So, you've decided to welcome a juvenile bearded dragon into your life? Congratulations! These fascinating reptiles make wonderful companions. However, providing them with the correct care, especially when it comes to their diet, is crucial for their growth and overall well-being. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about feeding your young beardie, ensuring they get the nutrients they need to thrive.
Why a Good Diet is Essential
Just like other pets, beardies need to have a well-rounded and complete nutritional diet in order to stay healthy. What bearded dragon food goes in their belly has an impact on how they feel, their quality of life, how active they are and even how they look. A well-balanced diet is essential for a young bearded dragon because it directly impacts their development, energy levels, and overall health. Proper nutrition ensures healthy growth, strong bones, and a robust immune system.
Understanding the Dietary Needs of Juvenile Bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. However, the ratio of plants to animals in their diet changes as they age. Young bearded dragons require a diet that’s more insects than vegetables because they need the added protein to grow and develop. A baby bearded dragon's diet should consist of 80% insects and 20% plants, although some owners may struggle to get their young dragons to eat greens. It's important to offer a variety of foods to ensure they receive all the necessary nutrients.
What to Feed Your Juvenile Bearded Dragon: A Detailed Breakdown
Here's a detailed look at the different food groups that should be included in your juvenile bearded dragon's diet:
Live Food: The Protein Powerhouse
Insects are a crucial source of protein for growing bearded dragons. Here are some excellent options:
Read also: Essential Diet for Young Beardies
- Crickets: By far the most popular choice, crickets are a tasty protein- and calcium-rich snack for your beardie and a good food source in addition to being stimulating, since a wild bearded dragon diet would typically include these, and your dragon can chase them. They are widely available at pet stores. Just keep in mind that they can easily escape and their noise can be irritating, so if you go this route, make sure you store them securely and out of earshot.
- Dubia Roaches: Beardies love roaches. And the best roach you can feed your dragon is the Dubia roach. Low in fat and extremely high in protein, Dubia roaches provide at least five times the nutritional value of other live insects (yes, you read that right: five times!).
- Mealworms: Mealworms, superworms and waxworms should be offered in only small amounts. Never give a mealworm to a younger beardie.
- Superworms: contain approximately 17-20% protein, making them an excellent source for supporting muscle development and energy needs, especially for juvenile and subadult bearded dragons (6-18 months old).
- Earthworms: Not as popular as other worms, these crawlers offer calcium and moisture to your pet.
- Phoenix Worms: These worms are a great source of protein and calcium, making them an excellent supplement or feeder insect.
- Other Options: Other insects that are safe for your bearded dragon to consume are butterworms, silkworms, cockroaches, wax worms, king worms and hornworms.
When purchasing live food, consider the nutritional value, ease of storing, and cost. Our vets also recommend occasionally varying the food you provide so your pet dines on a diverse range of animals. Always purchase insects from reputable pet stores or breeders to avoid exposure to pesticides or diseases.
Vegetables: The Source of Vitamins and Minerals
Vegetables are essential for providing vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Veggies should make up 25% of a young bearded dragon’s food. Here is a list of the most common staple vegetables they can dine on daily:
- Kale
- Asparagus (Raw)
- Butternut squash
- Yellow squash
- Acorn squash
- Spaghetti squash
- Celery
- Peeled Cucumber
- Yams (Raw)
- Turnip greens
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens
- Zucchini (Raw)
- Okra (Raw)
- Raddicchio
- Bell Peppers (Raw)
- Cabbage (Raw)
- Artichoke Heart
- Bok choy
- Carrots
- Endive
- Pumpkins
- Parsnips
- Cooked Lentils
- Chicory
Fruits: A Treat in Moderation
Fruits can be offered in limited quantities, and should make up the remaining small percentage of a young bearded dragon’s diet. Here are some fruits that are safe for Bearded Dragons to eat on a limited basis:
- Apples
- Peaches
- Strawberries
- Apricot
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cranberries
- Cherries
- Chayote
- Figs
- Grapes
- Grapefruit
- Melons
- Plum
- Watermelon
- Guava
- Nectarine
- Prunes
- Raisins
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Mango
A bearded dragon’s diet should be made up of approximately 10% fruit items. Fruit should be fed sparingly because it has high sugar and water content, that can cause a laxative effect if fed too frequently. Citrus fruits are best to avoid due to high levels of sugar, citric acid and oxalic acid which can lead to toxicity.
