Can Bearded Dragons Eat Beetles

As a pet owner you are always on the lookout for new foods to offer your beardie. It can be hard to find the right balance of nutritious and delicious foods for your furry friend.

Beetles are a great option for some bearded dragons, but they shouldn’t be given as a staple diet. Overfeeding them can lead to obesity, as they are high in calories and low in nutrients.

1. Mealworms

Mealworms are a good food option for bearded dragons. They’re high in protein and low in fat, making them a healthy alternative to other meats. They are also a great choice for people who want to cut down on their carbon footprint because they produce fewer emissions than beef.

Mealworms should only be fed on occasion because they have a hard, chitin shell that can cause blockage in the digestive tract of lizards. This can result in indigestion and even a fatal injury, especially for younger bearded dragons.

The hard exoskeleton can also make it harder for babies to digest mealworms, putting them at risk of intestinal issues and other health problems. They should not be given to babies before they reach the juvenile stage (five to eight months) because their digestive system is still developing.

However, older bearded dragons can eat mealworms as long as they are properly soaked in water before feeding them. They should be offered in small amounts, about 5-6 a week.

In the wild, these insects are a staple part of many diets. They are high in nutrients and are easy to raise at home. They are a popular choice for pet owners because they’re affordable and easily available to buy.

Whether you’re raising them yourself or buying them in the pet store, mealworms are an excellent source of protein and other nutrients for a wide range of pets and wildlife. They are also very easy to raise at home, and can be a fun addition to your pet’s diet.

You can buy live mealworms from a variety of different retailers, including most pet stores and online. Some stores offer freeze-dried mealworms that are easier to store and have natural preservatives for a longer shelf life.

Mealworms are a great way to add variety to your pet’s diet, but they should only be given on occasion due to the hard, chitin shell that can make it harder for babies to digest mealworms, and the fact that they contain a poor calcium to phosphorus ratio. This means that they must be supplemented with added calcium to ensure your beardie receives the nutrients it needs to grow and thrive.

2. Superworms

Superworms are a very common type of insect that can be eaten by bearded dragons. These insects are a great source of protein for the reptile, as they contain 19 percent of its necessary amino acids. They also help with hydration since they are about 50 percent moisture. They can be a great addition to a bearded dragon’s diet when used as an occasional snack along with mealworms, wax worms, Dubia roaches, and crickets.

They are an excellent way to provide a variety of nutrients and encourage your beardie to eat other nutritious foods that it might be picky about, such as dark, leafy greens. However, it is important to note that bearded dragons should not be fed solely superworms as they are high in fat and can cause obesity.

If you want to offer your beardie superworms, it is recommended to keep them in a clean, cool place away from direct sunlight. Keeping the superworms out of the sun can prevent heat from building up in their bodies, which can be dangerous for your pet.

Another thing to watch out for when feeding superworms is that they can easily bury themselves in the substrate of your dragon’s enclosure. This can make it difficult to find the worms again and could lead to a serious problem like gut impaction.

This is not an issue for most adult beardies, but it can be problematic for baby beardies. Their small mouths are not designed to handle the thick exoskeletons that superworms have, and they can be more likely to have problems digesting them than adult beardies because of their delicate digestive systems.

One final caution when feeding superworms to your beardie is that they are highly aggressive, so it is best to handle them with tweezers or gloves. They can bite and sting, which can be dangerous for your dragon.

As a general rule, you should feed adult and juvenile bearded dragons two to three superworms per day as an occasional treat. As your beardie ages, you may need to cut down on the amount you offer them because they are no longer growing as fast and may not need as many calories.

3. Darkling Beetles

Bearded dragons can eat a variety of insects, including beetles. However, it is important to note that some beetles, like darkling beetles, can be harmful for bearded dragons to eat.

These beetles have hard exoskeletons that are difficult for lizards to digest. Overfeeding them can lead to intestinal blockage and death.

Adult darkling beetles are about 1.5 inches long and black in color. They molt multiple times in the course of their life.

They can be found all over the world and are common in a variety of habitats, such as fields, forests, and gardens. They are primarily herbivores, but some species will also eat carnivorous plants.

The darkling beetle is a member of the order Orthoptera, which contains over 20,000 species worldwide. Most species in this group are found in North America.

In addition to eating leaves and other vegetation, these beetles can lay eggs on wood. This is why it is important to check your property regularly for these insects.

Although they aren’t dangerous to humans, they can cause painful blisters on animals and pets by emitting a chemical that’s similar to the stinging chemical that causes insecticide poisoning in livestock. A half milligram of cantharidin is enough to kill an average-sized horse, and the chemical residues remain active after the beetle dies.

Many species of darkling beetles are scavengers and will eat just about anything they can get their hands on, including feces, dead insects, decaying plants, and food scraps.

They can also be attracted to grain storage facilities and chicken coops. A few species are pests in grains, and they may be a nuisance to gardeners or farmers who use dried foods such as wheat.

The beetles have defensive glandular reservoirs in their abdomen that release a foul-smelling liquid if they are disturbed. This behavior is designed to discourage predators such as coyotes, foxes, hawks, and snakes.

In the wild, darkling beetles live in sagebrush and bunchgrass ecosystems, where they can feed on worms, fruits, insects, and other small invertebrates. Some species are only active during the spring and fall, while others are active year-round.

4. Nightcrawlers

When it comes to bearded dragon food, there are a number of different types of insects that are commonly available to pet owners. These include beetles, mealworms, and superworms. These foods provide your lizard with a number of nutrients that are essential for their health and well-being.

Beetles are an excellent source of protein, fat, and fiber. They are also rich in minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, copper, and magnesium. They can also help reduce constipation in pets, so they’re a great option for your lizard.

Nightcrawlers, or dew worms, are an earthworm that is common in moist soils. They are often seen rustling around on top of the ground at night, and they’re considered herbivores because they eat organic matter such as leaves and dead grass.

They can be found in forests, golf courses, farms, and along major waterways. They prefer wet soils that are rich in organic matter and are most likely to live near human habitation.

Their burrows are important sources of soil aeration and points for water penetration. They also produce a large amount of surface castings, which can be mixed with plant matter and are useful in controlling thatch in lawns.

Because of their specialized diet, nightcrawlers are important soil aerators and are a major component of the organic material that makes up most of soil. The accumulated castings are also used to improve the texture of the soil and may be incorporated into a slurry used for soil mixing.

However, they do not mix the soil as effectively as other species of endogeic earthworms. These worms also tend to create small mounds that are more noticeable and tend to have a bumpy appearance, which can be a problem when it comes to mowing your lawn.

They are also known to produce toxic compounds that can cause allergic reactions in humans and animals. Those compounds are called cantharidins.

If you want to feed your bearded dragon beetles, make sure that you’re purchasing them from a reliable source and not from bait shops. This is because they’re not safe for beardies and can actually be toxic. They should only be fed on a very limited basis, if at all.