Can i feed my baby bearded dragon mealworms

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms & Are They Healthy?

Feeding mealworms for your bearded dragon might seem straightforward, but there are a number of things you should consider first.

This guide will go over if bearded dragons can eat mealworms safely, how often they should be included in the diet, and the best ways to prepare them.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms?
How Many Mealworms Should You Feed Bearded Dragons?
Are Mealworms Good For Bearded Dragons?
The Right Way To Feed Mealworms To Bearded Dragons
Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms?
Where Can You Buy Mealworms For Your Beardie?
Conclusion

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms?

Mealworms are one of the most accessible feeder insects available. Many pet stores carry them alongside crickets; you can even find these critters freeze-dried for longer shelf life. With the widespread availability of mealworms, bearded dragon owners naturally consider adding them to their pet’s diet.

But can bearded dragons eat mealworms?

Bearded dragons can eat mealworms, but they should never be a staple of the lizard’s diet. Like superworms and other high-fat food, it’s best to view mealworms as a snack more than anything else. A few mealworms a week won’t do any harm, but feeding your beardie too many could lead to significant health problems.

How Many Mealworms Should You Feed Bearded Dragons?

Bearded dragons need a balanced diet that’s roughly 80 percent insects and 20 percent leafy greens and vegetables. That 80 percent should consist of many different types of insects. Mealworms can contribute to these pet lizard’s diet, but they should only make up a tiny part of their overall dietary intake.

Generally, veterinarians and experienced reptile enthusiasts recommend feeding adult bearded dragons no more than five or six mealworms a week! Furthermore, it’s best to break up that allowance over several days instead of supplying it all at once.

A simple rule is to simply allow your beardie to enjoy one or two mealworms every few days. Any more than that, and you can encounter a few issues.

Are Mealworms Good For Bearded Dragons?

While it’s wise to think of mealworms as a treat for your bearded dragon rather than a diet staple, these feeder insects still have a lot to offer. Like many common foods, mealworms have advantages and disadvantages.

Benefits Of Mealworms

Let’s start with the benefits.

Mealworms are the larvae of the yellow mealworm beetle. In the larval stage, mealworms are a tasty snack that most reptiles living in captivity can’t resist. Bearded dragons love to eat mealworms because they have a relatively high fat content.

The fatty nature of mealworms has its pros and cons. We’ll get into the downsides of fat later, but there’s no denying that it makes a delicious treat for bearded dragons.

Many reptile enthusiasts use mealworms as a way to coax lizards to eat. It can restore the creature’s appetite and encourage them to eat more food. The fat content is also an excellent energy source that can perk up a lethargic beardie.

Another major benefit of mealworms is that they’re about 60 percent water. Bearded dragons rarely lap up water from the bowl. Even if you provide a dish of clean water in the enclosure, most beardies prefer to stay hydrated through food.

The high moisture content in mealworms can prevent dehydration and keep your lizard healthy.

Other notable perks of providing mealworms include protein content, availability, and convenience.

Expert Tip: When it comes to protein, mealworms are far from the greatest. There are other better sources of protein out there. But at least it’s not an empty snack. As part of a carefully planned diet, mealworms can serve as a mouth-watering protein source that most bearded dragons will not ignore.

Finally, let’s talk about convenience. One of the reasons why owners love feeding mealworms to their bearded dragon is that they’re readily available, quiet, and easy to feed. Unlike other feeder insects like crickets or Dubia roaches, mealworms don’t have many care requirements.

As long as you feed them in a timely manner, they don’t go through the metamorphosis and turn into beetles. They don’t make annoying noises that will drive you and your lizard mad, either! Instead, they’re a simple, no-fuss treat that beardies love.

Downsides Of Mealworms

With all the good that mealworms offer, why can’t you feed them to your bearded dragon more often?

Unfortunately, feeding your beardie too many mealworms can lead to many health issues. Think of mealworms as fat and sugar-filled cake for humans. While fine in moderation, too much of a good thing can be detrimental to one’s health.

The first major issue with mealworms is the fat content. The fattiness of mealworms makes them irresistible to bearded dragons, but it’s not great for long-term health. These reptiles are already prone to weight problems when living in captivity. The lack of exercise and room to roam makes managing a beardie’s weight more challenging than most realize.

When you pile fatty mealworms on top of that, it’s a recipe for disaster. Bearded dragons fed mealworms as a regular diet staple often gain excess weight and adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. It can even cause blood sugar issues and turn into conditions like fatty liver disease.

