Reptile & Amphibian Forums

That"ll make some cring and shake their heads ,i was wondering if large yard ants would be good starter bugs for baby BDs.
i am going to make a bottomless box cage and set it over or near a pile(and monitor it)to be sure they are not victims of a swarm which could be the case!as most of you know Austalia has meaner bugs than we do,even here in N. Central Fl.or do they just eat crickets lol,plus the UVB is intense outside this outdoor cage will have lots of ventilation and shade.btw the breeders live outdoors 8 monthes a year and havnt been ambushed by ants or scorpions and love the heat and direct sun W/shade spots always

I believe I read somewhere that the formic acid in ants is toxic to most lizards (besides horned lizards and a few others of course). I may be wrong, but I'd research it very well before I started feeding them.
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0.9.0 Ball Pythons
0.1.1 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Egyptian Tortoise
0.0.1 Bearded Dragons

Thanks,horny toads gave me the idea.being terrestrial and all

I agree that excessive ants would be bad for bearded dragons for reasons stated already. A couple ants eaten accidently, won't harm a bearded dragon (adult) but babies could become sick quite quickly if they eat alot of ants.

Crickets are not the only food bearded dragons can eat. They can eat silkworms, butterworms, superworms (don't feed to babies under 10-12", supers are better as a treat for adults), various kinds of cockroaches, phoenix worms, horn worms, wax worms (as occasional treats). I am sure more suitable insects will be available as the reptile trade continues to grow. Things to try and avoid is feeding wild caught insects (parasite risk, insecticides and other poisons picked up from food or areas sprayed with insecticides etc), insects known to be toxic to reptiles (fire flies, ants, brightly colored catapillers (ie wild hornworms are toxic because of the food they eat. Farmed ones are raised on special diets which don't contain the toxins found in the leaves these worms eat))

Termites may also be a great nutritional food source for bearded dragons..but I am not 100% sure of it. But again, wild caught termites can contain toxins from insecticides...and are most likely banned to keep as pets or to raise as feeders because of the harm they do to wooden structures.
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PHLdyPayne