Can you feed bearded dragons earthworms

Never feed a bearded dragon insects caught in the wild unless they are deemed safe. Dubia roaches are one of the best staple insects to feed a bearded dragon. They are rich in protein, low in fat content, and provide an array of valuable nutrients. This insect feeder is easy for bearded dragons to digest and come in different sizes depending on its life stage. Purchase dubia roaches at reputable pet stores and through online dealers. They are easy to care for and offer some advantages over crickets:.

Goliath worms or Horned worms are another excellent choice as a staple insect feeder for bearded dragons. These worms can rapidly grow four to five inches in length and are a good source of protein.

Purchase Goliath worms at reputable pet stores or through online vendors. They typically come in large cups pre-loaded with food and contain 15 — 25 worms. Wax worms are small white-colored worms that are an excellent occasional treat insect to offer bearded dragons.

These worms should not be a staple food item, because they tend to be high in fat content. Feed an adult bearded dragon no more than five to six wax worms per day. Purchase wax worms at most reputable pet stores or online vendors. They are very easy to maintain and can last up to a few weeks with proper storage. Mealworms are a very popular bearded dragon feeder insect.

They can grow to a length of about two inches in length, and contain a hard outer shell called chitin. Young bearded dragons can have a difficult time digesting the chitin. Feed mealworms to adult bearded dragons only due to the risk of impaction. Only offer mealworms very large mealworms are sometimes called Superworms as a supplement to staple insects. Five to six mealworms per feeding for an adult bearded dragon should be fine. Crickets offer a good amount of protein and calcium, and are arguably the most popular feeder insect for bearded dragons.

They are widely available in most pet stores and bait shops. Bearded dragons can have some difficulty digesting crickets due to hard body parts, such as the hind legs. Keeping crickets can be a bit of a challenge — they are masters of escaping and sometimes getting into the home, they can be noisy at night when trying to sleep, and storage can become very smelly. Phoenix Worms Black Soldier Fly Larvae are the same thing are a very good feeder insect to offer bearded dragons. They have high levels of protein and calcium to offer and are easy to keep.

Due to their very small size it can be impractical to offer them as a staple food. The large quantities needed to feed an adult bearded dragon would be difficult to maintain and possibly expensive. The best way to offer Phoenix worms is placing them in a shallow bowl. Fill the bowl with 10 — 15 worms then add the bowl to the terrarium. Butterworms are another very small worm about one inch in length that offers good amounts of protein and high levels of calcium. This small nutritious worm is an excellent feeder insect to offer as a supplement to other feeders.

Mealworms are one of the most popular feeder insects for many animals, including beardies, poultry, fish, birds, amphibians, and even some mammals. The only exception here is if your pet is underweight. You should feed them at least 15 to 18 mealworms per week. Younger bearded dragons can eat more mealworms. But baby bearded dragons may have trouble ingesting the chitin the outer shell of mealworms. Also known as zophobas or morio worms, super worms are an excellent treat to feed your bearded dragon.

It would help if you fed your beardies at least 20 superworms per week, distributed across the feeding times. Waxworms are another good earthworm alternative to feed your bearded dragons. They are smaller than mealworms and are white in color. But they make good treats. Below is a summary of the nutrient levels in these worms.

They are more nutritious than wax worms and mealworms, and you can feed them to your beardies as a regular food or as a semi-staple food. Unlike the other worms, they are a little harder to breed and maybe more expensive. Below is a summary of their nutrient levels;. Be careful feeding them to your Bearded Dragon too much, as they can cause drastic weight gain and impact their energy levels as well.

Buy live waxworms on Amazon. Butterworms look very similar to waxworms and make a great smaller option for Bearded Dragons. These are the preferred worm in all areas, but it should be said that this also makes them more expensive. Hornworms are also referred to as goliath worms for their size, and can be used as a staple food for your Bearded Dragon. They grow incredibly quickly, so if you buy some and they seem too small, gut load them for a few days until they reach the proper size. Buy live hornworms on Amazon.

Live insects are an important component of the diet of Bearded Dragons. Use common sense when feeding them and be aware of the nutritional benefits and detriments.