How Many Crickets To Feed A Baby Bearded Dragon A Complete Guide

Many bearded dragon owners feed their dragon crickets and greens.Crickets are considered a great source of protein, calcium, and iron and are usually fed to beardies one to three times a day. Baby bearded dragons, as well as juveniles, require a protein-rich diet, and feeding them crickets is an easy as well as a budget-friendly way to achieve this.As expected, a baby bearded dragon, a juvenile, and an adult will consume a different number of crickets a day. Baby beardies need to eat much more protein as they are growing, and feeding them more crickets can help to keep their growth on track as well as increase their lifespan. Crickets are also very easy to gut load (i.e. stuffing them with nutritious greens), which can help you keep your bearded dragon healthy. So, if you want to know how many crickets to feed your bearded dragon at the baby, juvenile, and adult stages, read on!If you like this article about how many crickets to feed a baby bearded dragon, then check out our other pages on bearded dragon colors and bearded dragon eggs.How many crickets should you feed to a baby bearded dragon?Bearded dragons are considered to be babies from birth until they are three months old. As they are growing, they need to eat many times a day, and it is important to feed them as many crickets as possible during this period so that they get their fill of protein, calcium, and iron.Baby bearded dragons are likely to prefer crickets over any green during their initial feedings and may consume between 25-80 crickets per day! It is advised to feed your baby bearded dragon at least five times per day and to keep enough crickets ready before proceeding. Eating a large number of crickets during these periods is expected, and it is recommended to let your dragon eat as many crickets as it is able to.Feeding charts are also available if you wish to estimate the approximate number of crickets baby bearded dragons need to eat based on their size, gender, age, and other factors.Each feeding session may last for between 5-10 minutes, and it is important to give your pet its space and not force it to eat. Bearded dragons usually do not overeat, and your pet will automatically stop eating once it is full, even if there is still food in front of it.Baby bearded dragons may eat more crickets than adults, but the size of these crickets is usually much smaller than the ones fed to fully-grown lizards. This makes it easier for them to chew and swallow their food. The perfect crickets to feed a baby bearded dragon are pinhead crickets, and these are available in any pet store. Feeding them anything that is larger than the space between their eyes is not recommended, as it becomes quite difficult to eat. Never feed them dead crickets or ones captured from the wild, as these have a high chance of containing parasites. Decaying food is also not considered healthy as the bacteria present could make your bearded dragon seriously ill.You can either feed your baby beardies with rubber-tipped tongs or gently feed them with your hands. Leaving a couple of small crickets loose in their cage for them to feed on can also work as a fun exercise for them, and it trains them to catch them for when they are adults.As baby bearded dragons do not consume greens, it is advised to gut load your crickets with nutritious leafy vegetables before feeding them to your growing pet. You can also dust them with calcium powder to make up for the lack of nutrients received from leafy vegetables.Any bearded dragon between the age of 3-12 months is considered a juvenile. These dragons will eat more than an adult but less than babies. The usual number of crickets a juvenile may consume in a day ranges between 25-60, and it can be fed these over two to three feeding times per day. As your bearded dragon keeps growing, the amount of food, as well as the number of times it requires feeding per day, will increase. It is important to incorporate salad and leafy greens into your bearded dragon’s diet at this point so that it follows a balanced diet in the future.How many crickets should you feed an adult bearded dragon?Any bearded dragons over 12 months old are considered to be adults. Bearded dragon adults usually eat fewer crickets than babies or juveniles, as their diet contains a number of leafy greens as well. Greens are important in an adult’s diet as eating too many high-fat insects can lead to them becoming overweight, and adding greens provides balance. Bearded dragons only eat as much as it takes them to become full and will eat slowly over a 10-15 minute period.You can hand-feed your pet or use rubberized tongs to gently pop crickets into their mouth. It is, however, best to deposit a couple of crickets into their enclosure and let them take their time hunting them down before adding a couple more. Be careful not to add too many crickets at once, as this can stress your dragon out due to the constant movement and noise of the crickets. Leaving them to hunt live crickets provides them with exercise and stimulates their minds and senses, making them healthier and more likely to live longer.Bearded dragon adults tend to eat between 10-20 crickets per day, as well as leafy greens. These should be given to them across one to two feeding sessions per day, which should last for between 10-15 minutes each.You should feed your adult bearded dragon medium-sized crickets, which still have soft exoskeletons. Larger crickets may be difficult for them to digest, and parts of these insects’ bodies may become stuck in their throat or digestive tracts, causing them to choke. These crickets are usually three to three and a half weeks old, and any crickets older than that are considered too large to feed to your beardie comfortably.Bearded dragons become mature enough to breed at 18 months for males and 24 months for females. They can typically lay 20 eggs at a time and lay between two to five clutches during the breeding period, which lasts for four months.During this time, it is essential to feed your female beardie