Can Bearded Dragons Eat Ants? | Safe Insect Diet 2024

We all have heard that bearded dragons love insects and they devour all kinds of insects. We have to buy some of these, while others can be kept at home. Can bearded dragons eat ants? If you know the likes and dislikes of your dragon pet, you can design their diet in a way that will ensure their well-being.

All pet owners can decide what to give their pets if they know the requirements, along with what each insect or pest can offer. We will see what ants can do for bearded dragons while going over the nutritional requirements of bearded dragons.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Ants

What Is In Ants

Ants are tiny pests that feed on all kinds of foods and have a high folic acid content. These insects are rich in iron, and protein. However, the most prominent component remains iron only. Moreover, the calcium content of ants is low, while phosphorus is high. Ants are also rich in potassium and magnesium.

Ants are among the smallest insects, which means that a lot of rodents and other insects eat these small bugs. Due to this, ants have a high defense mechanism, which includes a high content of unfavorable nutrients such as folic acid and phosphorus. However, in the wilderness, bearded dragons feed on ants and nothing happens to them.

The best way to see what suits your bearded dragon is to see the calcium and protein content of any food. If it is high in both, then make sure that the phosphorus or other minerals that reduce the absorption of calcium in the body.

What Is In Ants

What Do Bearded Dragons Need

Bearded dragons are reptilians that lice in dry and arid regions. These creatures do not need a high water content because their bodies can function on less water. Moreover, these reptilians have a slow metabolism so they cannot consume a lot of sugars or fats. If you feed your dragon a high amount of sugar, it will become obese due to this slow digestion.

Moreover, 80% of the bearded dragon’s daily diet is insects and therefore, what you serve them is crucial. The best kinds of insects are large, have more protein, and are rich in minerals and vitamins as well. You can select cockroaches, dubia roaches, bugs, super worms, and other kinds of worms.

Pet owners must realize that their dragon pets should be fed good nutrition and therefore when you decide on the diet properly, ants do not take up the first few slots among insects. That is why you should ensure that the top-ranking insects are in terms of calcium, protein, and mineral content. However, try to keep phosphorus-rich and potassium-rich insects away. Since ants contain both these nutrients, it is better to serve them as a rare food, and that is also if you really think that you have no other choice. Moreover, you can also find out Can Bearded Dragons Eat Frogs.

Can I Feed Ants To My Bearded Dragon

Many pet owners believe that if bearded dragons can eat a particular insect, vegetable, or fruit in the wild, they can do it at home as well. What they do not realize is that due to the diet that you give your bearded dragons, they grow well but they are no more wild creatures that have the immunity to tolerate harsh or unfit foods even if consumed a single time.

Ants are allowed insects for bearded dragons, but due to the improper nutritional balance, these insects are not every day or a regular feed item. Yes, you may feed your dragon ants after three months, or even once a month, but do not try to feed them every day only because you feel your pet can clean up the army of ants that enters your home!

Ants have protein, and they are rich in numerous minerals. But still, many pet owners do not want to feed their dragons with this insect, which has a bad proportion of nutrients. Folic acid in excess can be the wrong kind of food for your bearded dragon, while the high phosphorus content can hinder calcium absorption in the body. Also, read Can Bearded Dragons Have Cicadas.

Can I Feed Ants To My Bearded Dragon

How Regularly Can I Feed Ants To Bearded Dragons

If you want your bearded dragon to have a taste of ants, or if your dragon pet picks out a few and consumes them by itself, there is no danger. However, the frequency of ants may become a problem, especially when your bearded dragon remains indoors and is brought up like a regular pet. The immunity of a wild bearded dragon and one at home, a pet with care, is different and therefore, ants must be kept as an occasional food and never a regular one.

Conclusion

Bearded dragons can eat ants as they do not pose any danger to the reptilians. However, pet dragons have lower immunity than wild bearded dragons, which means that they might not be able to stand any nutrients, which works as a repellent for bigger creatures by ants. One of these nutrients is folic acid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can bearded dragons have ants when they are out in the garden?

If your bearded dragon is used to eating all kinds of wild weeds, unusual bugs, and tough insects, it will not have difficulty digesting the folic acid, potassium, and magnesium in ants. However, pet dragons can also eat ants, but it is best that you feed them occasionally and not as regular food.

What kind of ant can I give my bearded dragon?

You can feed your pet dragon red ants, which are rampantly found in plants, and even on the ground near moist areas. This ant may seem like a small insect but it is rich in various nutrients.

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