That’s not all. Mealworms can also pose digestive troubles. These reptiles have tough digestive tracts that can take care of tough exoskeletons. But the chitinous exoskeletons of mealworms can pose problems if bearded dragons overeat.

It can irritate the system, increase compaction risks, and more.

Another substantial problem with mealworms is the calcium and phosphorus content. Reptiles like bearded dragons need a calcium to phosphorus ratio of about 2:1. They need more calcium than phosphorus because phosphorus inhibits calcium absorption.

When there’s too much phosphorus in a bearded dragon’s diet, it can’t synthesize and utilize calcium. The result? Debilitating conditions like metabolic bone disease.

Metabolic bone disease is a painful disorder that causes skeletal deformities, bone fragility, and more. It can be fatal and significantly increase the chances of fractures.

Mealworms have significantly more phosphorus than calcium. The ratio can be as high as 1:5, making it a potentially dangerous food for bearded dragons to eat frequently.

Expert Tip: Another unexpected downside is that bearded dragons often get “addicted” to them. When these reptiles overeat mealworms, they grow increasingly reliant on them. Many reptile enthusiasts report problems getting their beardies to eat anything else.

The lizards can get notoriously picky, and starting their love of mealworms early can create many problems moving forward. That’s why treating mealworms as a snack is paramount.

The Right Way To Feed Mealworms To Bearded Dragons

Feeding mealworms to a bearded dragon is easy. These lizards love the larvae, and most aren’t hesitant to gobble them up!

Ideally, it would be best for bearded dragons to eat mealworms as part of a larger meal. The goal should be to integrate the larvae into the lizard’s diet without making it the star of the show. As mentioned earlier, five to six mealworms a week is the most you should feed an adult bearded dragon.

When you treat your beardie, add the mealworms to a large mix of insects, leafy greens, and fruit. Remember to gut-load and dust the mealworms in supplement powder.

Many pet stores sell gut-loaded insects, but you can also do it at home. Feed the mealworms leftover fruits and vegetables a few days before feeding them to your bearded dragon. As the mealworms eat the plant-based matter, they flush out potential toxins from the system and take on more nutrients that your lizard can take advantage of when they eat.

Always dust feeder insects in calcium supplements. The supplement powder will help to improve the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of the larvae. While dusting alone won’t be enough to compensate for the high phosphorus content, it shrinks the gap a bit and makes the mealworms a little healthier for your beardie.

When feeding mealworms to your bearded dragon, you can place them on a tray or use tweezers to give them to your lizard directly. Mealworms can bite and try to wriggle away. Direct feeding with tweezers can minimize issues and ensure that your pet performs a quick kill.

Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms?

Bearded dragon babies and juveniles should not eat mealworms.

Younger beardies have still-developing bodies. Feeding them a fatty diet of mealworms will only increase their risks of obesity and developmental problems. The calcium and phosphorus ratio is not conducive to the bearded dragon’s growth, and it could throw off the delicate balance growing babies need to reach maturity.

Babies also encounter issues with the tough exoskeleton of mealworms. Adults can handle the rigid shell and usually have no problem with digestion. But a baby’s digestive system is still developing.

Mealworms significantly increase the risks of compaction, putting your lizard’s health at risk before they see maturity.

Where Can You Buy Mealworms For Your Beardie?

Finding mealworms for your bearded dragon to eat is easy. They’re readily available at most pet stores, and you can also buy them online in many forms.

Freeze-dried mealworms are easier to store. They usually come in an airtight container and have natural preservatives for more extended shelf life.

Most bearded dragons prefer to eat live mealworms. If you buy live larvae, you must take extra precautions to keep them safe and healthy until feeding.

That includes keeping the mealworms in the refrigerator to prevent metamorphosis into the adult beetle, gut-loaded to boost nutritional value, and more.

Conclusion

Bearded dragons can eat mealworms, but they shouldn’t be a major part of their diet. Fortunately, you shouldn’t have any issues feeding these insects to your pet if you follow our guidelines.

If you have any questions about how to incorporate mealworms into the diet of your beardie, get in touch with us!

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms? What You Need To Know

The bearded dragon is one of the most popular reptilian pets. They are considered a good introduction to the intriguing world of lizards because they are relatively easy to care for, hardy, and they are laid-back little animals that typically know their place.

They do benefit from a meat-based, live, diet, this typically means feeding them insects.

