What to Feed a Baby Bearded Dragon | (The Complete Guide)

When you first bring your baby Bearded Dragon home it’s a really exciting time but you are also likely to have lots of questions that need answering such as what to feed them?

I’ve written this post to help answer all your feeding question so you can get back to all the excitement of having a new member in the family and be sure you are bringing up a healthy and happy Bearded Dragon.

So what should you feed a baby Bearded Dragon? Baby Bearded Dragons should be fed a combination of prey food such as Pinhead Crickets and greens such as Kale. It’s also important to feed your baby Bearded Dragon vitamin and calcium powder. Any prey foods that are offered should be smaller than the babies head and any greens that are offered should be finely chopped to aid digestion and eliminate the risk of choking.

Read on to find out in more depth exactly what a baby Bearded Dragon can eat, how many times a day they should eat, if you can overfeed then and much more.

First, let’s take a deeper look at what baby Bearded Dragons can eat and what they should stay away from.

What Can a Baby Bearded Dragon Eat? a Closer Look

When your Bearded Dragon is a baby the nutrients that you feed it are so important. They are growing at such a rapid rate and they need to eat the rights foods to support that growth.

Bearded Dragons are omnivores which basically means that they need to eat a combination of insects, plants and veg accompanied by calcium supplements. Knowing the right foods to feed them and the ones to stay away from will play a huge part in their development in the early months of their life.

You should feed your baby around 40-60% protein from insects and 20-40% of the rest of their diet should come from vegetation. This is backed up by beardeddragon101 who also give out the same advice.

Let’s take a closer look at what they should eat so you can be sure of having a happy and healthy baby Bearded Dragon.

What Prey Feed to Feed a Baby Bearded Dragon?

You should never feed your baby Bearded Dragon any prey food that is bigger than it’s head. It can cause choking and digestive issues that are very serious and sometimes even fatal so it’s important that you stick to this principle.

A recommended range of prey food includes but isn’t restricted to:

• Pinhead Crickets

• Locusts

• Spiders

• Fruit Flies

• Wax Worms

• Redworms

• Butterworms

Remember: You should only purchase any of these live feeders if you get them smaller than your Bearded Dragons head. Most stores offer a good variety in size for most of their prey foods.

Something else to note is that you shouldn’t leave live prey in your Bearded Dragons tank for very long after feeding. Always count in how many live feeders you have placed in the tank, how many have been eaten and then make sure you remove any live prey that hasn’t been eaten after meal times.

What Vegetables to Feed a Baby Bearded Dragon?

Feeding your Baby Bearded Dragon vegetables is important. You should offer them veg at least 3 times a week but every day is better. Offering them veg from a young age will help them to get a taste for it and help them to enjoy it when they are older.

It also won’t hurt to offer veg every day as this will help them get accustomed to it a lot faster and also help to keep them healthy.

You need to make sure you chop any veg up small so you eliminate the risk of choking and make the eating process as smooth as possible.

You can also leave the veg in the tank after feeding times so your baby Bearded Dragon can come back to it when it wants.

Are recommended rage of vegetables includes but isn’t restricted to:

• Artichoke Heart
• Bell Pepper
• Orca
• Butternut Squash
• Celery
• Mustard Greens
• Yellow Squash
• Carrots
• Bok Choy
• Sweet Potato
• Green Beans
• Peas

What Greens Can a Baby Bearded Dragon Eat?

Greens are very similar to vegetables in the fact that they should be offered at least 3 times a week and i would think about offering them daily.

It’s important to get your Bearded Dragon liking veg and greens as soon as possible so when they are older eating them daily will be a natural process for them.

Just like veg, you can leave greens in the tank after meals times so they can munch on them whenever they feel like it.

It’s also a good idea to offer a mix of veg and greens together and don’t forget to chop them all up small to stop the risk of choking and help with digestion.

A list of recommended greens includes but isn’t restricted to:

• Kale
• Parsley
• Clover
• Dandelion Greens
• Turnip Greens
• Mustard Greens
• Coriander
• Parsley
• Rocket
• Collards

What Fruit to Feed a Baby Bearded Dragon?

While there are a lot of fruits that are safe for Bearded Dragons to eat, they also contain high amounts of sugar.

If your Bearded Dragon consumes high amounts of sugar then it’s not healthy for their teeth and can also cause obesity.

Bearded Dragons don’t actually need fruit if they eat veg and greens as that is where most of the nutrients will come from.

If you do want to let your Dragon eat fruit that is fine, however, just make the portions sparing and there is no need to feed fruit daily.

