of insects (crickets, roaches, etc) and still can wolf down 20-60 daily. A single dragon really isn't that expensive to feed. Picking up a 1000 crickets every couple weeks at about $20 (once you add shipping etc, but could be less or more, depending on which place you get them from)isn't really expensive.

Once your dragon reaches 8 months, he won't be eating as much crickets and greens will make up half or so of his diet. So within a year, you will be spending money on greens which can still cost $20 a month, depending on how much he eats and how much goes bad and the cost of greens in your area.

Overall, bearded dragons are not that expensive to keep compared to say dogs or cats. UVB bulbs will add $20-$40 every 6-9 months and vitamins/calcium powders are good for a couple years before needing to be replaced. Vet bills will be the most expensive part, should your dragon get sick but vet costs is a consideration for all sorts of pets, be it a dog needing its yearly shots, or a bearded dragon needing a yearly or every 6 month fecal test.

The cost of feeding bearded dragons realy makes an impact if you breed them. In a year, a single female bearded dragon, mated once with a male, can produce 1-3 (or as many as 4-6) clutches, each containing 10-20 eggs. Thus, three clutches of say, 15 eggs, will mean 45 babies, each of which can eat as much of say, 50 crickets each a day. Do the math. It does add up to as much as $25 a day easily just on crickets. Hence why I always emphasize be sure you have money to spare before venturing into breeding bearded dragons, or any other animal for that matter. Unless breeding truly spectacular dragons, it may be very difficult to sell all the babies or even to make a profit, much less cover costs, especially in the first year.
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PHLdyPayne