A quick guide is given in the table below. Let them eat as much as they can in minute feeding sessions. As juveniles at about months, lessen feeding sessions to times per day that last about minutes long. As your beardie becomes an adult, you should start to transition it to some greens by lessening the length of your feeding sessions or giving a set number of crickets per session.
Adult bearded dragons should eat as many crickets as they like in a minute session, once a day or spaced out during mealtimes. This quick overview highlights a transition period wherein your dragon is still growing and therefore needs more protein but should be weaned off an all cricket diet in preparation to a varied diet with greens and vegetables as adults. Since bearded dragons are omnivores, you will have to transition them into eating greens at about 9 months of age to start getting them used to it.
There are over species of crickets but the most common feeder insects available for reptiles are:. No matter which type of cricket is available, always get your live feeder insects from reputable breeders to make sure they are virus and parasite free.
Crickets are also available according to their size and age. It is important to only feed your bearded dragon crickets that are smaller than the space between their eyes to avoid any feeding, digestion, or impaction issues.
Crickets are available as:. Crickets have good nutritional content especially iron, protein, and calcium which is great for bearded dragons especially when they are growing. They have softer exoskeletons when young compared with dubia roaches or other cockroaches so they are perfect feeders even for baby beardies.
House crickets are composed of the following below and have Crickets also provide a great feeding response from bearded dragons since they activate their predatory instincts and hunt the crickets. Crickets are also easily obtained from most pet stores and online and are an affordable food source for bearded dragons and reptiles alike. There are some reasons that may get you to rethink using crickets as live feeders for your bearded dragon but these are certainly not deal breakers.
For your bearded dragon, crickets are not as nutritionally dense as dubia roaches and are also smaller. This means that your dragon will have to eat more crickets to get the equivalent nutritional value of one dubia roach.
Crickets, like any other live feeder insects can harbor parasites which can affect your bearded dragon. Also, never feed your dragon any insect you catch from the wild for the same reason.
Crickets can also attack smaller bearded dragons if left in the enclosure for too long and this can stress your bearded dragon out. Crickets can be quite noisy and can develop a foul odor. They can also quickly escape and jump away. Also, crickets will develop a smell over time so buy only enough crickets that your dragon can consume in about a week or two.
Baby bearded dragons, from or 3 months inches length , will need frequent feedings of a high protein diet such as crickets to help with their rapid growth rates. Crickets provide a good protein source to ensure proper nutrition for your growing beardie, helping them grow healthy and preventing developmental diseases such as metabolic bone disease. Feed your baby bearded dragon as many crickets as it will eat in a span of minutes. With the recommended feeding frequency of 5 times a day, this roughly translates to almost crickets per day.
Feed younger and smaller day old crickets to baby bearded dragons. Have any questions or concerns? We are here to help! Please email us at [email protected]. What it all comes down to is creating a happy and healthy life for your pets and ours. We know how much you love your Dragon and we want to make it easy to show how much you care. Help them feel a little more like the predator they were born to be. Shop Now. Top 3 Ways to Feed Live Insects One by One Although it may seem inconvenient, a great way to feed live insects to your beardie is by placing them one by one into the tank using tweezers or a little pair of tongs.
Free for All Dropping all the bugs in the tank is a good option for adult dragons or older juvies. Feeding Dish Another option is to place a few insects at a time into a feeding dish filled with veggies, creating a protein-infused salad for your pet. At any age your dragon will thrive on a regular feeding schedule.
Every dragon has different health needs, so you and your vet can determine what works best for your beardie. Dusting Live Insects. Before feeding your dragon live insects, dust them with a light coat of calcium powder or vitamin D3. Crickets can be purchased in bulk from any pet store or online. They also require little care and can live for a long time. They also need minimal care and can live for a long time.
When compared to other live foods, they fall somewhere in the middle in terms of quality. Other live foods provide more vitamins, more hydration, and more protein, but they are also more expensive. People interested in owning a bearded dragon should educate themselves on the importance of using live crickets rather than dead insects.
You should never feed dead crickets or other insects to your bearded dragon. Depending on how much the insect body has decomposed in the elements, reptiles, including bearded dragons, will naturally want to eat some dead crickets. The problem is that if your beardie eats decomposing crickets, they could become very ill. Bearded dragons in the wild spend their days hunting for hopping insects such as crickets.
Your bearded dragon, like other predators, will enjoy chasing, stalking, and devouring their cricket prey. Crickets are a great source of enrichment for bearded dragons in captivity, as well as a healthy source of protein.
Chasing them around ensures that your reptile gets enough exercise to stay healthy. Crickets, like some other insects, can carry dangerous parasites that could infect your pet lizard.
Crickets are a popular choice among bearded dragon owners because they are more readily available and less expensive than other protein-rich foods. Crickets are a safe bet for bearded dragons in general, as long as the owner is aware of the potential for parasite problems. You can also boost the nutrition your bearded dragon gets from crickets by lightly brushing them with powdered minerals such as calcium and vitamins just before feeding them.
There are a variety of other protein foods available for bearded dragons. These include super worms, which have a high nutritional value. These are good to include if you want to add some variety to their diet. However, choosing crickets as a primary protein source in their diet will save owners significantly more money in the long run.
To make this situation even better, crickets generally contain less fat than other dietary sources of protein for bearded dragons, including the majority of common worms fed to reptiles. There are a few reasons why you should carefully consider using crickets as live feeders for your bearded dragon, but they are not deal-breakers.
Crickets are not as nutritious as dubia roaches and are also smaller for your bearded dragon. This means that your dragon will have to consume more crickets to obtain the nutritional value of one dubia roach. Crickets, like other live feeder insects, can carry parasites that can harm your bearded dragon.
For the same reason, never feed your dragon any insect you catch in the wild. Crickets will be a major part of their diet, so you need to be familiar with the right quantity! The number of crickets you should feed your bearded dragon will change over time. Their needs as a baby, juvenile, and adult are all different! From birth until 3 months of age, your bearded dragon is considered a baby.
Just like babies in other species, baby bearded dragons will need more frequent feedings throughout the day in order to maintain their health, maximize their lifespan , and grow big and strong. There should be 5 separate feeding sessions per day that last about 5 to 10 minutes. Never force your dragon to eat, and do have enough crickets on hand before you begin. If you want to get really fancy you can estimate the number of crickets by referencing feeding charts that factor in age, size, health, and so forth.
To provide a general range, baby bearded dragons may eat between 25 and 80 crickets in just one day. 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. There are some criteria to consider when determining what, when, and how long an owner should let their bearded friends chow down on crunchy crickets.
These important factors to consider include:. Bearded dragons should be allowed to eat as much as they desire during each feeding session especially when very young. Gradually, the 5 times a day feedings of baby bearded dragons will be cut back some to about 2 to 3 feedings per day as the beardies become juveniles roughly at 3 to 8 months of age. Eventually, these reptiles will develop into full-grown adults that will eat significantly less than before.
Expert Tip: Some bearded dragon experts feed their pets crickets every other day or every third day after the dragons become adults.
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