Unless your bearded dragon is allergic to crickets and Waxworms, you can feed your beardie a variety of insects. Insects such as Dubia roaches, Waxworms, and Turkestan roaches are also popular beardie food insects. Here’s a quick guide to food insects for beardies. Read on to find out more about these foods. And if you’re still not sure which food insects to feed your beardie, don’t worry, we have you covered.
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Waxworms
Waxworms are a common food choice for bearded dragons. However, they are not the healthiest food option for your beardie. Ideally, you should only give your beardie five or six waxworms a week, but you should rotate your food offerings. Waxworms are an excellent feeder insect that is very easy to keep. They also provide a high fat content and make a great addition to any rotating meal plan.
The body of a waxworm is composed of 13 segments: three thoracic segments, nine abdominal segments, and six legs. This body structure allows it to grow faster than most other feeder species. Moreover, the waxworm has four pairs of legs, or “prolegs,” which are distributed over a number of body segments. Waxworms also have a gill-free digestive system, so the lizard’s digestive system will not be impacted by their long, stubby legs.
Dubia roaches
Compared to crickets and other live feeder insects, dubia roaches are high in protein and low in fat. They can contain up to 54% protein, which is very important to growing dragons. Unlike crickets, which increase in chitin content with age, dubia roaches do not increase in chitin. This means older dragons can digest dubia roaches without difficulty.
Dubia roaches are ideal for a bearded dragon’s diet. They are clean, parasite-free, and do not jump or fly. They also have a long lifespan of up to two years. This makes them a great choice for keeping beardies indoors. But bearded dragons are not the only creatures that can eat these insects. You should also take note of your bearded dragon’s behavior while feeding it.
Unlike crickets, Dubia roaches are also easy to handle and will not stress your bearded dragon. They are also high in protein and are easier for your beardie to digest. You can also purchase roach chow in pet stores. This is a great alternative to crickets. Unlike crickets, Dubia roaches are house-friendly and rarely infest humans.
Crickets
As your bearded dragon grows, crickets will become an important part of your pet’s diet. While pinhead crickets are best for younger beardies, you can also purchase medium-sized crickets from a pet store. Both sizes are ideal for adult beardies. Before giving your beardie crickets, make sure you remove any uneaten crickets from its cage. You can also dust crickets with calcium powder to make up for their lack of nutritional value.
If you want to provide your beardie with the best possible diet, consider adding crickets to its daily diet. Crickets are very low-cost and contain very little fat. They are also high in protein. So, you’re getting more for your buck with crickets than other protein sources. If your beardie eats more crickets than usual, it may be time for you to increase its diet to include more species of insects.
Turkestan roaches
Although the Turkestan cockroach is not an aggressive insect, it does pose a number of health risks to humans. Not only do they bring a multitude of diseases into the home, but they also carry Herpomyces fungi that can damage plants. Because of these dangers, these cockroaches should never be allowed to live in your home. To avoid attracting these insects to your home, you can keep a check on their habitat.
The Turkestan cockroach is a night-owl that feeds on a variety of items, including decomposing insects, leaf litter, and compost. It will happily munch on paper, cardboard boxes, leather, and fingernails if given the chance. Reptile breeders are able to buy and sell these roaches easily on the internet. The insects are easy to keep in a lab and can reproduce in high numbers.
