Bearded Dragon

Top 12 Best Insects For Bearded Dragons

Dubia roaches are one of the greatest staple insects to feed a bearded dragon because they are small and easy to catch. They are rich in protein and low in fat content, and they include a wide variety of beneficial elements.

This insect feeder is comfortable for bearded dragons to digest, and it is available in a variety of sizes depending on the life stage of the dragon.

Dubia roaches can be purchased at reputable pet stores as well as through online retailers. They are simple to care for and have many advantages over crickets, including the following:

  1. Because they are so silent, they do not make any noise.
  2. They do not have the same odor as crickets.
  3. For a consistent supply of high-quality insect feeders, they are easily bored.
  4. Because they are unable to climb, it is practically hard for them to escape.

For bearded dragons, those high in protein and calcium but low in lipids are ideal for insects. To be considered acceptable, they also have to be less than the distance between a bearded dragon’s eyes.

Here Are The Best 12 Insects For Bearded Dragons To Feed On

  • Crickets
  • Silkworms
  • Orange heads roach
  • Turkistan roaches
  • Discoid roaches
  • Dubia roaches
  • Phoenix worms
  • Wax worm
  • Mealworm
  • Goliath worms
  • Earthworm
  • Super worms

Cricket

A bearded dragon’s diet must include live insects for bearded dragons, especially live crickets. They are the less expensive insects, and they are the most common.

They’re relatively easy to get by and can be found in almost every chain pet store, as well as some fishing shops. A good protein/calcium-to-fat ratio is found in crickets, making them a nutritionally sound choice.

Their nutritional value as the primary bug source for your bearded dragon is excellent. When compared to other insects, gut-loading them for increased calcium absorption is straightforward.

It is simple to store and maintain them, but they are delicate and tend to die off quickly if not properly cared for.

Occasionally, dried crickets and canned insects with nearly the same nutritional content can be found in a pinch, but we do not recommend giving dried or canned crickets regularly.

Cricket Nutritional Information:

  • Moisture: 73%
  • Protein: 18%
  • Fat: 6% of total calories
  • Fiber: (2% of total calories
  • Ash: 2% of the total
  • Ca:P Ratio is 1:9

Silkworm


Due to their size and ability to move quickly, silkworms are a favored food for bearded dragons. They take pleasure in catching and devouring them.

Because of their high protein content, these insects have been used to supplement pet food for a long time. They are the undisputed rulers of the protein kingdom.

These aren’t difficult to come by, but they only eat mulberry leaves or chow, making them more difficult to keep.

The following is the nutritional information for silkworms:

  • Moisture: 79%
  • Protein: 13%
  • Fat: 2% of total calories
  • Fiber: 3%
  • Ca:P Ratio is 1: 2.4

Orange-Headed Roach

Adult bearded dragons are also fond of the Orange-headed roaches, which have distinctive orange heads. These could be a little bit big for a juvenile beardy.

However, they are more challenging to come by because they have such high nutritional content.

The following is the nutritional information for the orange head roach:

  • Moisture: 79%
  • Protein: 11%
  • Fiber – not applicable
  • Ash: 0%
  • Ca:P Ratio – not applicable

Turkestan Roach (Best insects for baby bearded dragons)

Turkestan roaches are incredibly similar to crickets in terms of the services they provide. These are so little that baby bearded dragons can easily consume them. They’re about the same size as crickets in terms of the total size.

Compared to crickets, these bugs are a little tougher to come by, but they have a higher nutritional value in protein and calcium than the other bugs.

Detailed nutritional information about the Turkestan roach:

  • Moisture: 71%
  • Protein: 18%
  • Fat: 6% of total calories
  • Fiber: 2% of total calories
  • Ash: 2% of the total
  • Ca:P Ratio – not applicable

Discoid Roach

They are larger and meatier than other roaches, making them an excellent choice for adult bearded dragons. The bugs are also a favorite of beardies’ mouths.

Take caution not to overwhelm them with too many of these at once. They contain a little more fat than other foods and, if consumed in excess, can make your beard obese.

The following is the nutritional information for the discoid roach:

  • Moisture: 66%
  • Protein: 20%
  • Fat: 7%
  • Fiber: 3%
  • Ash: 1%
  • Ca:P Ratio is 1:3

Dubia Roach


Because of their high protein content, these roaches are the most prevalent. As a bearded dragon owner, they’re also less complicated to take care of.

Because they’re a little meatier than some of the other insects, you won’t have to purchase as many to keep your pet nourished and pleased.

The following is the nutritional information for the dubia roach:

  • Moisture: 65%
  • Protein: 21%
  • Fat: 9%
  • Fiber: 5% of total calories.
  • Ash constitutes one percent
  • Ca:P Ratio is 1:3

Phoenix Worm (Phoenix worms for bearded dragons)

A good feeder insect to serve bearded dragons is Phoenix Worms (also known as Black Soldier Fly Larvae, which are the same thing). Their protein and calcium content, as well as their ease of storage, make them a great choice. Phoenix worms are considered the best worms for bearded dragons. They are an excellent additional bug for the diet of bearded dragons.

The fact that they are so little makes it difficult to provide them as the main diet. The vast volumes of food required to feed an adult bearded dragon would be challenging to keep up with and could be prohibitively expensive to purchase.

Placing Phoenix worms in a shallow dish is the most effective method of providing them. The bowl should be filled with 10–15 worms before being placed in the terrarium.

Information on the Nutritional Values:

  • Moisture: 68%
  • Protein: 15.5%
  • Fat: 8%
  • Calcium: 43 mg/ 100mg

Wax Worm

Waxworms are heavy in fat and should be viewed as a pleasure rather than a food source.

Giving one regularly to your bearded pet is an excellent method to keep their diet exciting and to keep them interested in each feeding session.

