What to Feed a Bearded Dragon: Complete Diet Guide

Bearded dragons are omnivores whose ideal diet flips as they grow — get the ratio right and most health problems never happen.

The ratio by age

Juveniles (under ~12 months) are growing machines: roughly 70–80% insects, 20–30% vegetables, fed daily. Adults invert: roughly 70–80% vegetables and greens, 20–30% insects, with insect feedings 2–4 times a week. The most common feeding mistake in adult dragons is keeping the juvenile ratio — it leads straight to obesity and fatty liver disease.

The insect menu

Staples (rotate these): dubia roaches — the best all-rounder, high protein, easy to digest; crickets — lean and activity-triggering; mealworms — fine for adults in rotation. Treats (weekly at most): superworms — higher fat, adults only; hissers and lobster roaches for variety in bigger dragons. Size rule throughout: nothing longer than the space between the dragon's eyes.

Gut-load and dust — non-negotiable

Feed your insects well for 24–48 hours before feeding off (here's how), then dust with calcium at most feedings and a multivitamin once or twice a week. Metabolic bone disease is the most common serious illness in captive dragons and it is almost entirely preventable with this routine plus proper UVB lighting.

The salad bar

Daily staple greens available in SA: rocket, watercress, mustard greens, turnip greens, chicory and endive. Mix in: grated butternut, pattypan, green beans, sweet pepper. Occasional: carrot (grated), peas. Fruit is a treat only — small amounts of berries, mango or papaya weekly.

Avoid entirely

Avocado (toxic), rhubarb (toxic), onion and garlic, iceberg lettuce (nutritionally empty and causes runny stool), and go easy on spinach and beet greens — their oxalates bind calcium. No wild-caught insects: pesticide and parasite risk isn't worth it.

Hydration

Dragons rarely drink from bowls. Fresh greens carry most of their moisture; a lukewarm bath once a week helps, and some dragons will lick droplets misted on their snout.