For several months now I have been wanting to create this page based on the various stories I hear from people all over the country. People call me regarding the diets or questioning a diet they want to feed their dragon or a diet they have fed their dragons and the horror stories I have heard. I am trying to protect all bearded dragons and their owners as well as my own customers from making these same mistakes.
I will continue to ad to this page as issues come up that I want the public to be aware of for future reference and to guide them not to make the same mistakes. As these calls come in I will continue to ad to this list.
NO MEAL WORMS LIVE OR DRIED: We do not recommend feeding any dried bugs. I had a customer of mine that had read on the internet on a different website that feeding meal worms was good for bearded dragons and especially the dried meal worms which they claimed to turn to powder once they were ingested. This is not true and meal worms can be dangerous to your dragons. My customer was feeding her dragon the meal worms and the dried meal worms on the top of the greens and veggies salad she offered her dragon. One morning, much to her horror, she awoke to find her dragon dead in the bottom of the cage. This was NOT a juvenile but an early subadult that had choked on the hard outer shell of the meal worms and had tried to reguritate them and chocked to death. A meal worm has little or no food value because it is mostly made up of a hard outer shell this is difficult to digest and it has extremely little or no gut factor.
In place of meal worms we recommend using super worms once your dragon has reached the size of 12" from nose to tail tip. Although a superworm also has a hard outer shell it has a high gut factor which is good protein for your dragons and makes them easier to digest. You can also feed your larger dragons a varied diet of horn worms, silk worms, butter worms, wax worms, and Dubia roaches. Since there are so many other options to feed your dragon don't take any chances using mealworms. Little food value and a waste of money.
.For younger bearded dragons we recommend using wax worms, silk worms, horn worms, small dubia roaches and phoenix worms. No large portions or bowls fulls of superworms. Use in moderation.
You can order some of the worms we have discussed through the following websites. http://www.greatlakeshornworm.com/ This site will tell you how many horm worms it takes to equal the number of crickets or other feeders to equal the number of hornworms to feed or go to http://www.mulberryfarms.com/ .
NO FIREFILES These are DEADLY to your dragon. They are highly poisonous to your dragon and it only takes one firefly to kill your dragon. Be sure to keep a screen or lid on the top of your cage so that one of these bugs does not accidently get into your dragon's cage. I had a lady call me that told me her child had fed their dragon two fireflies and wanted to know what she could do. There is nothing you can do to save your dragon because of the toxic nature of these bugs. Not even a trip to the vet can save your dragon.
NO BIRDS I had a call from a man that had an outdoor enclosure (large bird cage) and little birds would fly into the cage where he would put his dragon for outdoor sunning. His dragon was eating small birds. This is a big NO NO. The bones of the bird are not easy to digestible if at all and can cause an impaction or a perferation of the intestinal tract. These were little finches that were native to his state. He has since stoped his dragon from eating these small birds.
NO RAW MEAT I had a call from a person that asked if it was alright to feed her dragon raw hamburger. I told her absolutely NOT. That there is too much bacteria including salmonella which is harmfull if not deadly to your dragon. Even people are supposed to eat hamburger cooked well done. Now, I have heard of people feeding COOKED (Boiled or Baked) SHREDDED CHICKEN with no bad or ill side effects so this could be an alternative if you are wanting to feed a "human type" food that is high in protein.
No Wild Caught Bugs: IF YOU DID NOT BUY IT - DO NOT FEED IT! Do not feed any insects that have been caught outside or in your home. These bugs may have been exposed to pesticides and can be toxic to your dragon. No matter what the species, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, etc. Many of these bugs could be coming from a neighbor's yard or farm and you would have no way of knowing what they carry. Diseases and poisons can cause serious illness to your dragon. Also, do not feed any spiders or hard shelled beatles which can also be poisonous and cause impaction or death. It is very important to remember that if you did not buy it DO NOT feed it.
NO Wild Caught Hornworms which is also known as the worm that grows on a Tomato Plant - Tomato Worms: Many people grow tomato plants in season and when the plants begin to mature and produce tomato's you will sometimes get worms on the plants. These are very toxic to your dragon. There is a chemical reaction in the worm that causes it to be toxic after feeding on the tomato plant so do not pluck these worms from your plants and feed them to your dragon. ONLY USE FARM RAISED HORNWORMS purchased from a grower.
NO FROGS, TOADS, or LIZARDS:
I hate to report but have been made aware of two more tragedies. Do not feed your dragon any frogs, toads or other lizards. I had a family email me about their youngest son feeding their one year old dragon a frog he had caught. The dragon quickly became ill and passed away that night. I also had an email from a person that had a young dragon and their youngest child fed the dragon two lizards he had caught in the yard and at last report it was not doing well. In the wild large lizards eat smaller lizards but this young dragon couldn't have safely digested the skeletal system of another lizard. Dragons are attracted to anything that moves and if given the chance will eat most anything because they do not know what is harmful to them. .