Information on the nutritional value of wax worms:

  • Moisture: 62 %
  • Protein: 14%
  • Fat: 18%
  • Fiber: 3%
  • Ash: 1%
  • Ca:P Ratio is 1:7

Mealworm

Mealworms are yet another popular feeder insect that many owners choose because of their low cost.

It is more difficult to digest for a young bearded dragon because of the shell. Therefore if you decide to use these, wait until you have an adult bearded dragon to consume them.

Mealworms should only be offered as part of a diversified diet, not as a sole source of nutrition. Mealworms should be limited to five to six mealworms per day for an adult dragon and avoided for younger dragons.

The following is the nutritional information for mealworms:

  • Moisture: 65 percent.
  • Protein: 19%
  • Fiber (2% of total calories)
  • Ash constitutes 2%
  • Ca:P Ratio is 1:7

Goliath Worm


In addition to being known as horned worms, these insects are a staple insect for a treat that is high in moisture and beneficial to the body’s hydration.

The following is the nutritional information for Goliath worms:

  • 85 percent of the total is moisture.
  • Protein accounts for 9 percent.
  • Fat (3% of total calories)
  • Fiber (1% of total calories)
  • Ash constitutes one percent of the whole.
  • Ca:P Ratio is 1:3 (Carbon: Phosphorus).

Butterworms

Butterworms are tiny worms (approximately one inch in length) with high protein and calcium levels and rich protein sources.

If you want to provide an additional source of nutrition to your feeder insects, this small nutritious worm is a great choice. Butterworms for bearded dragons can be purchased from reputable pet stores and online dealers.

Information on the Nutritional Values:

  • 5 percent of the total weight is moisture.
  • Protein accounts for 16 percent of total calories.
  • Fat (5% of total calories)
  • Calcium – 87 milligrams per 100 milligrams

Earthworm (Can bearded dragons eat earthworms?)

Earthworms are not a very popular bearded dragon feeder item, but they are a good source of calcium and moisture for the creatures. So they are given to bearded dragons. Provide earthworms to your dragon regularly to help diversify the diet and spice things up a bit.

Pet stores, reputable bait shops, and online dealers are all excellent places to get earthworms. Remove any bedding particles from the earthworms before presenting them to the bearded dragon by rinsing them thoroughly.

Check to see that the earthworms you buy from a bait shop do not contain any dyes. Earthworms are dyed in many bait shops for fishing.

The following is the nutritional information for earthworms:

  • Moisture: 82%
  • Protein: 11%
  • Fat: 3%
  • Fiber: 2% of total calories
  • Ash: 1%

Super Worms

The fat and phosphorus content of super worms is considerable, so they should only be given as a special treat on occasion.

The following is the nutritional information for the super worm:

  • Moisture: 60%
  • Protein: 19
  • Fat: 16%
  • Fiber: 4%
  • Ash: 1%
  • Ca:P Ratio is 1:18

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Nutrigrubs)

Black Soldier Fly Larvae are a fantastic feeder insect for your Bearded Dragon since they have a high concentration of calcium as well as a high concentration of protein. However, they are most recognized for their high calcium concentration. They are an excellent calcium supplement for any dragon in need of calcium, and they can even be used in place of a powder calcium supplement. Still, they should not be used in conjunction with a D3 supplement.

Due to their small size, they are most suited for usage with young dragons. However, they can be problematic as the main staple bug because their small size does not necessarily capture the interest of an adult dragon, and the numbers required to feed them can be impractical. They are simple to maintain because they can be kept in the container purchased and do not require feeding.

Nutritional requirements:

  • Water: 61.2
  • Protein: 17.5
  • Fat: 14%
  • Ash: 3.5%

Which Is The Best Way To Feed A Bearded Dragon?

When it comes time to serve your bearded dragon’s protein or feeder insect meal, you must ensure that you are feeding your bearded dragon healthily and safely.

The method of feeding adults and baby bearded dragons is the same, albeit the frequency and content of the meals change slightly between the two species of dragons.

You want to feed the bearded dragon as much of the food as they will consume in 10-15 minutes or until they stop eating altogether. You must remove the food from the table once the time has elapsed or they have stopped eating.

Depending on the bug, you may or may not wish to employ a single variety of insects for the duration of the feeding session. In some insects, there is a lot of fat, which is fine in modest quantities.

The amount of food they consume varies depending on several various circumstances, which include:

  • Stress
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickness
  • Brumation
  • Growth spurts are common.

All of these factors may contribute to a decline in their appetite at specific periods.

The beardy must be fed all insects while they are still alive, so make sure they are all alive.

Insects that have died have lost some of their nutritional value and can cause illness in your pet if they have been dead for even a short length of time.

Be careful not to give your pet worms that are longer than the distance between your beardy’s eye sockets. Food that is more than this amount in volume may become caught in the digestive tract.

In the most challenging situations, the pressure on the spine caused by the blockage might result in paralysis or death due to the blockage.

Taking Care of Feeder Insects

It is critical to properly care for feeder insects to provide the best insects to feed bearded dragons on the market. Provide the insects with a high-quality diet to gut-load them, such as Repashy SuperLoad, to help them survive. They give the feeder insects high-quality food before presenting them to the bearded dragon guaranteeing that the insects are as nutritious as possible for the dragon to consume.

In addition to a Cricket Pen or similar container, crickets and Dubia roaches require a water source for moisture, such as a Cricket Quencher, to survive.

A quality calcium powder should be sprinkled on feeder insects before being provided to the bearded dragon for consumption. Repashy Calcium Plus is a calcium supplement that is highly recommended.

Always visit the market thoroughly before buying worms for bearded dragons. But healthy and nutritious worms to keep your beardie happy.

Read More: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cherries? 10 Facts To Take Away

Shashank

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