Bearded dragon food
Bearded dragons are omnivores that need a genuine mix of live insects and plant matter, not one or the other. Young bearded dragons eat mostly insects to fuel rapid growth, while adults shift toward eating mostly vegetables and greens, with insects becoming more of a supplement than the main event.
The insect side of the diet
Crickets and locusts are the usual staple live food, with roaches and mealworms also commonly used, and all should be an appropriate size for the dragon eating them — a rough guide is nothing wider than the space between the dragon's eyes, since anything larger becomes a choking or impaction risk rather than a meal.
Insects should be gut-loaded, meaning fed a nutritious diet themselves in the day or so before being offered, and dusted with a calcium supplement at most feeds, since a bearded dragon's calcium needs are high and rarely met by the insects alone. Fatty feeder insects like waxworms are better treated as an occasional extra than a regular staple, given how rich they are.
The plant side, and why it matters more as they grow
As a bearded dragon matures, the balance of their diet should shift toward vegetables and leafy greens making up the larger share, with insects becoming a smaller, supplementary part rather than the main course. Dark leafy greens, along with a rotating variety of dragon-safe vegetables, should make up most of an adult's plate.
Iceberg lettuce is best avoided as a main green because it offers very little nutritionally, and fruit should stay an occasional extra rather than a regular feature, since it is higher in sugar than the vegetables that should form the bulk of the diet. A small number of plants are genuinely unsafe and should never be offered, so it is worth checking anything unfamiliar before adding it to the bowl.
Getting the calcium side right
Calcium and appropriate UVB lighting work together, and a diet can be doing everything right and still leave a dragon short if the lighting side is not sorted, since dragons need UVB to process calcium properly rather than getting everything from food alone. This is worth understanding before focusing on diet in isolation.
Fresh water should always be available in a shallow dish, even though many bearded dragons take in a lot of their moisture from food and occasional misting rather than drinking heavily from a bowl in the way a mammal would.
What we stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Tetra Reptomin Sticks
Complete Tetra ReptoMin dry sticks for water turtles, with calcium and phosphorus
£4.98
Tetra ReptoMin
Floating stick food for water turtles, with 39% protein and added calcium for shell growth
£9.06
Supa Turtle Food Super
A freeze-dried shrimp and tubifex food for turtles, alongside fresh food
From£5.99
Komodo Tortoise Food Dandelion
A complete holistic tortoise diet in dandelion flavour, high in fibre
From£7.29
Komodo Tortoise Food Fruit Flower Flavour
A fruit and flower flavoured tortoise diet, high in fibre with a calcium-forward mineral ratio
From£7.29
Komodo Aspen Bed Terrain
A 6-litre aspen bedding for snakes, built to hold its shape when burrowed into
£6.79
Komodo Habitat Moss
1.5L of ready-hydrated natural sphagnum moss for reptile humidity and shedding
From£7.29
Komodo Ceramic Lamp & Bracket
A ceramic lamp holder and mounting bracket for bulbs up to 200w, 172cm cable
£24.99
Exo Terra Intense Basking Spot
A focused-beam basking bulb for reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, in a range of wattages
From£9.39
Exo Terra Infrared Basking Spot
A red-glass infrared heat bulb that can run overnight without disturbing a reptile
From£11.39
Hagen Exo Terra Daylight Basking Spot
A broad-spectrum daylight basking bulb, providing heat and light for a terrarium
From£8.39
Common questions
- How often should I feed a bearded dragon?
- Young, growing dragons are typically offered insects multiple times a day alongside greens, while adults eat less often and rely more on vegetables. The exact frequency depends on age and size, so it is worth checking guidance specific to your dragon's life stage rather than using one schedule for every age.
- Can bearded dragons eat fruit?
- Yes, but only as an occasional extra rather than a regular part of the diet, since fruit is higher in sugar than the vegetables that should make up most of what they eat. A small piece now and then is fine; a diet built around fruit is not.
- Do bearded dragons need live insects, or can they eat dried ones?
- Live, appropriately sized insects are the standard way to feed the insect part of the diet, since movement encourages natural hunting behaviour and live insects are generally better nutritionally than dried alternatives. Dried insects are more commonly used as an occasional treat than a staple.
- Why does calcium matter so much for bearded dragons?
- Bearded dragons have high calcium needs relative to their size, and a shortfall combined with inadequate UVB lighting can lead to serious bone problems over time. Dusting insects with a calcium supplement and getting the lighting right are both part of getting this side of their care correct.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.