In my article What to feed a bearded dragon? I have shown you what you should know when it comes to bearded dragon diet (Also check out my new article 5 Bearded Dragon Diet Tips You MUST know). That article covers the basics. In this article I have created a Bearded Dragon Food List for you, to show you what you can feed your beardie and believe me that is a lot.
Bearded dragons are not very picky when it comes to food. If you throw a few crickets in your beardie tank, your dragon will jump on them and swallow every cricket one after another at one bite.
However, if you love bearded dragons as much as I do, you want to make sure that your dragon stays healthy and therefore you should offer your beardie something new from time to time, especially if you have an adult dragon.
Do not feed crickets and normal salad all day. You can choose of a huge variety of vegetables, fruits, and live food.
Don´t worry, it doesn´t have to be a four-course menu, starting with a variation of tuna and salmon, followed by a curry-lemongrass soup. …lol.
…but my bearded dragon is refusing to eat any greens!
A bearded dragon that is not eating any greens is on its way to health problems in the future. Bearded dragons are not picky at all in the wild. I know that a lot of people think that they are, but this just isn´t true. If your bearded dragon is not eating greens (It must eat greens to be healthy) there is something wrong with your feeding habits.
If you want to know how to make your bearded dragon eat greens within 7 days, have a look at this!
Here comes the bearded dragon food list
Now before you have a look at that list, please make sure you read this first:
I have marked the stuff on that list.
- Black means, that you can feed it to your beardie unhesitatingly.
- Purple means, that you should not feed it too often.
- Red means that you should feed it only rarely or do not feed it at all.
Salad
- Chicory – Endives – Lollo Bionda – Lollo Rosso – Radicchio – Romaine lettuce – Arugula
- Lamb’s lettuce
- Iceberg lettuce – Cabbage lettuce
Vegetables
- Radish green – Pumpkin (without skin, without seeds) – Carrots (complete) – Zucchini
- Broccoli – Chinese cabbage – Cucumber – Kohlrabi leaves – Fennel leaves – Chard – Okra – Bell Peppers – Leek – Brussels sprouts – Beetroot – Celery leaves – Starfruit – Tomato
- Spinach – Radish
Spices and Herbs
- Basil – Savory – Dill – Catnip – Chervil – Cress – Lovage – Marjoram – Oregano – Lucerne – Lemon balm – Thyme – Chives – Sage – Rosemary – Peppermint
- Parsley
Plants (House and Garden)
- Rose petals and rose leaves – Hibiscus flowers and leaves – Pansy flowers
Plants (Wild)
- Bindweed – Maple leaves – Borage – Grape leaves – Chickweed – Daisy – Rosehip flowers – Hazel leaves – Shepherd’s purse – Chamomile – Clover – Cornflower blossoms – Dandelion – Mallow – Evening primrose – Petunia flowers – Purslane – Marigold – Plantain – Violet
Fruits
- Apple – Mango – Raspberries – Blueberries – Strawberries – Blackberries – Pear – Papaya
- Banana – Kiwi
Live Food
- Crickets – Locusts – Cockroaches
- Mealworms – Zophobas – Wax moth larvae
- Baby rats – Baby mice
What you should really buy when it comes to live food:
In the past, most people used crickets as feeding insects. Now, however, things have changed. Dubia roaches are far better as food for your bearded dragon. Dubia roaches do not smell. They do not make any annoying noises. They can´t climb up the glass tank and they are way healthier than crickets.
Further dubias are pretty hardy, whereas crickets die pretty quickly. To make a long story short, dubia roaches are the optimal feeder insect for your bearded dragon!
Things you should consider
As I said, I marked the food for you divided it into categories. Of course, the safest way to provide healthy food for your beardie is to only feed the food which is marked black.
Not too much water
Bearded dragons do not drink very much even if you place a water bowl in your tank. They get their water from the food they eat. Most salads contain a lot of water and most of the times that´s enough for a beardie.
However, you have to be very careful here. If you feed a lot of vegetables and fruits that contain a lot of water, your dragon could eventually suffer from diarrhea. This can lead to dehydration and, as you know, your bearded dragon could die from that. It is ironic somehow, but it´s the truth.
So make sure, you do not feed for example cucumber or tomato too often.
Not too much fruits
That´s a mistake a lot of people do, especially beginners and I have to admit, when I got my first beardie, I did it too: Feeding fruits too often.
When I was younger I thought it was cool that I could share a banana for example with my dragon. I had good intentions, but stomach and intestines of bearded dragons are not really made for fruits.
Fruits contain a lot of sugars and acid, which can cause damage to the digestive system and other organs.
So you definitely can feed fruits, but you should not overdo it.
Spices and Herbs …don´t overdo it
Spices and herbs are great for bearded dragons. However, you shouldn´t overdo it with that as well, because of the essential oils.
Small mammals
I like to keep it natural when it comes to bearded dragon care, but to be honest, I am not a big fan of feeding baby mice, or baby rats. I never did that and I do not plan to do it in the future.
Small mammals should only be fed to emaciated dragons or to pregnant beardies … but as I sad, I never did that and my pets are healthy.
What would you add?
So till now, that´s it from my site, but that does not mean, that we can´t add even more stuff to this list. What would you add to this food list? Is there anything I have forgotten? Tell me about in the comments below. Let´s create a valuable resource for bearded dragon lovers here!