Mealworms are considered a safe addition to an adult beardie’s diet, but they should not be fed to juveniles because they cannot cope with the chitin exterior of the insect. What’s more, they are high in fat and phosphorous but low in calcium and protein.

So, while they are safe, they are not considered a healthy addition. You can dust them with supplements, to increase the vitamin and mineral content of the feeder insect, but you should feed other types of insect, such as crickets, as your beardie’s primary meat-based food source.

The Calcium To Phosphorus Ratio

When looking for nutritious food for a bearded dragon, you will see mention of the calcium to phosphorus ratio of foods like insects and vegetables. Beardies need calcium, and they also need vitamin D3 to help their bodies absorb the ingredient. If they get too much phosphorus, it prevents the formation and use of D3 which, in turn, prevents the proper absorption of calcium. Experts recommend a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 1.5:1 to 2:1. The ratio for mealworms varies but is 0.33:1 at the highest, which is far too low.

Giant mealworms and king worms have similar ratios. Therefore, you should only feed a few mealworms at a time, and as a supplement, that is fed in addition to your beardie’s main insect diet.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Mealworms Are Addictive

Despite them not having the best mineral ratio for your lizards, your beardie will develop a taste for the mealworm. This means that they can become addicted to the little worm. Once you stop feeding it, they may be looking for the mealworm and avoid any other insects or foods that you offer instead. No matter how well you dust them, the mealworm is not a solid replacement for other insects.

They Are High In Fat

They may not look it, but mealworms are high in fat for their size. This means that if you feed too many to your beardie, it can cause them to put weight on. If you feed additional treats and other high-fat foods, you should be especially careful when giving mealworms as a treat. Bearded dragons are prone to becoming overweight, and an overweight beardie is more likely to become an unhealthy beardie.

How Many Mealworms Can An Adult Bearded Dragon Eat A Day?

Mealworms are not a nutritious addition to a beardie’s diet. But they are a tasty treat. You can feed two or three mealworms to your beardie as a supplement to their daily insect diet.

Should Juvenile Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms?

Juvenile bearded dragons are those aged under 18 months, and you should not feed any mealworms to beardies of this age. Mealworms have a chitin coating that can be difficult to digest and tricky to chew. Your young beardie can become ill if given mealworms.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Should Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms?

Similarly, baby beardies should not be fed this insect at all.

Can I Feed My Bearded Dragon Dried Mealworms?

Dried mealworms offer a number of benefits over live mealworms. They have a longer shelf life, tend to be more affordable, and are available in decent quantities. Whereas live mealworms need to be kept refrigerated to prevent them from metamorphosing into beetles.

Whether the worms were naturally dried or freeze-dried, they do not need to be kept cold in the same way. So, it is safe to feed dried mealworms to your beardie, but they have the same caveats, so they should be fed in moderation and only to fully mature beardies.

Is It OK To Feed Bearded Dragons Freeze-Dried Crickets?

Live crickets are probably the most popular feeder insect for bearded dragons. They offer a good mix of protein and calcium, are readily available in good pet shops, and most beardies find them appealing. However, they aren’t to everybody’s tastes, and freeze-dried crickets do exist, so are these freeze-dried alternatives a better option?

Unfortunately, although freeze-dried crickets can make a nice occasional treat, they should not make up a substantial or staple part of a beardie’s diet. They are naturally lower in moisture and nutrients than their live alternatives.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Dead Crickets?

There are occasions where you might receive dead crickets as an intended food for your beardie. Soon after death, the cricket loses its ability to retain moisture, which means that it has the same problem as a freeze-dried cricket – it is lacking in moisture and nutrients.

Dead crickets can also pick up bacteria and parasites. And, finally, there’s the question of why the crickets died in the first place. It was probably because the tub was too hot or the crickets did not have enough food on their journey to your door, but there is no guarantee that this is the case. Thus, it’s better to avoid feeding your beardie dead crickets.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mealworms?

Bearded dragons usually survive and thrive on a mixture of insects, leafy green vegetables, and the occasional piece of fruit, along with supplements to incorporate additional vitamins and minerals that they need. Crickets are the most common insect, but some people do not like feeding crickets, and many owners like to offer their pets some variety.

Mealworms are not toxic for bearded dragons. They are high in fat and low in calcium. They are tough for young beardies to digest, and may cause juveniles to get ill, and so they should only be considered an occasional and supplemental treat for adult beardies that can handle them.

Similarly, dried mealworms can be fed as a treat but these do not even offer the benefit of moisture. In general, you can feed up to two or three mealworms at a time, but they should not replace more beneficial crickets or roaches as the primary feeder insect for your lizard.

