Bearded dragons (Pogona) are highly adaptable creatures, a quality which translates to their food preferences as well.

These reptiles have lived for centuries in environments where food was scarce and the next meal was uncertain. As a result, they have expanded their palate and feed on both plant and animal-based sources.

Bearded dragons eat small animals, insects, vegetables, and fruit in the wild. Most of their diet is animal-based, and comprises crickets, worms, cockroaches, and small mice, making up nearly 75% of what they eat. The rest includes various types of vegetables, fruits, and greens.

Thanks to their strong jaws, bearded dragons can even dine on hard-shelled insects.

The ability to eat a varied diet is a characteristic trait of this animal, and in this article I’ll take you through the varied range of foods that comprise a bearded dragon’s diet.

What Can I Feed a Wild Bearded Dragon?

In the wild, bearded dragons have to make the most of what they get their hands (or rather feet) on.

However, when they are in a home environment, they can be fed a more balanced diet that helps optimize their health and longevity.

As a pet owner, you have to spend some time trying to figure out the optimal diet for your beardie.

You can feed a wild bearded dragon crickets, termites, slugs, worms, moths, sweet potato, bell peppers, kale, parsley, figs, apples, and peaches. Bearded dragons can also eat smaller lizards and mice. However, it’s typically not a preferred food source in a domestic environment.

Animal protein is a crucial component of a bearded dragon’s diet. In the wild, they get ample protein from the various types of insects they consume, most of which have been mentioned above. It’s best to try and stick to a similar diet at home.

Beardies are skilled foragers, which means that in the wild they feed on a wide range of plant and animal-based sources, and you should aim for the same level of variety at home.

A diverse, well-balanced diet is essential if you want to keep your pet healthy and growing at the proper rate.

It’s important to note that while it may seem like bearded dragons can eat just about anything, this is not the case.

Aside from the long list of foods you should avoid feeding them, even the “safe” foods mentioned here need to be sourced properly to ensure your pet doesn’t fall sick. 

For example, it may seem like you can simply take a stroll in your garden and pick a bug or two for your beardie’s dinner instead of investing in a store-bought supply.

However, you want to avoid picking up random insects as much as possible.

While beardies can eat insects at random in the wild, the same insects in an urban setting are usually carrying a range of fertilizers and pesticides present in the soil. These chemicals can have adverse effects on your lizard.

Therefore, either take a trip in the wilderness and forage for these critters, or, to make things easier, purchase insect feed from a local pet stores.

An adult bearded dragon should ideally be fed once a day. But you want to pay attention to their body language and hunger cues, feeding them more if required.

Baby bearded dragons should be fed more frequently as they are still growing.

List of Foods To Feed a Wild Bearded Dragon

Here’s a list of some of the best animal and plant-based foods you can feed bearded dragons (keep in mind that not all insects, fruits, veggies, and greens are included here).

• Termites
• Crickets
• Slugs
• Moths
• Meal Worms (earth, silk, and wax)
• Sweet potato
• Bell peppers
• Parsley
• Kale
• Apples
• Peaches
• Apricots
• Dates
• Bananas
• Watermelon

What To Feed a Bearded Dragon Depending on Its Age?

As bearded dragons age, their dietary preferences evolve along with their feeding frequency.

Changing your beardie’s diet as it ages will ensure you give its body what it needs at various stages of its growth to create a healthy, well-functioning organism.

Here’s how you want to plan a bearded dragon’s diet according to its age:

0-6 Months

During the hatchling stage, a bearded dragon requires frequent high-protein meals throughout the day.

During this period, their body will experience the most significant growth, meaning you’ll have to be extra cautious regarding their nutrition at this time.

For the first two months, the bulk of animal protein should come from crickets. Schedule regular, frequent feeding throughout the day to keep your beardie energized and satisfied while it grows.

At first, you can start by feeding your baby bearded dragon two or three crickets every 15 minutes. Don’t worry, you won’t have to keep up this demanding schedule for long.

After a few days, you can start gradually decreasing the frequency while slightly increasing the serving size.

After your pet gets past the two-month mark, its feeding schedule can be altered to three separate meals a day.

However, its diet should remain heavily protein-focused as this is the most important macronutrient that its growing body requires at this stage.

However, it’s essential to start including fruits and vegetables bearded dragons eat at this point.

As mentioned, you want to try and hit that 75/25 ratio between meat and greens so your pet has the right quantity of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

So don’t forget to throw in a kale leaf or a few blueberries once in a while while preparing your beardie’s meal.

Also, ensure that you cut the food into tiny pieces before tossing it to them. As a rule of thumb, each piece shouldn’t be bigger than the space between your bearded dragon’s eyes.

6-18 Months

This is the transition period in which hatchlings grow to adulthood. During this time, it’s best to maintain the 75/25 ratio mentioned earlier.

While leafy greens are necessary, your pet still requires copious amounts of protein to fully evolve to its final form.

Additionally, during this period you can decrease the frequency of your feedings to two meals a day. However, be sure to make the serving sizes big enough to sustain your pet’s nutritional needs.

+ 18 Months

By this point, your bearded dragon has entered adulthood, meaning that both its protein intake and feeding frequency should decrease slightly.

However, protein should still be the main focus of its diet, and it’s best to continue at least a 70/30 ratio even through this stage.

Even this minor difference will allow you to introduce some leafy greens and veggies so your pet receives more vitamins and minerals to support its adult body.

Additionally, you also want to limit the number of meals to one a day.

What Fruit Do Bearded Dragons Eat in the Wild?

