Step 1: The Theory
My Bearded Dragon is the most finicky eater there is. He will actually pick through his food to eat the things he likes, and leave the rest. My friend's Bearded Dragon, however, will eat just about anything. The point being there is no list of what your Bearded Dragon will eat, rather a list of things that are healthy for them to eat and what to try to get them to eat.
Step 2: Heavy Eaters
They are heavy eaters, and will eat a lot of the foods that you find they do like. Feeding a Bearded Dragon is important to their level of health, like with all living things, but more so with these particular animals.
Step 3: Diet According To Age
Young Bearded Dragons should be fed at least 2 or 3 times a day. When they are young they will usually only eat insects however when they get older they will start to eat vegetables and fruits. They are omnivorous animals that require a balanced diet of vegetables and insects.
Step 4: Create A Strict Feeding Schedule
This is very important. If you feed them too late in the day (3 hours before their heating light source is turned off) food can actually set in their stomach and rot. Feed them on a strict schedule as they are creatures of habit. The best times to do so are 1 hour after their heat lamp is turned on early in the morning (allowing the tempura to rise to the appropriate level), and early afternoon.
Step 5: What Not To Feed Them
Let us start with the most important part of the list which is what NOT to feed a Bearded Dragon! Yes, that’s right; there are things that you should NEVER feed to a Bearded Dragon. If they eat these items they will most likely die.
Step 6: Meal Worms
The first item on the top of the list is meal worms. It is supposedly ok to feed meal worms to mature adult Bearded Dragons (they love them) but only in moderation, but Juvenile, or baby Bearded Dragons, will be affected in their digestive system by the hard outer shells on the meal worms and die.
Step 7: Crickets And Iceberg Lettuce
Secondly do not feed your Bearded Dragons Crickets that you capture outdoors because they could carry a disease which might kill your Bearded Dragon. Thirdly do not feed Bearded Dragons Iceberg lettuce.
Step 8: Vitamin A, Ligting Bugs, Citrus Fruits, Spinach
Fourth the amount of Vitamin A you feed your Dragon should be very little. So you should stay away from foods such as carrots. Fifth, never feed lighting bugs or fireflies to your Bearded Dragon. Sixth you should avoid fruits with citrus such as oranges and lemons. Seventh you should not feed them spinach because they cannot digest it. Eight, you should not over feed your Bearded Dragons.
Step 9: Feeding Juvenile Bearded Dragons
Juvenile Bearded Dragons can eat small crickets or pin head crickets. It is best to feed to crickets that have just molted and shed their skins because they are softer and easier for the juveniles to digest. The best way to tell if the crickets are not too large for the juveniles is to only feed them crickets that are half as long as the width of the juvenile Bearded Dragon's mouth.
Step 10: The Gut Load
Note that you should “gut load” insects before feeding them to your Bearded Dragons. Gut loading is simply the process of feeding your crickets before feeding them to your Bearded Dragon.
Step 11: Supplements
Use a calcium product and a multivitamin supplement to coat the crickets before feeding them to your Dragon by taking a sandwich bag and mixing in ½ multivitamin and ½ calcium supplement (half a spoon full of each). Add the crickets and gently shake the bag till the crickets are covered with the powder. You don’t have to do this every feeding but you should do it at least 3 or 4 times a week.
Step 12: Vegetables
Offer them a few vegetables in between feeding them crickets. Usually the Juveniles will not eat vegetables, but you want to introduce them to the Juveniles.
Step 13: Feeding Adult Bearded Dragons
Your Adult Bearded Dragon will continue to eat coated and gut loaded crickets. They will also start to eat vegetables, greens and fruits that you will need to prepare for them. They will start to eat these more than the crickets usually. The list of vegetables, greens and fruits that are recommended to feed to Bearded Dragons are as follows:
Step 14: The Vegetables
Escarole, kale, collards, bok choy, Swiss chard, parsley, clover, alfalfa pellets, dandelion greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, broccoli, okra, peas, green beans, whole kernel corn, zucchini, squash, carrots, sweet potato, bell peppers, mixed vegetables, kiwi, papaya, apples, grape, peaches, apricots, plums, tomatoes, non pealed bananas.
Step 15: Serving The Vegetables
Chop these vegetables up into smaller pieces and try not to freeze vegetables that you feed them because the freezing causes them to lose a lot of nutritional value. Mist the vegetables and fruits with water from a spray bottle to give them moisture because bearded dragons get their water from food and not so much from a water dish. Again, you can mix some calcium and vitmains with the vegetables.
Step 16: Worms, Cockroaches and Mice
Mature Bearded Dragons can eat meal worms in moderation, wax worms in moderation, king worms, earth worms, cockroaches and even pinkies (baby mice).