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

Keeping and Feeding Bearded Dragons

Keeping Bearded Dragons
Feeding Bearded Dragons

The Bearded Dragon is a stunningly beautiful reptile that is great for keeping in a city apartment, good contact with people and can become a real pet.

In the wild, these lizards live in the deserts of Australia. Almost all agamas that can now be bought are bred in captivity. The average life span of bearded dragons in captivity is 10-15 years.

Keeping a bearded dragon

Before you bring your dragon home, prepare a place for it. Of course, like any reptile, dragons are cold-blooded animals, so they should be kept in a terrarium. For agamas, it is better to purchase a horizontal glass terrarium, the optimal size is 180 cm wide, 50 deep and 50 high. The terrarium must be closed with a lid so that the lizard does not escape.

Since bearded dragons are hermits, they need a humidity level of 30-40%. The temperature in the terrarium should be at the level of 26-29gr. C, temperature under the heating lamp 36-38gr. C. For this, you can use incandescent lamps or ceramic lamps, you need to hang them at a distance of 45 cm from the place of heating, so that the agama cannot get burned. To monitor the temperature, you need to attach a thermometer to the wall of the terrarium, and you can also use a thermostat.

An ultraviolet lamp must be lit along with the heating lamp throughout the day. Reptiles require UV A and B spectrum lamps. These lamps are available from terrarium and aquarium stores. Day mode: 14 hours - daylight hours, 10 hours - night time.

Sand and pebbles at least 10 mm in diameter are most often used as soil. Sand is poured in a layer of 10 cm, so that, if desired, the lizard can burrow into the ground. There are also ready-made terrarium mats that are sold in pet stores (not rubber mats).

The terrarium should be equipped with branches (no bark), rocks (from the pet store) and a shelter where the dragon can hide if desired. It is better not to put artificial and live plants in the terrarium, as the agama will eat them.

To improve life processes (prevention of diseases, help with molting), the agama can be bathed in a small bath, so that the head is always on top, with a water temperature of 29-32 gr. C. This procedure should be done 1-2 times a week.

General cleaning in the terrarium is enough to carry out once a month (wash the entire terrarium, equipment, change or clean the soil). Food and faeces should be removed as soon as they appear.

Bearded dragon feeding

In the terrarium, you can put a container with water to maintain the optimal level of humidity, a drinker, but not all lizards drink from it. You can spray the agama once a day, and she will lick the droplets from her body, or give moistened greens.

Bearded dragons are omnivorous lizards. In nature, they eat everything from leaves and stems to small mice and chicks. Therefore, at home, it is quite easy for them to choose the right diet.

For plant food, leafy vegetables (Chinese cabbage, lettuce, spinach), vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant), fruits (pitted apples, bananas, grapes in small quantities) are suitable for them. , juicy green food (dandelion, clover, wheat leaves, germinated oats).

Mealworm, zoophobus, crickets, cockroaches and newborn mice are suitable for animal food. All these "products" can be bought at the pet store. For feeding worms, you need a bowl with high edges so that they cannot crawl out and burrow into the ground. It is better to feed crickets and cockroaches in a separate small terrarium or a plastic jig, a basin is not suitable for this, as crickets can jump out. You can also feed insects with tweezers. You just need to do it carefully so that the agama does not bite on the tweezers themselves, otherwise it can break its face.

Ready-made food for lizards and vitamin-mineral complexes for reptiles can be added to these feeds as top dressing. In Russia, such drugs as Reptilife (Agrovetzashchita), Reptolife (Tetra), Wordley (Calcium and Multivitamin) are common.

Young bearded dragons (up to 5 months old) should be fed 3 times a day so that animal food makes up more than half, and vegetable food less. "Teenagers" can be fed once a day, adult agamas (after 18 months) should be fed every other day so that they have less than half of animal food, and more vegetable food.

Bearded dragon - description, care, feeding, maintenance and breeding at home

Bearded dragon is an obedient and easy-to-care pet. These lizards have been kept at home for over 30 years. The natural color is dominated by yellowish, gray or brown tones. The color may change depending on the temperature and condition of the animal. Now you can buy a variety of bred morphs, which makes this species attractive for both beginners and advanced amateurs.

The size of an adult can reach 40-60 cm. The body has a flattened ellipsoidal shape. On the body, mainly on the sides, there are scales in the form of prickly spikes. The head has a triangular shape and is framed by spines.