with excessive protein and calcium, as well as a larger amount of food than usual, until she is done laying eggs. It is also very important to keep an eye on any reproducing females during the mating period, as they are very prone to egg binding, which can be deadly. If you notice that your bearded dragon has become lethargic, or hasn’t laid any eggs in a one-month period, then it is advised to take her to the vet so that the eggs can be surgically removed. This can be caused by low calcium levels, which need to be fixed by providing calcium supplements in the form of powder.Under ideal conditions, fertile eggs will hatch within 55-75 days. Taking care of incubating eggs can be quite tricky, and doing so is only advised if you are an expert in handling bearded dragons. Be careful not to handle the eggs too frequently, as this can damage the embryos growing inside or cause them to detach from their protective lining.Importance Of Feeding Them Living CricketsAn important part of understanding a bearded dragon’s diet is understanding why they must only be fed live crickets. Eating dead or decomposing crickets may actually make your dragon very ill, which is why you should never feed them to your beardie. These crickets usually have a number of harmful bacteria growing in and around their bodies, as well as retaining little moisture, which can make them difficult to digest for your pet.Live crickets are very jumpy, and releasing them inside your bearded dragon’s cage will stimulate its senses and enable it to engage in hunting the crickets down, which it will find quite enjoyable. Bearded dragons are very uninterested in stationary prey and may be unable to detect it, which is why it is necessary to feed them live crickets and not freeze-dried ones. Any dead crickets among your live ones are also a no-go, as they may have passed from a parasitic infection or disease which your beardie may suffer from if they consume them.Make sure to only feed your dragon crickets that have been bought from the pet store. Catching and feeding them wild crickets can prove to be dangerous, as they can be infested with a number of deadly parasites. Feeder crickets can also be bred with each other to ensure a long-lasting supply. Doing so requires three separate containers: one for breeders (i.e. fully grown crickets), another for incubating the eggs, and the third one to house newly hatched crickets. Doing so will prevent overcrowding in one tank, which will keep them from eating each other in a bid for resources.As crickets are very noisy and tend to smell, it is advised to buy only enough crickets to last your bearded dragon 1-2 weeks and renew your supply over regular intervals if you are not breeding them. Crickets can make a lot of noise, which can be difficult to deal with. They may also escape if not housed properly, which can lead to a cricket infestation in your home. Hence, it is important to make sure your cricket container is always properly closed as well as kept away from people in order to prevent any disturbances.A diet of crickets alone may not be nutritious enough for your baby beardies, which is why it is important to feed the crickets green, leafy vegetables around 24-48 hours before feeding them to your dragon. This is called gut loading and helps to fill the crickets up with essential nutrients in order to pass them on to your bearded dragon. In order to get your dragon to eat greens, it is advised to start feeding them salad at an early age, as soon as they reach the juvenile stage.Crickets can also be lightly dusted with calcium or supplemental powder before feeding them to your dragon in order to provide extra nutrients.Do not release too many crickets into your bearded dragon’s cage at once, as they are prone to biting or causing sensory overload or stress to your beardie. Once bearded dragons are full, they will stop feeding, which is when it is important to remove any remaining crickets or half-eaten matter from the cage. The half-eaten crickets will continue to decompose inside the enclosure, and your bearded dragon may attempt to feed on them when it is hungry again, which can lead to it becoming sick.Why Crickets Are An Important Part Of Their DietBearded dragons have been conditioned from their nature in the wild to hunt moving targets, such as crickets or cockroaches; hence they are accustomed to chasing after their food. Releasing a couple of live crickets into your pet’s enclosure will keep their senses well-tuned as well as keep them healthy due to the exercise.Crickets are an important part of a bearded dragon’s diet as they are a rich source of protein, as well as iron and calcium, which are essential for bearded dragons while they are in their growing stage. Compared to cockroaches, they have softer shells, which makes them easier to digest. When compared to mealworms and king worms, they are much lower in fat, helping to keep your pet’s weight in check.Handling crickets is also much easier than other meal options such as Dubia roaches, which many new owners are not comfortable with. Though crickets contain less protein than these roaches, they are much more budget-friendly as well as easier to acquire. As they are very noisy and mobile, they can easily catch a bearded dragon’s interest, who will enjoy hunting for food.Crickets are a readily available food source at any pet store and are quite cheap to buy in bulk, as well as easy to store for long periods of time. They can also be bred in captivity, providing a renewable source of food.As bearded dragons grow, the number of feedings per day will decrease, as well as the number of crickets they consume. Adults can be fed leafy vegetables as well, though similarly to crickets, they should also be removed from the cage after your beardie is full in order to prevent your pet from eating spoiled food.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘How many crickets to feed a baby bearded dragon?’ then why not take a look at ‘Bearded dragon bite’ or ‘Bearded dragon teeth’.

Many bearded dragon owners feed their dragon crickets and greens.