Grasshoppers are common insects and have been famous for centuries. People eat them for their high protein content. But can bearded dragons eat grasshoppers?
It is pretty rewarding to give the maximum level of care to your beloved bearded dragon. Feeding is the primary factor to consider when caring for the beardies, and this indicates that you need to provide a suitable and healthy diet.
If you provide the best habitat for your dragon, but feeding is a problem, believe me, that such a lizard will look awful and unhappy. So, are grasshoppers considered healthy for the beardies to eat? Read on for more information.
This article has been reviewed by Dr. Dilber. Read more about our knowledge control process here.
Contents
- The Nutritional Aspect of Grasshoppers
- Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grasshoppers?
- How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grasshoppers?
- Can Bearded Dragons Eat Canned or Dried Grasshoppers?
- Is It Safe if I Let My Bearded Dragon Eat Wild Grasshoppers?
- Best Way to Prepare and Serve Grasshoppers to Bearded Dragons
- Wrapping Up
The Nutritional Aspect of Grasshoppers
We want to offer the healthiest and most delicious meals for our lizard friend from time to time. The beardies can eat a couple of insect feeders because they are omnivores.
However, not all insects are safe as some can be poisonous or don’t offer the necessary nutrient requirement. Let’s see if grasshoppers are among the foods to feed to bearded dragons, or we should keep them off from the diet.
| Nutrients | Amount/100% |
| Protein | 36% |
| Fat | 41% |
| Ash | 2.6% |
| Dietary fiber | 11% |
| Carotenoids | 900µg/100g |
| Carbohydrates | 2.5% |
| Calcium | 27.5% |
| Iron | 5% |
Grasshoppers are strongly preferred as protein source foods, but they also supply high amounts of calcium, ash, and vitamins such as A, B, and C. They also have decent levels of iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and carotenoids.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grasshoppers?
Bearded dragons can eat grasshoppers. In the wild, grasshoppers are stapled foods to the beardies, and as owners, we mimic our lizards’ habits in their natural habitats. These feeder insects provide a high amount of proteins.
Protein is a significant nutrient for our dragons, especially the young ones growing at a tremendous rate. The protein helps in growth and maintaining good health and the well-being of the beardies.
Fiber is another nutrient that is of great help to bearded dragons, and they have a high demand for it. Because of fiber, your pet will have smooth digestion and empty its bowel movement without difficulties.
However, too much fiber is not good because it tends to cause constipation and other digestive problems; hence, limiting the proportion of grasshoppers that your pet eats is paramount.
Also, letting your lizard eat grasshopper allows it to benefit from vitamins A, B, and C, and other minerals.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grasshoppers?
The way you will get upset and bored about eating the same meal daily in your life is also the same case with bearded dragons. That’s why considering giving a variety of food is pretty important at all times.
While bearded dragons have those foods that they eat regularly, such as mealworms, crickets, etc., grasshoppers are best when you feed them as a treat and occasionally. You can opt to offer them once a week, which is still okay and recommendable.
Baby bearded dragons have the greatest demand for protein in their diet, and they also tend to feed more often than adults. Protein makes up 70% of their diet, and with that, you can increase the level of grasshoppers you feed them, maybe twice per week.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Canned or Dried Grasshoppers?
Dried grasshoppers are fine if your bearded dragon will accept them. Note that not all beardies will eat what isn’t alive and moving. They enjoy hunting, and it is something given to them by nature.
However, no dragon is the same as another. Some lizards will gladly gobble up on dead hoppers or any other feeder insect. Just find out what your dragon prefers, dead or live grasshopper? But beware that dried hoppers are low in moisture.
Feeding canned foods as an alternative to the live ones is becoming popular in the captivated dragon’s life. Some dragon owners dislike the live prey’s noise and smell, making them opt for the canned prey.
But always keep in mind that live feeder insects provide optimum nutrition compared to canned or dried.
And this justifies that canned grasshoppers have a low nutritional composition. You can feed canned hoppers, but keeping them off would be the best idea.
Is It Safe if I Let My Bearded Dragon Eat Wild Grasshoppers?
When you are in the field or farm with your beloved dragon, you will realize that it is stimulated to hunt by the jumping grasshoppers. The lizard will not rest until it catches one or a few hoppers and enjoys munching on them.
You might get startled, worrying if it is safe for bearded dragons to eat wild grasshoppers. But as a dragon owner who cares much about my pet’s safety, I wouldn’t recommend you let your lizard eat wild grasshoppers.
These kinds of grasshoppers may have come into contact with chemicals like fungicides and pesticides and may also contain parasites that are harmful to the beardies. If you leave your pet to eat these hoppers, you are only risking its health.
Pet stores are famous for selling live prey for the reptiles, including mealworms, crickets, grasshoppers, etc. These are the places to buy the grasshoppers since they are safe and don’t contain any harmful substances or chemicals.
Best Way to Prepare and Serve Grasshoppers to Bearded Dragons
How to serve grasshoppers to your bearded dragons varies depending on whether you are using live or dead hoopers.
If you are dealing with the live feeders, you should take a few grasshoppers from the container and introduce them into the enclosure. Their movement will stimulate the lizard to run and catch them. This is the ideal way to feed live feeder insects.
Some people will prefer to do hand feeding, and it is also an ideal method as you get to create a strong bond with your dear pet. If you have dead feeder insects, you only need to put a couple of them in the salad bowl and give the dragons.
Because you want to provide a variety of nutrients to your lizard, it is necessary to feed other prey like crickets, black soldier fly, butterworms, Dubia roaches, etc., together with grasshoppers.
Wrapping Up
Grasshoppers are excellent foods to feed to bearded dragons as a treat. They are great feeders as they supply high amounts of protein, calcium, vitamins, fiber, and ash.
Live grasshoppers provide maximum nutrients and are ideal for feeding to bearded dragons, but you can also use dried hoppers.
Always avoid wild grasshoppers as they tend to be contaminated with chemicals and are parasite carriers. I hope you loved reading my article, and you learned a lot from it.