How to Feed Your Juvenile Bearded Dragon
Depending on the type of bearded dragon food you’re feeding your pet, there are different ways to feed them.
Read also: Diet and Supplements for Bearded Dragons
Feeding Schedule and Frequency
Young bearded dragons will eat more often than adults. They need all of that extra energy while they grow. Feed your baby three times daily for ten to fifteen minutes per feeding. Because baby dragons need to grow, they can eat more insects than adults. A bearded dragon that’s less than 18 months old might eat 2-5 times a day. For fruits and vegetables, leave them in your dragon's enclosure only for approximately 30 minutes, which allows your dragon enough time to have its fill but prevents overfeeding. This also ensures leftover food doesn't grow moldy.
Feeding Techniques
- Feeding Tongs: Reptile feeding tongs are small, tweezer-like tools that help you grab hold of insects and feed them to your bearded dragon.
- Food Bowl: When feeding your beardie, reptile food bowls can be a great way to give them pellet or commercial food.
- Feeders: There are also reptile feeders that make it easy to give your pet things like mealworms.
Gut Loading Insects
Remember to gut load any insects your dragon eats - meaning ideally, you'll feed your insects what you're not feeding your dragon that week. The best way to ensure your dragon is getting enough calcium is to “gut-load” all insects before feeding. Gut-loading is where insects are fed a diet high in calcium 24-72 hours prior to being fed to your dragon. These insect diets can be found at most pet stores.
Supplementation
Calcium supplementation is essential for bearded dragons. Insects have a high phosphorus to calcium ratio.
- Calcium: Dust food with a calcium/Vitamin D3 powder: 4-5x a week (juveniles).
- Multivitamins: Dust food with a multivitamin 1x a week (juveniles); or as directed by your veterinarian.
Hydration
All living things need water to survive, and bearded dragons are no exception. Your bearded dragon should have free access to a shallow bowl of fresh clean water every day. Bearded dragons obtain most of their moisture through fruits and vegetables, but it’s important to make sure they have water available as well. Always keep a water bowl in your dragon’s cage, but observe whether your dragon actually drinks out of it. Beardies tend to urinate or leave solids in their bowl, so change their water frequently. After each feeding, remove any drowned insects from the bowl as well. If your dragon does not drink from the water bowl, you can spray a mist of water into the cage once or twice a day.
Foods to Avoid
Do not allow bearded dragons to consume fireflies, onions, or mushrooms, as they are all toxic and can cause death or serious illness. Bearded dragons should not eat wild insects as they can have diseases or parasites that could hurt or kill your dragon. Aside from citrus fruit, which can be too acidic for your dragon’s stomach, there are plenty of fruits your dragon can enjoy.
Read also: Diet Chart for Baby Beardies
Creating the Ideal Environment for Digestion
Bearded dragons are ectotherms and control their body heat, and subsequently their metabolism, through their environment. They require heat and UVB lighting to metabolize Vitamin D3 which is essential for their bone health. UVB bulbs should be replaced every 6 months, even if the light itself is still working. UVB levels will deteriorate over time. A digital thermometer and humidity gauge in your dragon’s enclosure is essential. Heat from a heat emitting bulb or ceramic heat emitter (CHE) should be provided in a basking area on the “hot side” of the tank with the ability to retreat to a cooler side. Recommended temperatures vary even among experts. A good place to start is 76°F (24°C) on the cool side to 86°F (30°C) on the warm side, with a basking area ranging from 90°-100°F (32°-37.7°C).
Other Important Considerations
- Substrate: Since bearded dragons can sometimes inadvertently ingest the substrate around their food, we don't recommend feeding smaller bearded dragons in tanks with a loose substrate. Older bearded dragons are typically more accurate and may be able to digest a little substrate more easily.
- Hygiene: Pet parents should spot-clean their bearded dragon’s habitat daily, removing any soiled material and discarded food. Move the bearded dragon to a secure environment. Scrub the empty tank and any furnishings with a reptile habitat cleaner or 3% bleach solution. The bleach solution should stay on the habitat for at least 10 minutes to ensure that the surfaces are disinfected properly.
Transitioning to an Adult Diet
Once bearded dragons reach 18 months of age, they become adults and should eat twice a day, following the suggested ratio of vegetables to live insects. An adult bearded dragon’s diet should consist of 70-80% fruits/vegetables and 20-30% live insects.