can bearded dragons eat meat?

Question

can my bearded dragon eat like chicken and beef and stuff like that? If so does it need to be cooked?

Answer 1

It can only eat Crickets purchased at Pet-smart Or Petco.. You can trust my answer i work at a reptile place. But They Also Can Eat veggies. Like Lettuce or Celery or Carrots but not to many because it is hard for them to digest. You can also give them watermelon in bite sized Pisces. Or Grapes sliced in to fourths. I recommend a book called THE BEARDED DRAGON MANUAL sold on www.avsbooks.com

Answer 2

No, bearded dragons can't eat meat... I mean think about it. A wild bearded dragon is roaming around in Australia, and... it attacks a chicken? or a cow? No, I don't think so. But, they do eat crickets, mealworms, lettuce, mice and drink water. So, I suggest you don't try that with your bearded dragons.

Answer 3

When feeding whole foods like crickets, pinky mice, worms etc... There's no need to cook, but if you are feeding "people food" I recommend boiling it. Chicken would be alright in moderation, beef is really high in fat. I have a blue tongue skink (omnivorous) and I use boiled ground turkey. I just boil little turkey balls and freeze them, then thaw them as needed. It's good for them, and it's low in fat. Somewhat expensive but a little bit goes a long way. Beardies are bottomless pits and I'm sure you'd have no trouble getting them to eat some. Nice stuff to have around too if you're in a pinch and can't get any live food.

Answer 4

They are omnivorous, like us. They CANNOT eat regular high grade meats though, they are not built for it. If you choose too, good luck. as you are only slowly killing your dragon from FLD.
if it's under 1 year old, get it crickets or worms [NOT MEALWORMS] with green stuffs offered daily.
if it's over 1 year, it's eating mainly PROPER greens and veggies, not lettuce, and insects only 1-2 times a week.

Answer 5

No need to cook it. If the dragon likes it cooked he can just do it himself. You don't want a spoiled dragon running around the house, believe me.

Answer 6

Yes and no. They are omnivorous so they can eat meat like mealworms Roaches or crickets and pinkie mice when they are older. Meat like beef and chicken is a no no.

Answer 7

As they are Omnivorous, meaning they eat veggies and meat. I don't see why not. Although they don't suggest giving them alot of it, as it will promote weight gain. Chicken is what reptiles prefer. As they eat eggs in the wild. Hamburger would probably be good also.

Answer 8

NOOOOO only crickets WHEN THERE BABIES other because they need the protein when there older feed them vegies i have 6 i should know and im a practicing vetrinarian

Answer 9

No- they are vegetarians, and don't have enough of the right enzymes to digest the proteins in meats.

Answer 10

hi there here a run down on what u can feed ur beardie

Bearded dragons are omnivorous. This means they eat insects as well as greens, vegetables, and fruits. It is important to gut-load your prey items before they are fed. This ensures that their nutritional content is at the top. Otherwise, your bearded dragon is just eating empty shells. Also, just before feeding, dust the prey items with a calcium powder called Miner-All or Rep-Cal. We will cover the different prey items and ingredients of your beardie salad.
When feeding your bearded dragon, there is one important guideline you should follow to know what size prey to feed your bearded dragon. Rule of thumb: the prey item must be no wider than the space between your bearded dragon's eyes. Also, they should be no longer than 3/4 the size of their head from base of head to snout. Worms can be fed at slightly longer because their elongated bodies allow for easy ingestion. The need of a high-quality diet for your bearded dragon is important. Especially when your bearded dragon is at the age of hatchling to sub-adult. During this period, they grow the fastest, about 1/2" a week.

Crickets: These are very nutritional insects, and the most easily accessible. These come in a variety of sizes from pinhead, 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", prewing, and 1" fully winged adults. As stated in the rule of thumb, feed these according to your bearded dragon's head size. In addition, bearded dragons will eat a lot of these crickets, especially younger ones. Therefore, don't be surprised if each beardie eats approximately 30 crickets a day. Feed them no more than they will eat in one 5 minute period. Otherwise, loose crickets will find a place to hide, and come out at night and gnaw on your soundly sleeping bearded dragon. When gut-loading your crickets, feed them slices of potatoes, squash, carrots, or tropical fish food. You can also add slices of orange or any moist fruit for water. Don't directly add water to your cricket cage because crickets have a death wish with water and you will find many drowned crickets in water.

Mealworms: Mealworms should not be fed to your bearded dragon exclusively. The main reason is because mealworms have a hard chitin (exoskeleton), and too many of these can cause impaction in your bearded dragon. Like crickets, mealworms can be fed in a variety of sizes. Occasionally, you may encounter "Giant Mealworms", these mealworms are given some type of steroids to make them larger. Also, it gives the giant mealworms a thicker, harder chitin. The best time to feed all mealworms is to feed the ones that have just shed and they appear white. During this period, the underlying exoskeleton is still very soft. Therefore, they will not be as likely to impact your bearded dragon. To gut-load your mealworms, give them a slice of potato with calcium dusted on the potato. The reason for the calcium is because mealworms have a smooth exoskeleton, and if you dust them, it will just slide off the mealworms. Putting calcium on the potato ensures that necessary calcium is still present when the mealworm is fed to your bearded dragon. Also, you do not need to worry about oranges because mealworms can get the water they need from the potato.

Superworms: These are large worms that look similar to mealworms (tenebrio molitor). Do not confuse them with Giant Mealworms. Superworms are an entirely different species (zoophobus morio). Superworms are a better choice than mealworms because their chitin is thinner and softer. The only problem is, superworms are big, approximately 2", and they cannot be fed to your bearded dragon until your beardie is large enough. To gut-load your superworms, give them a slice of potato with calcium dusted on the potato for the very same reason you don't apply calcium directly to mealworms.

Wax Worms: Wax worms are considered the "Twinkies" of insects. This is because they have a high fat content. Wax worms are very addictive, so they should only be fed once or twice a week. If you feed your bearded dragon wax worms exclusively, they will ignore all the other insects you have put in with your beardie. Do not feed these exclusively because they will make your bearded dragon obese. However, they are a good choice for gravid mothers. The main reason is because the eggs producing in her, and the egg-laying process depletes much of her fat stores. Wax worms will help bring her fat stores back quickly.

Misc. insects: If you choose to collect insects, collect them in areas you know are not treated by pesticides or insectides. Bearded dragons will eat insects such as: locusts, grasshoppers, flies, moths, etc. WARNING!! NEVER feed fire flies to your bearded dragon because they are highly toxic. A single firefly will render your bearded dragon dead in a matter of minutes.

Beardie Salad: Bearded dragons should be fed a variety of greens, vegetables, and fruits daily. Greens include: kale, cilantro, mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion greens, endive, escarole, swiss chard, carrot greens, and a little broccoli. Veggies include: potato, sweet potato, carrots, butternut squash, and yellow squash. Fruits include: strawberries, blueberries, oranges (just a little), mango, papaya, kiwi, and pears. Bearded dragons love raspberries, but they should be only given as treats. Chop these up finely to the same sizes according to the rule of thumb that insects are fed. If you feed your beardie in the morning just before you leave for work/school, I recommend you chop and mix all the greens, vegetables and fruits together and refrigerate them. Scoop approximately 1/4-1/2 cup and put them in a bowl in your beardie cage every morning