Fruit that is safe for your Bearded Dragon includes but isn’t restricted to:

• Strawberries
• Plums
• Figs
• Apples
• Cherries
• Blackberries
• Cranberries
• Raisons
• Pineapple
• Melons
• Pears
• Grapes
• Peaches

Vitamins & Calcium Supplementation For Baby Bearded Dragons?

Bearded Dragons should ideally be given vitamin and calcium supplements at each stage of their life starting when they are a baby.

Bearded Dragons are notorious for lacking in calcium and this can lead to long term health problems much as metabolic bone disease.

By simply dusting their prey food daily with Vitamin D3 and Calcium you can easily boost their vitamin and calcium levels to the required amounts to assure they are fit and healthy.

As they get older you will be able to reduce the amount of supplementation they need.

There are plenty of low-quality calcium supplements out there. I highly recommend you use Rep-Cal for various reasons.

Because of all the low-quality supplements on the market, I’ve written a post that shares all the supplements I recommend based on quality and effectiveness.

What Foods Not to Feed a Baby Bearded Dragon

It’s also important to you know what foods you need to avoid feeding your baby Bearded Dragon.

Most of the foods on the list below will apply at all ages of their life, so it’s important to understand if they are off the list when they are a baby then they are most probably off the list when they are an adult too.

Here are some common foods and plants that are off the menu to Bearded Dragons:

Mealworms (fine for adult Dragons but the hard shell can be hard to digest for baby Bearded Dragons)

• Avocados
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Rhubarb
• Fireflies (or any insects that glow)
• Insects that are caught in the wild (they can carry parasites)
• Oak
• Ivy
• Buttercup
• Elderberry Tulip

There is quite a long list of plants that you should keep your Bearded Dragon away from, the bottom line is if you are unsure then always seek advice room your Vet before feeding your Dragon anything.

What Is a Baby Bearded Dragons Favourite Food?

Your Bearded Dragons favourite food will largely depend on its own personal preference.

There are also other things to consider such as what it has been fed from a young age and sometimes they simply get fed up of certain food and become fussy about what they eat.

With all things considered usually a Bearded Dragons favourite food will be either Pinhead Crickets or Wax Worms in my experience.

Having said this, if your Bearded Dragon loves something totally different then that is both common and fine, they’re not robots and have their own personality.

How Many Times a Day Should You Feed a Baby Bearded Dragon?

Baby Bearded Dragons will grow to 90% of their full length in the first 12 months so to support that rapid growth they need to eat a lot of food.

It’s common for baby Bearded Dragons to eat between 3-5 times a day and each sitting will normally last around 10-15 minutes.

You should feed them as much live prey as they can eat in this time and you may see them eating somewhere in the region of 20-60 insects per day.

This will obviously depend on the age of your baby Bearded Dragon and the insects you are feeding them.

When is a Baby Bearded Dragon Actually Classed As a Baby?

It’s important that you know at what age your Bearded Dragon is actually classed as a baby and when they become a juvenile and finally an adult.

This is important because the dietary requirements of each age group are different and you will need to know how to feed each age group.

Here is a chart that explains the different age groups:

Is Heat & Light Important to Baby Bearded Dragons?

One of the most important things you can do for your baby Bearded Dragon to ensure they grow happy and healthy is to make sure they have a high-quality basking bulb and basking area.

If you are feeding your Dragon good quality food this is great but if they can’t bask especially after the meal then the chances are that they will become unhealthy, not grow and even become sick.

The basking lamp plays a hugely important role in the health of your Bearded Dragon and in the early stages it is probably more important than ever.

Your Dragon needs to be at their optimal body temperature in order to digest the food that they have just consumed. If this doesn’t happen then the food just won’t get digested and they won’t get any nutrients and therefore struggle to grow.

They will also run the risk of getting something called impaction. This is where their gut becomes clogged with undigested food and they can become constipated.

This, in turn, can cause them a lot of pain and make them lose their appetite.

The bottom line is, you need to provide a high-quality basking area and lamp if you want your baby Dragon to grow healthy and happy.

Here’s a step by step post that explains how to set up the lighting with the correct temperatures for your Bearded Dragon and what equipment you should use to get the best results.

How to Get Your Baby Bearded Dragon to Eat more Veg

Some Bearded Dragons will gladly eat fruit and veg while others will be more reluctant.

For the ones who are reluctant, there is a little trick that you can try to get them to eat more fruit and veg without them realizing.

Chop up some fruit of veg very small and in fine pieces and place it in a bowl. Then add some of your babies Bearded Dragons favourite prey food on top of the fruit/veg.

They will often try and grab the prey food so quickly that they will also pick up some of the fruit/vegs at the same time and not even notice.

