Can Bearded Dragons Eat Crickets? | Ideal Nutritious Food? 2024

Bearded dragons love to eat insects, however since these reptiles are sensitive creatures, you might want to know what they can specifically eat within each food category that they love. Can bearded dragons eat crickets? Find out more about what is good for these creatures and what they will love to eat.

Crickets and other reptilians are found in gardens, and some pet owners might wonder if it is a good idea to leave their bearded dragon to enjoy the outdoors and eat from the insects that are freely roaming the open spaces. Is that suitable for bearded dragons or not? Pet owners have to know which insect is safe and which ones are not the most suitable.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Crickets

Bearded dragons can have crickets, in fact, they enjoy eating these insects. Pet owners can freely feed these insects to their pets. The reason why insects are a good food choice is that they are animal protein, which can fulfill the protein requirements for bearded dragons on a daily basis.

Your pet dragon requires a high amount of protein every day and insects in a good portion can help achieve this requirement. Protein is an essential building block and if you do not feed your bearded dragon enough of this food group, it can suffer! The muscular structure of any creature depends on its protein consumption. If there is not enough protein consumption, your bearded pet can become weak as it grows.

That is why pet shops and animal care facilities provide liquid calcium and protein to feed bearded dragons as they are growing. If the muscle structure is not healthy your bearded dragon might not be able to take its body weight. This makes them stand in one place as their muscles ache. Gradually this condition can make pet dragons anxious and depressed and the limited physical exercise makes them lose their appetite. Once your dragon isn’t moving and isn’t eating enough it can become ill and die!

Crickets are a great source of protein and bearded dragons enjoy the taste as well. This means that regular consumption of crickets will make them happy and they will become healthier. If your bearded dragon Consumes crickets daily, it will grow to its full potential and the muscles will be strong enough to support the skeleton. When you decide to keep a dragon pet, you must ensure that you get the supply of crickets ready because they love to eat these insects and benefit greatly from them. Please have a look at Can Bearded Dragons Eat Earthworms.

How To Feed Crickets To Bearded Dragons

As we mentioned earlier, bearded dragons are sensitive creatures, and feeding them insects that may be sprayed with pesticides and insecticides can be a problem. If you want your pet dragon to remain safe from all kinds of health issues, feed them crickets that are bred to feed these reptilians. Many pet stores and breeders can give you a cricket breeding jar, in which live crickets are kept. You can feed your dragon from this jar so that they remain safe from chemicals in pesticides that can be poisonous to them.

Additionally, pet owners must remain cautious that they do not allow the bearded dragon to eat insects that are too large. If the bearded dragon eats anything that is too large for it to turn to semi-solid before swallowing, it is dangerous. When you feed a big cricket or any other insect to the dragon pet, it can swallow it whole and this bit of food portion gets stuck in its intestines. This semi-solid food stuck in the intestine can cause impaction. Impaction can lead to severe constipation and as the intestine clogging keeps building up, the bearded dragon experiences pain in the lower abdomen.

Due to this pain and the discomfort of a clogged gut, the bearded dragon can become immobile. When this situation worsened bearded dragons can become paralyzed. The blocked gut and immobility make the bearded dragon lose its appetite and they eventually die.

You can either cut up a large cricket into smaller pieces or ensure that you feed it smaller insects. Young cricket will be softer and easier for the dragon to eat. Despite all these precautions, crickets are a beneficial food item for bearded dragon pets, and you can feed them many of these insects in a day. When you feed your bearded dragons food that they love, they will become happier beings and this will result in a more active pet so keep giving them the healthiest and cleanest insects like crickets. If there is a big one, cut it up for convenience.

Which Other Insects Can Bearded Dragons Eat

Bearded dragons can eat many insects such as dubia roaches, worms, crickets, and small bugs and crawlers that are softer than other hard insects like beetles. You can give your bearded dragon a daily cocktail of insects and it will be happy all day long. Also, please read Can Bearded Dragons Eat Silkworms if you want to know what other insects can bearded dragons have.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can bearded dragons feed on only crickets?

Bearded dragons need many nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamins. Crickets may fulfill their protein requirements but it is always good to give these dragons something more. Just like us, they like diversity in what they eat. You must ensure that they have a well-rounded diet.

Is it necessary to feed insects to bearded dragons?

Yes, bearded dragons not only enjoy eating insects but also need protein content. Make sure you add at least 10 to 15 insects to their daily diet.

Conclusion

Bearded dragons can eat crickets and many other insects. Owners must ensure that their dragon eats the best of them by giving them pesticide-free insects. You can buy crickets from any local pot shop or supply store for pets. If you provide the foods that these dragons like, you will see them thrive.