It’s not impossible to let your bearded dragon eat crickets, but beware of their health risks. Not only do insects contain unnatural chemicals, but they can also be transferred to your beardie, increasing your beardie’s risk of disorder or even cancer. Instead of feeding your beardie crickets, try raising your own insects. This way, you’ll be able to cut your insect bill, and ensure that your beardie will remain safe and healthy.
Contents
Banded crickets
One of the most popular foods for bearded dragons is banded crickets. This insect is a non-molding protein source, and it’s not harmful to bearded dragons. Crickets have three stages of development, from larvae to adults. Each of these instars sheds its exoskeleton, and bearded dragons can eat any stage of cricket life, including the adult stage.
Banded crickets are particularly palatable to bearded dragons, and their size varies greatly. Adult beardies will generally consume ten crickets per day. However, the number eaten may vary depending on the size of the bearded dragon and its age. A good way to keep a beardie entertained and happy is to provide different insects, including crickets with vitamin and calcium powders. To keep crickets alive, make sure they are not submerged in the water bowl. Pick out any that have drowned.
Meal worms
Mealworms are a popular diet for bearded dragons. These worms are easy to maintain and are the preferred food for bearded dragons. Mealworms are larvae of the darkling beetle, one of over 20,000 species in the Tenebrionidae family. Mealworms are high in fat content, making them an excellent choice for feeding bearded dragons.
When feeding mealworms to your beardie, be sure to get them fresh from the market. Stored mealworms are not healthy for your pet and may contain diseases or parasites. You can also provide your Beardie with fresh water in the form of cotton pads soaked in water. To improve the health of your Bearded dragon, add a calcium supplement to its diet. Mealworms are easy to digest and provide a high source of nutrition.
Canned crickets
It is important to ensure that your Bearded Dragon has a balanced diet and has the right temperature, light, and humidity levels. This is especially important if you have a newly-purchased bearded dragon. If you are not sure what to feed your new beardie, you can simply place some crickets in its feeding bowl or paper plate and use a hand held misting bottle to disperse the scent. Be sure to use small bursts, and mist them thoroughly, and move them around. Your Beardie will love the taste and smell of crickets and may even start drinking on command!
However, canned crickets do have their drawbacks. The smell is unpleasant and they are not as nutritious as live crickets. In addition, dried crickets have very little nutritional value, and should only be fed when you need to supplement your Bearded Dragon’s diet temporarily. Also, because of the lack of moisture, dried crickets are prone to spoilage. The most important thing to remember when feeding your beardie is to choose only fresh crickets from a reliable source, and always avoid using insects that have a natural environment.
Goliath worms
Hornworms, also known as Goliath wrigglers, are an important food source for beardie reptiles. They are low-fat, high-calcium, low-chitin worms, and contain high water content. They are also readily available at reputable pet stores and online vendors. The worms come in large cups pre-loaded with food.
In addition to hornworms, beardies also like earthworms and flatworms, as they contain high amounts of calcium and water. You should feed the beardie only one hornworm per day, though; excessive consumption can lead to a diet deficiency. However, hornworms are a good food source for adult beardies, as up to five will fulfill their nutritional needs. Just make sure to choose the right size worms; too large a hornworm may cause a bloating problem.
Mealworms
Mealworms are a great source of protein and fat, but your beardie shouldn’t eat dead mealworms. It will not digest them, and their tough exoskeleton will prevent them from being chewed or biting your dragon. However, mealworms are also popular among bearded dragon owners and are available at most pet stores. You can feed your beardie once a day, and you can easily replace mealworms with a variety of healthy alternatives.
Mealworms contain enough calcium and vitamin D to provide your beardie with the nutrients it needs. Phosphorus, on the other hand, prevents the formation of D3 and thus inhibits proper absorption of calcium. Experts recommend a ratio of 1.5:1 to 2:1 for mealworms, which will help your beardie absorb calcium and other nutrients from their diets. A ratio of a beardie’s food to phosphorus of 0.33:1 is appropriate.