The lizard lives in arid deserts and semi-deserts of Australia. Leads an active daily life on the ground, sometimes climbing onto stones and branches of low trees. He uses burrows of other animals, piles of stones, crevices at the roots of trees and bushes as shelters.

A 90 x 45 x 45 cm terrarium is suitable for an adult, while a smaller 60 x 45 x 30 cm terrarium can be used for young dragons. when the animal reaches 1 year.

Temperature is the most important parameter for keeping a bearded dragon at home. Only with the right temperature regime the animal will be able to fully digest food, develop and grow normally. The lizard's metabolism depends entirely on the correct temperature gradient, which is created by special lamps.

During the day the temperature should be 25-30 °C in the "cool zone" and 38-50 °C in the warm zone "under the sun".
For heating, a powerful directional heat and light lamp is installed, which is recommended for use in a luminaire with a bracket. You can raise and lower the lamp depending on what temperature is required in the terrarium.

Night temperatures can drop to 22°C.
Supplementary heating - eg heat cable, terrarium thermomat, ceramic heater, infrared lamps - may be required if the temperature falls below the recommended range.

Use Desert Sand or Stone Desert as a substrate. It is necessary to install strong snags, stones on which it is convenient for animals to climb, shelters and a small drinking bowl with water in the terrarium.

For lighting, the terrarium is equipped with several daylight lamps (Natural Light and Reptile Vision) and lamps with strong UV radiation (UVB150-200).

Daylight hours for the bearded dragon is 12-14 hours.

Terrarium humidity not supported. Caring for a bearded dragon consists of bathing. A lizard under the age of 3 months should be bathed once a week in a basin with water at 30 ° C, 2-3 cm deep. From 3-6 months, you can bathe once every 2 weeks. From 6-12 months, 1 time per month is enough.

Only use the terrarium with a proven ventilation system that promotes good air exchange and prevents the windows from fogging up.

Bearded dragons have a diet of insects, greens, vegetables and fruits. The diet of an animal up to a year old should consist of 70% insects and 30% plant foods. As the lizards get older, the ratio should change to about 70% plant foods and 30% insects.

Approximate feeding schedule
1-6 months - ~10 crickets every day.
6-12 months - every other day ~10 crickets or 1-3 locusts.
12 months and older - 2-3 times a week for ~10 crickets or 5-8 locusts.

The numbers of insects given are approximate and may not correspond to the needs of a particular animal. Focus on your pet's appetite. You can also use frozen insects or special Ress food as food.

Before feeding insects, it is necessary to pollinate with calcium and vitamins. Plant foods can be offered every day. You can feed all kinds of salads, various vegetables and fruits.

Avoid any type of cabbage, tomatoes, citrus fruits and other acidic vegetables, fruits and berries.

In summer you can give dandelions, clover, knotweed, other weeds. Feed the animal in the morning and afternoon hours, but not at night. Animals under one year old should not be limited in feeding.

The Bearded Dragon should always have access to fresh drinking water.

Bearded dragons become sexually mature, ready for breeding by two years of age. This is an oviparous species. After mating, after 45-65 days, females lay eggs. To do this, they need to dig a hole with a depth of at least 40 cm. The number of eggs in a clutch is from 9up to 25 pieces. After 55-90 days, babies hatch from the eggs.

With proper maintenance and care in your home, the bearded dragon will live up to 12-14 years.

Bearded dragons are very territorial, so males should never be placed together. These lizards should be kept singly or in groups where there is a male and several females.

Like any other animal, the bearded dragon can get sick. Of course, if all the rules are followed, the risk of disease is minimized. If you suspect any disease, call our store and we will advise you.

Signs of illness:

lethargy,
lack of appetite for a long time,
problematic molt.

Bearded dragons get used to human contact very quickly. When the animal understands that there is no danger, it ceases to be afraid and will come out on its own. For the purpose of taming, it is necessary to feed the agama from your hands, take it out of the terrarium for some time and hold it in your hands, stroke it on the back. If she does not experience stress outside the terrarium, you can let her walk around the room, after closing the windows and locking other pets in separate rooms. The lizard should be outside the terrarium only under supervision.

On our site there are many photos of bearded dragons, as well as a video, after watching which you will get acquainted with the habits of a reptile.

Panteric only supplies healthy animals. Our consultants help with the choice of everything you need for terrarium equipment, answer all your questions, and give important tips on care and breeding. For the time of departure, you can leave your pet in our hotel, which will be monitored by experienced veterinarians.