Feeding Bearded Dragons

Bearded Dragons like to eat insects, greens and anything else they can get their mouths on in the wild. I subscribe to a certain feeding philosophy that has served my lizards well over the years and it involves thinking like a beardie: given their predatory nature, they are more likely to end up foraging for greens and veggies in the wild since those things don't move and are more readily available to eat.

Insects
Bearded dragons are prone to impaction of their digestive system(I've lost one this way!!!) and the exoskeletons of insect prey can cause problems. This is especially true of crunchy bugs like mealworms, so it is best to feed these in limited quantities, especially to juveniles. Feeding insects right after they shed will help reduce the chance of an impaction as the exoskeletons are not as tough. Roaches also should not be too large, especially for baby bearded dragons (a rule of thumb: feed nothing bigger than the distance between the bearded dragons eyes). Once bearded dragons become adults, you can offer a wider range of insects such as crickets,waxworms, silkworms, butterworms, red worms, earthworms, and newly molted mealworms and superworms. However, these should be considered "treats" with roaches still making up the bulk of the diet. Pinkie mice can also be offered to adults occasionally, however I don't...I'm sure some folks do with perfect results...I just never got into the whole pinky mice thing.

Juveniles should be fed insects more often than adults. Feed juveniles at least twice a day, offering as many appropriately-sized insects as they will eat in 10 minutes or so. Don't feed until the tank is heated up in the morning or just before the tank cools down at night, as the heat is necessary for digestion. Adults can be fed insects once a day , but I prefer and have had success feeding greens daily to adults and roaches twice a week.(for both juveniles and adults, greens and vegetables can be available all the time).

Insects such as crickets should be gut loaded (fed nutritious food that is then passed on to the lizard) prior to feeding, and lightly dusted with a calcium and Vitamin D (no phosphorus) supplement at each feeding. Dust with a complete multivitamin no more than once a week.

It is very risky to feed wild caught insects due to the risk of pesticide contamination.

Why roaches?

• they aren't stinky or messy like crickets
  
• they live longer, even in the cold winter of the garage
• higher nutritional value than crickets
• sooner or later you will get tired of the amounts of crickets you have to deal with, either breeding or going to the pet store
• www.theroachguy.com is a great source of info and my sole source of roaches...super nice guy!!!!!
  

Greens and Vegetables

I feed my beardies a store mix of organic greens daily or from the local farmer's mkt(super cheap)...well, I OFFER it, most of the time it's eaten. Also, feel free to give them chopped up squash when you're in the mood...variety is whatever they say it is.

If the greens you are wondering about say Lettuce anywhere in the name avoid them. Most types of lettuce are composed mostly of water and hold little or no nutritional value. With the wide variety of other greens out there it is better and easier to just avoid any type of lettuce. Spinach should also be avoided as calcium binds to it and will not be digested by your animal.

Commercial Diets
Avoid commercial diets as much as you prefer to avoid eating out of convenience stores

Water

I mist my dragons when they are immature a couple of times a day, but I don't leave water in the cage...they will just poop in it and make a mess, plus, they are desert dwellers. So what I do, is give them a bath once a week or so in warm water. This hydrates them and stimulates their bowels.

Handling
Bearded dragons are generally docile, and can be easily handled with minimal socialization or effort into taming. It is important to scoop them up under the belly and support their belly in the palm of your hand with your fingers gently curled over the body.I prefer to handle my beardies at least once a day...I have one that's been adopted and she is far more skittish than the one raised from birth. He lets the kids throw him around(not recommended!!!) and is very,very gentle.