If you want to order live food online, I give a few recommendations on that in this article.
Do you have any questions about this bearded dragon food list? Leave your questions in the comment section below, I´ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Before you leave!
Since I receive many comments and emails from bearded dragon owners that tell me that their bearded dragon is refusing to eat greens, I decided to help with this issue.
What most bearded dragon owners do not know is that a bearded dragon that does not eat greens might be sick or is on the best way to getting sick.
Bearded dragons are omnivores, which means that they eat anything they can find in the wild. The problem that most bearded dragons are picky when it comes to food only arouses due to bad husbandry.
If your bearded dragon is refusing to eat greens, and maybe even only accepts mealworms as food, I highly recommend that you get my ebook: How To Make Your Bearded Dragon Eat Greens Within 7 Days!
After going through the steps outlined in the ebook I will personally check on you and your beardie via email and will support you if needed.
Keep your beardie healthy!
Can you feed cooked carrots from the crock pot that have been soaking in beef broth and are now tender?
Hey Dawn,
I am sorry for my late answer.
You know it depends… did you have seasoning or some kind of herbs in that crock pot too? If yes, I would absolutely not recommend to feed it to your dragon.
Cheers,
Pierre
Well I don’t know why you would, all the vitamins and essentials in the carrot have been cooked into the broth. If you want your beardie healthy I wouldn’t recommend it.
Beef broth is very high in sodium….that’s not healthy for your dragon(s).
I feed my boy some celery leaves on occasion, cilantro and he loves yellow squash. Hes not big on baby Kale. I rotate things around as he gets bored with the same thing all of the time. But I always keep Romaine lettuce as his main part of his feeding.
Hi! I just wanted to let you know how fantastic it is that I found this site! It has helped a lot and your color coding was a great idea. Just as a side note, one of our bearded dragons, Aesa, has a goiter, or should I say had. Thanks to your site, I looked up all kinds of herbs and spices, and found that catnip, just as a sprinkle every now and then has helped us keep our lizard healthy. Also if your beardie ever catches parasites from feeders, crickets, dubia roaches, it also helps clear their system too.
Hey Kylia,
thank you very much, I am happy that you like my site. Besides that I am sooo happy that you could help your dragon with the help of my site 🙂
Fantastic and very informational comment!
Thank you!
Pierre
Dubia roaches don’t carry parasites. Thats why most prefer them over the crickets that are carriers. Plus, dubias are healthier due to the fact that they are packed with more protein, and they have a more meat to shell ratio. I’m glad your beardie is doing well.
Hello! Your site was wonderful to study before we brought home our new family member! I am seeing a million different suggestions for a juvenile bearded dragon diet. I know that they need mainly meat at this stage, but should he get a variety? Do I still need to get some zoo med juvenile food? Help!
Hey Ashley,
thank you for your comment. I am very happy to hear that. That is why I created this website 🙂
To be honest, feeding a baby bearded dragon is pretty easy. First of all you need to make sure that the food fits perfectly into the baby´s mouth. So everything you feed your baby has to be very small.
You can feed locusts, crickets and even soldier fly larvaes and mealworms from time to time.
Especially the soldier fly larvae has a lot of calcium which is very important for your baby now.
Make sure that the dragon gets enough calcium and Vitamin D.
Use a calcium powder like this one.
Use a good UVB light for Vitamin D. I am sure you already know that, but just in case 🙂 Here is my article on beardie lighting!
Hope this helps!
Pierre
I am a new Dragon Mom, and have been reading every thing I can to care for it properly. The problem is about food. One site says it can eat things another site says it can’t. How do I know what is correct? Help!
Hey Steff,
sorry for my late reply, I am currently on vacation.
If you have a baby you can simply feed it a lot of SMALL crickets and locusts.
Give it mealworms from time to time as treats.
I know that there is a lot of information on the internet and it can be pretty confusing. However with small crickets and locusts you are on the safe side.
If you have an adult bearded dragon, feed acording to my bearded dragon food list.
Pierre
Hey can I feed my beardies the basil stems?
Hey Tobylee,
sorry for my late answer, I was on vacation 🙂
Basil is fine for bearded dragons, however I have never been asked particularly about the stems.
I assume that the stems are absolutely fine, but to be on the safe side, I would stick with feeding the leaves only.
Cheers,
Pierre
Thanks for your helpful website! I have read that avocado is dangerous for Beardies, so I would add that to your red letter list.
Hey Melissa,
thank you for your comment 🙂
And thank you for mentioning that, that will be helpful for a lot of people!
Cheers,
Pierre
My adult bearded loves one or two fresh redcurrants twice a week
Thanks for all the information we new to these so info brilliant
Hey June,
you are very welcome, I am happy that you could learn something! 🙂
All the best,
Pierre
How about hard boiled egg yolk?
Hey Philippine,
I would not do that. It is not on their natural “meal plan” 🙂
Always keep it natural.
Pierre
I just got a baby bearded dragon it is 4 months old but doesn’t seem to want to eat that much what else can I try to get him to eat more
Hey Dawn,
such a young bearded dragon should eat tons of crickets and dubias.
If you just got that baby he might need a while to get used to the new environment. Put the food inside the tank and leave the room. He should eat then.
If your boy doesn´t eat in the next couple of days, bring him to a vet.
All the best,
Pierre