With all the insects your bearded dragon can eat, do you wonder if they can eat moths?
Your bearded dragon isn’t likely to catch a moth around the house, but if they catch one, should you feed it to your beardie?
It’s natural to want to feed your pet a variety of foods, but all good owners need to know what’s safe and what’s not.
In this article, we’ll help you dig into the question of moths and beardies.
Table of Contents
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Moths?
Yes, bearded dragons can technically eat certain types of moths without getting sick. Your lizard should never be fed moths caught in the wild. Moths have little nutritional value, and there are better sources of protein to offer them.
Moths, overall, aren’t the best food to serve your bearded dragon.
If you decide to feed them moths, it’s essential to know which are safe and which aren’t.
Types Of Moths For Bearded Dragons
There are various types of options when it comes to feeding your beardie a moth.
You need to be careful because some types of moths are toxic to bearded dragons.
For the most part, feeding your bearded dragon moths the larvae of a moth is considered safe.
Wild Moths
Bearded dragons should not eat a wild moth.
You don’t know what type of parasites or diseases they may be carrying and their potential toxicity level.
In the same category, avoid feeding butterflies to your beardie.
They carry an unknown amount of pesticides and can cause disease in your beardie.
Wax Moths
If you feed your bearded dragon wax worms, there’s a good chance you’ve had a time where the larvae turn into wax moths.
Feeding bearded dragons moths in this fashion is perfectly fine.
Both a wax moth and waxworms do not have many nutritional benefits for bearded dragons and tend to be fatty, so it’s best to only give on a rare occasion.
What Should Bearded Dragons Eat?
The diet of bearded dragons should consist of a healthy array of foods.
Incorporating the right amount of insect proteins and vegetables is vital in providing a good diet for your pet lizard.
Here’s a guide to what you should be serving these wonderful animals.
Vegetables
Finding the appropriate vegetables is extremely important for your bearded dragon’s diet.
Vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals are vital in providing a well-balanced diet.
Some of the vegetables your bearded dragon should eat are:
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens
- Bok choy
- Sweet potato
Vegetables, along with protein, should be the primary source of nutrition for bearded dragons.
Proteins
Bearded Dragons get their protein by eating various types of insects.
While an occasional moth is fine, you should focus more on an insect with a good protein source and less fat.
When deciding on which insect to feed your bearded dragon, take note of the best type for your pet:
- Crickets
- Dubia roaches
- Superworms
- Black soldier fly larvae
Resist feeding your bearded dragons the fireflies you enjoy catching at night.
They are extremely toxic to bearded dragons, and even just half of one may be fatal.
Does A Bearded Dragon Diet Change With Age?
Depending on your pet’s age, you will need to alter how much you feed them, what you feed them, and how often they get fed.
As they grow, so do their needs.
Baby Bearded Dragons
Babies eat mostly insects to help fill their growing bodies with protein and fat.
Baby bearded dragons will have a large appetite, and you will be feeding them 2-3 times a day.
A baby can eat anywhere from 25-80 crickets a day.
When you put the insects in, let your lizard eat for about 15 minutes before removing any leftovers.
Your young lizard may turn their nose up to the greens you serve them.
Leafy greens and vegetables are essential to their diet and should make up 20-30% of the foods they eat.
You need to cut up food for babies into bite-sized pieces.
Adult Bearded Dragons
Your lizard will be fully grown at 12 months of age.
As they age, they begin eating more vegetables and fruits and fewer insects.
Adults only need about 20% of their diet to be insects, which is a large flip from when they were a baby.
Leafy greens and vegetables should make up about 80% of their diet.
You need to continue to cut up your dragon’s food as they get older.
For a visual, pieces of food should be no bigger than the space between their eyes.
Serving large pieces can lead to choking or GI issues.
Bearded Dragon Supplements
Calcium is a vital mineral needed in your lizard’s diet to ensure safe calcium to phosphorus ratio.
If your lizard has a calcium deficiency, they are more prone to developing metabolic bone disease.
Vegetables rich in calcium include collard greens, turnip greens, and mustard greens.
Calcium supplements are available for beardies if they are not getting enough calcium in their diet.
A few times a week, sprinkle the powder over their food.
Does My Beardie Need Water?
Keeping your dragon hydrated is very important.
If you don’t have a water bowl, you don’t have to run out and get one.
Your lizard can stay hydrated through the food you give them and by misting their skin.
If you choose to keep a water bowl in their tank, make sure you are cleaning it daily.
Dirty water is a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus.
The water level should not be too high to prevent your lizard from drowning.
How To Help A Dehydrated Bearded Dragon
If you notice sunken eyes, wrinkly skin, and lethargy, your lizard is likely dehydrated.
A quick test to do is to check for dehydration is to pinch and pull (gently, of course) the back of their skin.
Hydrated beardies will have a fast release of their skin.
If there is a slow-release, you need to begin the hydration process.
When beardies become dehydrated, you need to tend to them immediately.
Put them in a shallow bowl of water or give them water through a syringe.
Final Thoughts
Bearded dragons are wonderful reptiles, and there is no doubt why people love them.
As a bearded dragon owner, it’s important to know what is safe for your bearded dragon to eat and what can help provide a well-balanced diet.
There are better foods to feed your pet beardie than moths.
They are a poor source of protein and have a high-fat content.
Serving an insect with high-quality protein and vitamin-rich vegetables will ensure a long, healthy life for your dragon.
