What your bearded dragon can eat Insects bugs & gut-loading (P2-2) Daily / staple feeders These are the main protein sources. Rotate among them when you can. • Dubia roaches • Crickets (gut-load well; don’t leave extras loose overnight) • Black soldier fly larvae (Calciworms, Phoenix worms, Nutrigrubs — naturally high in calcium) • Discoid roaches (where legal/available) • Locusts / grasshoppers (common staple in the UK and parts of Europe) Regular rotation feeders Good to mix in often, but they usually aren’t the only bug you use. • Silkworms • Hornworms (high moisture; useful during sheds or if the dragon is a bit dry) • Other captive-bred feeder roaches when available (for example red runners / Turkestan roaches, where legal) Occasional feeders (adults mainly) Fine now and then. Not ideal as the everyday staple, especially for hatchlings and young juveniles. • Superworms (adults only) • Mealworms (adults only; harder shell / higher impaction risk in babies) • Butterworms • Earthworms (only from a clean, captive source — not yard worms) • Captive-bred snails (not wild) Treats only High fat or “candy” bugs. A few at a time, not every feeding. • Waxworms • Extra-large hornworms as a special item ———————— • Pinky mice (rare; some keepers skip these entirely unless a vet suggests them) (do not feed unless directed by a vet) they will become extremely aggressive and will bite your hand as well as other dragons. ———————— Never feed • Wild-caught insects (pesticides, parasites, unknown toxins) • Fireflies / lightning bugs (even one can be fatal) • Ladybugs • Box elder bugs • Lubber grasshoppers • Monarch, queen, and similar toxic caterpillars/butterflies • Wasps, bees, hornets • Scorpions, spiders, centipedes • Venomous or hairy caterpillars • Any insect you can’t identify Prep rules that matter as much as the species: gut-load crickets and roaches for at least 24 hours, keep feeders no larger than the gap between the eyes, and don’t leave live prey in the enclosure overnight. Black soldier fly larvae are the main exception on calcium dusting because they are already calcium-rich Gut loading Gut loading is feeding the insects a nutritious diet for about 24–48 hours before you offer them to your dragon. The idea is that the dragon eats the insect and whatever is in the insect’s gut, so you get more vitamins, calcium, and moisture than you’d get from an empty, starved cricket. What to gut-load with Good options: • Dark leafy greens (collard, mustard, turnip, dandelion) • Squash, carrot, sweet potato • Bell pepper • Commercial gut-load diets made for feeder insects Skip junk: potato, iceberg lettuce, dry cereal, and leftover human food. Those fill the insect up without adding much useful nutrition. How long • Crickets and roaches: at least 24 hours, ideally 24–48 hours • Black soldier fly larvae: usually don’t need a special gut-load the same way; they’re already a better nutritional package • Hornworms and silkworms: they come on their own diet; don’t starve them, but you typically aren’t “gut-loading” them like crickets Give the insects water too — a damp paper towel, cricket gel, or similar. Don’t use a bowl of standing water they can drown in. After gut-loading Dust the feeders with calcium (most feedings) and a reptile multivitamin on the schedule your vet or care guide recommends. Gut-loading and dusting do different jobs: one puts nutrients inside the bug, the other puts them on the bug