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In the wild, bearded dragons are omnivores, eating a mixture of invertebrate and vertebrate prey (such as insects and smaller animals) as well as plant material. What can Bearded Dragons eat in captivity? They need a balanced diet of meat and vegetable matter – a combination of insects and greens and vegetables.

The diet of a juvenile dragon (2-4 months of age) will consist of approximately 80% insects and 20% greens. Young dragons should be fed 2-3 times daily. If insufficient food is fed, young dragons may nip at the tails and toes of their cage mates.

As your dragon grows, he will start to eat more vegetable matter.

Meat food sources for your Bearded Dragon can include pinky mice (for adults) and insects such as:

Crickets – Pinhead crickets for juveniles
Wax worms – Extremely fatty so they should be fed sparingly
Super Worms – Extremely fatty so they should be fed sparingly
King worms
Earthworms
Cockroaches
Silk worms
Butter worms
Phoenix worms

Freshly molted insects are easier for your Bearded Dragon to digest. You should coat feeder insects with a calcium supplement (powdered calcium carbonate or calcium gluconate) 3-5 times per week for adults; every day for juveniles.

Feeder insects should also be “gut-loaded”.  This is a technical term which means the insects are fed nutritious and vitamin-rich foods before they are given to the dragon.

Feed your feeder insects food such as: ground legumes, corn meal, carrots, sweet potatoes, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, spinach, apples, oranges, cereals, and rolled oats.

Several commercial products, formulated to be rich in calcium and vitamins, may also be used to gut-load feeder insects.

The size of the feeder insect needs be taken into account. Malnourishment, seizures, and intestinal blockages can occur if bearded dragon hatchlings and juveniles are fed insects too large for them to capture or digest. The general rule of thumb is that the food being provided must not be larger than the space between the animal’s eyes

Bearded Dragon Plant Food Sources

Approximately 20% of your beardie’s diet should be made up of plant matter and consist mainly of green leafy vegetables. Dandelion greens, collard greens, chickory greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, escarole, parsley are all examples of bearded dragon plant food sources.

You may also include other vegetables such as squash, carrots, green beans, peas, bell peppers. Fruit should make up the smallest portion of the diet – berries, apples, grapes, cantaloupe, papaya, mango, blueberries and bananas.

Shred or tear vegetables and fruits into small pieces and mix them together to encourage your dragon to eat all that is offered, and not just pick out his favorite foods.

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