Fruits are a small yet crucial component of a bearded dragon’s diet. They provide a wide range of necessary vitamins and minerals in a juicy, flavorful package that no beardy will refuse.

However, given that some varieties might be hard to digest, ensure you feed them in moderation.

The fruits bearded dragons eat in the wild include apples, apricots, peaches, figs, plums, pears, strawberries, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and papaya. Most bearded dragons limit their fruit intake though, as too much fruit can be hard on their digestive systems.

If you’re looking to replicate their fruit intake at home, you’re in luck. Wild beardies can ingest almost any type of fruit they’re fed, meaning what you have at home will probably do.

However, it’s important to note that bearded dragons should not be fed citrus fruits or avocado, as both can have adverse effects.

When giving a wild bearded dragon fruit, be sure to cut bite size pieces first (following the rule mentioned in “What To Feed a Bearded Dragon Depending on Its Age”).

While they’re used to biting into much larger chunks in the wild, it’s best to ensure they don’t swallow large pieces as they might choke.

Here’s a list of some of the most common fruits bearded dragon eat in the wild (all varieties haven’t been included in this list):

• Apples
• Bananas
• Figs
• Mangoes
• Peaches
• Apricots
• Watermelon
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• Plums
• Pears
• Kiwi
• Grapes

Do Bearded Dragons Eat Fish in the Wild?

Bearded dragons can eat fish in the wild if the situation arises, but it’s not very likely. While they’re omnivorous opportunistic predators that will resort to eating fish if necessary, it’s unlikely that a bearded dragon will encounter a fish in the wild considering the difference in their habitats.

Fish is neither an ideal nutritional source for beardies nor is it easy to come by, so it’s not very likely that a bearded dragon will consume any type of marine life in the wild.

However, the idea of a bearded dragon eating fish isn’t entirely improbable as these creatures can still consume fish if the opportunity presents itself. 

On the other hand, if you’re wondering whether you can feed your pet beardie fish, it’s best to steer clear of this idea altogether.

Raw fish sold in markets here often contain harmful bacteria and parasites that can be deadly when fed to a bearded dragon.

However, cooked fish isn’t too safe either as the high levels of thiaminase found in aquatic animals can lead to a vitamin B deficiency.

As such, it’s a lot safer to stick to the foods listed in the previous sections and avoid feeding any type of fish to your bearded dragon.

Do Bearded Dragons Eat Crickets in the Wild?

Bearded dragon eats crickets in the wild as most of their diet consists of animal-based protein, which is usually derived from insects. Given that both bearded dragons and crickets are widely spread throughout Australia, crickets form an essential part of a beardie’s diet.

It’s worth mentioning here again that bearded dragons usually live in nutritionally-sparse areas where a solid protein source is hard to come by.

It’s for this particular reason why crickets, a species rich in protein, fat, fiber, and calcium, are an excellent find for a hungry beardie.

Bearded dragons are native to Australia, which is where you’ll find most of them in their natural habitat.

Black field crickets are the most common cricket species in the region and inhabit the area in appalling numbers. As such, this variety of crickets is the perfect protein source for bearded dragons.

However, bearded dragons can and like to consume any type of cricket they come across, as all varieties make for an excellent source of protein and calcium.

But catching and chomping down on a cricket isn’t as easy as it might seem.

Crickets aren’t as peaceful as you’d think, and there’s a substantial risk of bites, injuries, and even choking when bearded dragons try to feed on crickets.

Additionally, some crickets can introduce harmful bacteria and parasites into a beardie’s system, which can cause a wide range of health hazards and even death.

This is why, it’s worth mentioning again, that you want to ensure you’re giving your lizard crickets sold by reputable companies who source them from cricket farms.

What Can’t Bearded Dragons Eat?

Now that we’ve discussed what bearded dragons preferto eat, it’s time we delved into the type of foods they typically steer away from.

These animal and plant-based sources should be avoided at all costs as some can pose serious health hazards to a bearded dragon.

Bearded dragons can’t eat fireflies, ticks, citrus fruit, avocado, onions, garden-captured insects, rhubarb, beef, chicken, eggplant, or garlic. While some of these foods might just be uncomfortable to digest, others can be toxic enough to cause serious health issues or even death.

Here’s a handy list of foods to avoid giving your bearded dragon:

• Fireflies. These are the most dangerous insects you can feed a beardie or any other reptile. Due to the high concentration of cardiotoxins in fireflies, even half of its body can kill an adult bearded dragons if ingested.
• Citrus fruits. Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons cause severe digestive discomfort.
• Onions. Both onion and garlic can be deadly to bearded dragons, even when consumed in small amounts.
• Garden-captured insects. As mentioned, these might carry some of the pesticides and fertilizers found in the soil.
• Avocados. These can be highly toxic to bearded dragons and can lead to death if consumed in larger amounts.
• Seafood.
• Beef.
• Chicken.
• Eggplant.
• Ticks.
• Bread.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Anything?

No, as explained above bearded dragon should not be feed certain foods as they are toxic to them.

Check this post about What Do Bearded Dragons Eat?

Conclusion

Central bearded dragon have a colorful, varied diet that consists of insects, small animals, fruits, vegetables, and dark leafy greens.

However, there are still some foods you should avoid at all costs when planning your pet beardie’s diet.

If you’re looking to replicate a bearded dragon’s diet in the wild while balancing it out better in terms of nutrition, it’s best to stick to the different kinds of bearded dragon food suggested in this article.

With the right balance of nutrients you’ll have one happy, healthy lizard.