Bearded Dragon Daily Feeding Schedules by Age

The biggest predictor of your pet reptile’s health is what you give them to eat and drink. Making sure your bearded dragon has the right mix of macronutrients is the surest way to make sure they stay healthy and live a long, happy life. Beardies need a mix of different types of foods, and that mix changes with age. 

In this article, we’ll talk about how to change your bearded dragon’s feeding routine as they get older. Let’s get into it. 

Bearded Dragon Biology and Dietary Needs

Bearded dragons are obligatory omnivores native to the warmer parts of Australia. While we commonly think of their feeder insects first, they need vegetables and fruits just as much (if not more). Ideally, your beardy should be getting a good mix of fat, protein, leafy greens, and fruit for a balanced diet. 

But the concentration of each of these factors depends on your beardy’s age. When bearded dragons are young, they have a ton of energy and grow very quickly. To support that, you want to give them a lot of fat and protein. And this works out perfectly, because they’ve got a ton of energy for chasing down prey. They still need veggies, but just like human kids, convincing them to eat their greens can be tricky. 

As they become adolescents, you will want to shift to more of a 50/50 ratio of feeder insects and veggies. Your feeders should have more protein than fat at this point, but you will want to give your beardy occasional fatty “snack” feeders, too. 

As adults, bearded dragons mellow out a lot and develop more refined tastes. They will have less energy for chasing down insects (depending on your pet’s personality), and will want more vegetables and fruits. At this point, they should be getting a majority of vegetables in their diet, with a few feeders for protein and fat. You might need to shift your feeder insect species to something large enough for them. 

Feeder insect size is a major thing to pay attention to at any life stage. The rule of thumb is that any feeder you give your beardy should be as long as the distance between your pet’s eyes. So as they get older, you will want to give them more mature feeders, and might have to switch up to a bigger feeder eventually. 

Why Power Feeding is the Wrong Idea

Right up top, we need to dispel an old misconception. People used to think the right way to feed a bearded dragon was to give them as much as they could eat in 10-15 minutes. But some more recent research has shown that this can lead to issues like obesity and liver damage, which are both outright terrible for your beardy. 

So instead, you want to give your beardy a set number of appropriately-sized feeders once per day. How many (and what kind) is going to vary by age. This will limit their dietary fat, which is good, and it also encourages them to eat more of their veggies. 

Best Feeder Insects for Bearded Dragons

As we mentioned, beardies need a mix of fat and protein, but they primarily need protein over fat. They also can’t have too much fiber in their diets, as it can cause impaction. Impaction is a serious issue that can be fatal. 

An insect’s fiber content is primarily related to its chitin content. Chitin is what insect exoskeletons are made of. So two main feeders to avoid in general are crickets and mealworms, both of which have high fiber. 

In general, we recommend keeping a protein-heavy “staple” feeder, like a dubia roach, which will be your beardy’s main food source. Black soldier fly larvae also have a high protein content and are great staple feeders. 

In addition, you can give your beardy something more fatty like a superworm as a “treat” food. 

Best Fruits and Vegetables for Bearded Dragons

Beardies rely on a steady supply of leafy greens to stay healthy. We recommend things like collard greens, swiss chard, mustard greens, dandelion greens, and kale as staple vegetables. 

You will also want to give your beardy a piece or two of fruit every day. Beardies go crazy for fruit, but you shouldn’t give them too much, as it has a high sugar content. Beardies love fruit like mango, papaya, apples, peaches, figs, and melons. Avoid citrus fruits, as they can upset your beardy’s tummy. 

Juvenile Bearded Dragon Feeding Routine

Juvenile beardies are crazy about fatty insects. To encourage them to eat their greens, give them their veggies in the morning, and wait until afternoon to give them their insects. You should give a juvenile bearded dragon five or six appropriately-sized insects, once per day. 

Subadult Bearded Dragon Feeding Routine

Subadult beardies need more of an even mix of protein and veggies. Keep giving your pet a “salad” of leafy greens with fruity treats, but only provide insects every other day. They should naturally adjust to this new mix of food and their appetite will shift to enjoying more veggies. 

Adult Bearded Dragon Feeding Routine

Adult beardies tend to slow down and mellow out. Their prey drive reduces, as does their need for protein. Adult beardies need five or six feeder insects two times per week. Notice that the feeding size stays the same, just with less frequency. As always, keep giving them their daily veggie salad with fruity snacks. 

Keeping Your Beardy Healthy Into Old Age

As your bearded dragon grows, you might want to switch up your feeder. Dubia roaches max out at around 1 ½”, and you might not have many in your colony get that big. Dubias can also move too much for some lazy elderly bearded dragons. So some bearded dragon owners will switch up to superworms to give them something larger that requires less effort.