Insect prey is a vital component of a bearded dragon’s diet. The biggest problem with insect feeders is they do not contain all the nutrients a bearded dragon needs just on their own.
Feeder insects need a boost of vitamins and minerals in order to supply them to your bearded dragon during feedings. Supplying your feeder insects with valuable nutrients is called gut loading.
By gut loading insect feeders for a bearded dragon, you are greatly increasing its nutrient intake of essential vitamins and minerals.
How To Gut Load Feeder Insects
The top feeder insects for bearded dragons are crickets and mealworms. Both of these insects can be gut loaded.
You gut load them by, first, keeping them in a separate container where the floor is covered with tropical fish food, moisten dry puppy food, instant baby food, or moistened commercial lizard pellets.
There are also commercial gut load products available specifically for gut loading feeder insects. Fluker’s High Calcium Cricket Feed and JurassiDiet Cricket Gut Load are two excellent choices for gut loading insects.
As soon as the crickets are introduced into the food-filled container you will noticed them feasting on the morsels.
Place small pieces of raw vegetables, such as carrots and sweet potatoes, as a water source. Orange slices can also be added as a water source and for a boost of vitamin C.
Vitamin and mineral supplements specifically made for lizards can also be sprinkled into the gut load mixture.
Never placing a water dish in the crickets’ housing because they will climb in and drown, therefore wasting good bearded dragon food (and your money).
Let the feeders divulge on the food for about 48 hours before giving them to your bearded dragon. This will give them plenty of time to become fully packed with all the nutrients your bearded dragon needs.
Feeding gut loaded feeders to baby and sick bearded dragons can make a significant different in the growth and recovery rates of them.
Gut loading is an ideal way to ensure your bearded dragon gets all the vitamins and minerals for a long and healthy life.
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Jim Patrick says
November 16, 2015 at 5:19 pmHi
I am gut loading my dubia roaches with potato,collar greens,& honey nut Cheerios is this okay for my bearded dragon
Thank you
Jim patrick
Josh says
April 14, 2016 at 5:49 pmI have a juvenile beardie at about 7″ long. I’m wondering if gut loading will be enough. i have tried many different greens but she doesn’t seem interested in any of them. I looked up lists of safe veggies and she’s not impressed. I’ve tried not feeding her crickets for a day and she still woudn’t touch them. I’ve given up on feeding her veggies for now, but i’m gut loading with a commercial gutload product and i’m putting little bits of squash in there.
Becky says
December 17, 2018 at 5:45 pmJuvenile Bearded dragons eat 20% of veggies and 80% insects. Just keep the veggies available and fresh. You can also gut load your crickets with veggies as well and that will help keep your beardie healthy.
Scott says
April 3, 2019 at 11:26 pmReally need change your post. Feeding oranges or citrus to feeders are fine but then they shouldn’t be fed to bearded dragons for 48 hours its poisonous to them even when gut loading . Also dog and cat foods are not recommended as their high in protien and fat which can cause fatty liver disease amd make bearded dragon sick.