The hungrier they are the better this often works. Give it a try and you might be surprised how much fruit/veg your Dragon will actually eat without even noticing.

Can You Overfeed a Baby Bearded Dragon?

Technically speaking you can overfeed a baby Bearded Dragon or any age Bearded Dragon for that matter.

For example, if you fed your Dragon between 5-8 times in a day then they would probably gladly eat the food on offer as babies are hungry most of the time due to their need to support growth.

The problem comes when they struggle to digest the large amounts of food they are eating.

After they have eaten a meal they will usually go to bask to raise their body temperature so they can digest the food in a fast and efficient manner.

If they are eating all day there will be a tipping point where they can’t digest the food from the last meal before they are eating again.

Sticking to eating 3-5 times a day max should be fine and give your baby Dragon all the nutrients they need and as well as allowing them time to digest their food.

What Is The latest a Bearded Dragon Should Eat?

This is something that not many people actually think about but it is very important.

Most people lead a very busy life and having time to feeding their Bearded Dragon is something that they do around their busy schedule.

This is fine and something that i totally understand, however, you will want to be mindful that you shouldn’t feed your Dragon their last meal any less than 3 hours before the basking lamp goes off for night time.

This is important because the way Bearded Dragons digest food is when they are at their optimal body temperature and if you feed them and then shortly after you turn off the basking light they will struggle to digest their food.

This can leave them with problems like impaction where they have undigested food in their stomach and end up getting constipated as a result.

This can also lead to loss of appetite, so being mindful of this in your feeding schedule can be very important for the health of your Bearded Dragon.

Do Bearded Dragons Need Water?

In the wild Bearded Dragon live semi-desert areas and water is often hard to come by.

This means they are very efficient at utilizing water from any source they can such as the insects they eat.

In captivity, however, you need to provide them with a water source that is available to them at all times.

You should give them a small water bowl so they can drink when they need to hydrate themselves. Another good option is to spray fruit, veg and greens lightly to give them an extra opportunity to consume the water they need.

You can also mist your Bearded Dragon directly with a spray bottle to increase their hydration levels. Usually, your Dragon will lick the water from around its face, this is a great way to increase its hydration levels.

Take a look at this post that details the 4 ways that Bearded Dragons can get water and a step by step process for getting stubborn Dragons to drink from water bowls.

Are There Any Reasons Why a Baby Bearded Dragon Might Not Want to Eat?

Sometimes your baby Bearded Dragon might not want to eat and it can be hard to understand why.

Let’s look at some of the most common reasons why your Dragon could be off their food. 

Stress

Stress is actually one of the most common reasons why a Bearded Dragon of any age can suddenly stop eating or at least have a decreased appetite.

There are many reasons why a Bearded Dragon can get stressed, here are the most common:

• In the same tank as another Bearded Dragon
• Getting intimidated by other pets in the house
• New to the house and getting used to the new surroundings
• The tank is near a window and things outside such as birds are intimidating
• Small objects such as toys, socks and ornaments look like a predator

All of these reasons can cause a Bearded Dragon to lose their appetite through stress so you need to remain vigilant at all times and make sure that your Dragon is feeling happy with their surroundings.

Shedding

Shedding is a natural process for Bearded Dragons and every Dragon will go through it.

Shedding can also be a process that is painful and uncomfortable. This can cause your Dragon to become moody and lethargic at times.

The discomfort that shedding causes can also force your Dragon to lose their appetite until the process is over.

There are a few things you can do to help your Dragon when they shedding, to learn them please view our post on this topic.

To learn about shedding in full go to and check out my ultimate guide to Bearded Dragon shedding here.

Illness

If your Bearded Dragon is ill they can easily lose their appetite. It can often be hard to determine if a Bearded Dragon is ill and what exactly is wrong with them.

If you suspect that your Dragon is ill then you should get in contact with your Vet.

Getting advice from a professional who can see your Dragon one on one is the only way to ensure you get a correct diagnosis in this kind of situation.

If you’re worried about vet bills then you may want to think about getting health insurance for your Bearded Dragon. I’ve researched the best options and alternatives for health insurance here.

Wrapping Up

I hope you now have a better understanding of what to feed you baby Bearded Dragon. There are lots of options but making sure they get a well-balanced diet containing prey foods, veg and supplements is a must for any baby Bearded Dragon.

If you are ever unsure if a certain food is toxic for Bearded Dragon then you should always seek advice before giving it to your Dragon, never take the risk.

If you stick to these principles and you have high-quality lighting then your Bearded Dragon will the beast platform the grow happy and healthy.

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