How often should bearded dragons eat crickets?
Bearded dragon owners should offer full-grown adult bearded dragons roughly 10 crickets per day, or 20 crickets every other day. The crickets should be offered in one feeding session per day that lasts between 10 and 15 minutes.
Bearded Dragon Diet Plan
Since they are omnivores, they eat both plants and animals and can dine on a wide range of food, from live mealworms, kingworms and crickets to greens such as parsley and kale and vegetables like pepper and sweet potato. You can even give them limited amounts of fruit.
Beardie won't eat crickets
The most common reason that a bearded dragon or other lizard will stop eating crickets is simply because they have gotten tired of crickets. If you've been feeding your pet crickets for a long time, and it's always accepted them before suddenly rejecting them, then this may be your issue.
Adult bearded dragons typically need a live insect feeding once a day or once every other day. It's up to you and your beardie's vet to determine the best feeding schedule for your reptile friend.
You should never feed your dragon dead crickets. When a cricket dies it loses the ability to retain moisture in its body, and that moisture starts to evaporate, which takes with it a lot of the nutrients that it once had.
While it causes no harm to leave vegetables in your lizards cage for a day or more, you cannot allow feeder insects to roam the cage freely. Crickets -- or other insects -- left in the cage may nibble on your lizard, spread pathogens and elevate your pet's stress level.
Bearded Dragons can eat a wide range of live food such as crickets, mealworms and kingworms; vegetables such as sweet potato and pepper and leafy greens such as kale and parsley . They can also eat limited amounts of fruit.
As soon as you get your bearded dragon, no matter their age, their first feeding of the day must always be 2 hours after their lights first are turned on. Similarly, their last feeding needs to come at least two hours before the lights are turned off for the day.
Young bearded dragons are omnivorous (approximately 50% insects and 50% plant matter). As they mature, they will eat more vegetables and transition to mostly herbivorous (approximately 90% plant matter). Insects - Feed gut-loaded insects (crickets or dubia roaches) 1x daily.
Unlike the family dog, dragons won't eat until their stomach bursts, so don't worry too much about overeating at this age, especially if you're keeping the feedings to just 5 to 10 minutes. At this age, dragons can easily consume anywhere from 25 to 80 small crickets a day!
What is a bearded dragon lifespan?
Caring for your bearded dragon. Bearded dragons, or 'beardies', are one of the most popular lizards in captivity in the UK. Their lifespan is usually 10 to 15 years or more, so they're quite a commitment.
The basic routine for cleaning out a bearded dragon is daily, with a little care which will remove the need to completely clean the vivarium out regularly. With this daily care, your bearded dragon's vivarium will need a full clean once every month or so.
Adult. Two or three superworms once or twice a week should be sufficient for your adult bearded dragon. Juvenile. A juvenile dragon who can handle the aggressiveness of the worms might be able to eat more superworms in one feeding than an adult.
All bearded dragons, regardless of age, need part of their diet to be live insects. Younger dragons need 80% live protein in their diet, while adults only need 20% live protein in their diet; your dragon will never stop needing to eat live bugs. Dead insects do not have nearly as much nutritional value as live insects.
This includes fireflies, lightning bugs or any worms that can glow in the dark. The chemical responsible for these insects' glow is highly toxic to bearded dragons. Avocados should also be avoided because they're also poisonous to beardies.
Bearded Dragons can experience parasite infections, which are often a result of the insects they eat. Insects with parasites pass on the infestation when they are consumed by lizards. Crickets are typically fed to juvenile Bearded Dragons because of their high protein and fat content, which supports growth.
Overfeeding your baby bearded dragon can cause painful constipation, or worse, the formation of a food bolus, or mass, in his stomach. As a result of the bolus, pressure is placed on the spinal nerves, causing paralysis in the hind quarters. If not treated immediately, this condition is usually fatal.
