What do bearded dragons eat?

Diet by life stage

Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are omnivores whose diet shifts dramatically with age. Hatchlings need protein for fast growth; adults need fibre and calcium-rich greens to avoid obesity and fatty liver. The split that contemporary care guides converge on, per PetMD's care sheet and ReptiFiles' diet guide:

Staple greens and vegetables

Daily-safe leafy greens for the everyday bowl:

• Collard greens — the modern gold standard, high in calcium, low in oxalates.
• Mustard greens — excellent calcium:phosphorus ratio.
• Dandelion greens — wild-pulled if pesticide-free, or store- bought.
• Turnip greens — good calcium content, mild flavour.
• Escarole — accepted by most dragons.
• Watercress — variety rotation.
• Endive — variety rotation.

Occasional / limited:

• Romaine lettuce — OK as filler 1–2 times/week (not a staple, low nutrition).
• Bok choy — fine in rotation, not daily.
• Kale — limit to 1–2 times/week; high in oxalates that bind calcium long-term.
• Arugula — small amounts in rotation.

Vegetables (1–2 times per week as variety):

• Squash (butternut, acorn, summer)
• Bell pepper (chopped fine)
• Sweet potato (lightly grated, raw or steamed)
• Cucumber, carrot — small amounts, mostly water
• Green beans, snap peas — chopped

Staple insects

Modern care literature, especially BeardedDragon.org's care guide, converges on a small set of staples:

• Dubia roaches (Blaptica dubia) — high protein, easy calcium absorption, low fat, gut-load well, don't smell, can't climb glass, don't fly. Modern gold standard.
• Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL / "calciworms") — naturally high in calcium, soft body, accepted by most dragons.
• Crickets — fine nutritionally but loud, smelly, escape and bite resting dragons. Remove uneaten ones within 15 minutes.

Variety rotation (1–2 times per week as treats / dietary diversity):

• Hornworms — water-rich, large, calcium-rich; good for slightly underweight dragons.
• Silkworms — soft, calcium-rich, expensive.

Treats only (max once per week):

• Mealworms / superworms — too fatty as staples, hard chitin shell is harder to digest. Fine occasional.
• Wax worms — dessert. Dragons love them and refuse better food afterwards.

Never as a staple:

• Pinky mice — too fatty, unnecessary. Reserve for breeders or recovering underweight dragons under vet guidance.
• Wild-caught insects — pesticides, parasites, predator signatures.
• Fireflies — lethal. Never feed.

For prey sizing — the same rule as other lizards — see the leopard gecko feeding guide section on insect width.

Gut-loading: the invisible feeding

What you feed the insect is what the dragon eats. Feed feeder insects for 24–72 hours before offering them to the dragon:

• Fresh greens (collard, dandelion, mustard greens).
• Diced squash, carrot, sweet potato.
• Commercial dry gut-load (Repashy Bug Burger, Zoo Med Cricket Crack, Mazuri Better Bug Diet).
• Fresh water from a small sponge or gel cubes (insects drown in open water).

Insects starved in a tub for three days are nutritionally hollow no matter what supplement you dust them with.

Calcium, D3 and multivitamin schedule

Per the Merck Veterinary Manual, metabolic bone disease in captive bearded dragons is almost always preventable with the combination of correct UVB and correct calcium-with-D3 supplementation:

• Calcium with vitamin D3 dusted on insects immediately before feeding:
  • Hatchlings/juveniles: 4–5 of every 7 meals.
  • Adults: 3 of every 7 meals.
• Plain calcium (no D3) for occasional extra dustings beyond the D3 schedule.
• Multivitamin (Repashy Supervite, Arcadia EarthPro-A) — once every 2 weeks for everyone. Covers vitamin A, E and trace minerals.

Dusting must accompany correct UVB — the two work together. Detail in the UVB guide and recognition of deficiency in the MBD signs guide.

What to skip

The reliable "do not" list:

• Toxic: avocado, rhubarb, onion, garlic, chives, citrus, fireflies/lightning bugs.
• Avoid as staples: iceberg lettuce (nutritionally empty), spinach long-term (oxalates bind calcium), kale daily (oxalates), fruit as a regular food (high sugar, loose stools).
• Pet-store starter mistakes: wax worms as main food, pinky mice as regular food, "all-mealworm" diet.
• Wild-caught insects of any kind — pesticide contamination, parasite carriers, fireflies can be lethal.

When the dragon refuses food

A bearded dragon that suddenly stops eating is almost always an environmental signal, not a diet problem. Check temperature first — the basking surface must be 40–43 °C (104–110 °F) for adults; below that, digestion slows and feeding response weakens. Detailed diagnostic walkthrough in the not-eating guide. The broader pillar care context is in the care guide.