How often should I feed my bearded dragon? Most young bearded dragons eat once or twice daily, while older lizards can be fed once daily, depending upon each pet's individual appetite.
Ammonia Buildup
This is probably the most common killer, especially for beginning keepers. It is not enough to just provide feed and a little water for your colony, daily sanitation and great ventilation are critical components as well. A little cricket mortality is to be expected.
Dubia roaches are a great option for providing animal protein to insect-eating pet lizards. They have so many advantages over crickets. Owners of bearded dragons or any other insect-eating lizard would be wise to choose dubia roaches, which are easier to care for, less smelly, and healthier for the lizard.
What should I not feed my bearded dragon?
Avoid vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and romaine as too much can be harmful, or they offer limited nutritional value. Bearded dragons will also eat fruits like apples, strawberries, watermelon, and peaches. Aside from delicious fruits and vegetables, dragons will eat just about any insect that moves.
Best fruit for bearded dragons
Grapes (not green ones) Apples. Berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)
75-80% of an adult dragon's diet should be vegetables. If you're feeding a juvenile, a daily salad will suffice. Since bearded dragons are omnivores like humans, they need a variety.
Overnight, Bearded dragons can quite comfortably drop down to around 15°C (59°F) overnight, as the temperature drops naturally overnight, you have a little more leeway with your nighttime temperatures than during the day.
Bathing your bearded dragon is important for several reasons. Hydration is one of the biggest ones. Many beardies don't like drinking from bowls, but will happily slurp up their bathwater. Baths are of course also important for hygiene.
Bearded Dragon Tank Setup: Supplies
Enclosure. UVB light. Heating element, thermometer, and hygrometer. Basking rock or log.
Bearded dragons should only eat fruit as a treat, not as a staple in their diet. For blueberries in particular, there are two main reasons they can't be a daily snack: Too much sugar. High sugar content is one of the biggest reasons fruit is off the daily menu for bearded dragons.
Whether you serve up the crunchy, bitter heart or the dark, curly leaves, endive and escarole both add texture and nutrients to your bearded dragon's salad, particularly calcium. They do contain a moderate amount of oxalates, so dish them up with other greens that are even more calcium-dense. Mustard greens (2.4 to 1).
The answer is simple: Bearded dragons can safely eat up to half an egg every other week or so. This is primarily because eggs are rich in protein, which your beardie should already be getting from feeder insects. There are some great perks to adding a little egg to your beardie's salad every once in a while: Protein.
What is this? Healthy adult bearded dragons should eat around 10 crickets per day OR 20 crickets every other day.
How often should I dust crickets for my bearded dragon?
Offer bearded dragons between 6 months and 1 year crickets dusted with calcium every other day and with vitamins three times a week. For a bearded dragon over 1 year old, offer calcium every two to three days and a vitamin supplement twice a week.
Adult Bearded Dragons will generally stop eating when full. It's more important to focus on the quality of the food rather than the quantity, just like with humans. Even though they'll stop when full, if they fill up on treats then they probably aren't getting all the nutrients they need.
Bearded Dragons can eat a wide range of fruits. However these should be fed sparingly - not everyday. Fruit is very sugary, and can lead to obesity.
As healthy and delicious as fruit is, your bearded dragon only needs a small amount, and they don't need it daily. Of the plants you feed your dragon, 10-20% should be fruit. Be sure to cut fruit into bite-size pieces before offering it to your dragon.
Bathing your bearded dragon is important for several reasons. Hydration is one of the biggest ones. Many beardies don't like drinking from bowls, but will happily slurp up their bathwater. Baths are of course also important for hygiene.
However, a safe rule of thumb is that you shouldn't handle your lizard more than once each day. Even then, it is still wise to give him a day or two each week where you do not touch him at all.
- Lack of appetite.
- Lethargy and weakness.
- Stress.
- Constipation.
- Receded lower jaw.
- Swollen limbs and jaw.
- Bumps along the spine or bones.
- Soft jaw and facial bones.