Can Bearded Dragons Eat Crickets?
Yes, crickets are a staple feeder for bearded dragons. Learn correct sizing, how often to feed by age, gut loading, calcium dusting, and impaction risks.
Crickets are the original go-to feeder insect for bearded dragons, and for good reason. They are active enough to trigger a dragon's hunting instinct, easy to find at any pet store, lean, and a good size for every life stage. With proper gut loading and calcium dusting, crickets can serve as a true staple feeder from hatchling to adult.
The verdict: Excellent staple. Yes, feed crickets freely. They are a lean, reliable staple insect. The one rule that matters most is to gut load them and dust them with calcium, because crickets are naturally high in phosphorus and low in calcium.
Feed and Balance Your Crickets
Gut-loaded live crickets in the right size for your dragon's age, delivered to your door.
Dust your crickets to fix their calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and prevent metabolic bone disease.
Cricket nutrition for bearded dragons
Crickets are a lean, moderate-protein feeder. A typical adult cricket runs roughly 18 to 20 percent protein and only about 6 percent fat on a fresh weight basis, which makes them an everyday insect rather than a fattening treat. They have a thin exoskeleton, so their chitin load is moderate and easy for healthy dragons to digest compared with hard-shelled feeders.
The catch with crickets is mineral balance. Their calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is poor, often around 1 part calcium to 9 parts phosphorus. Reptiles need more calcium than phosphorus in the diet, ideally a ratio of about 1.5 or 2 to 1 in calcium's favor. You close that gap in two ways: gut loading and dusting.
| Factor | Crickets |
|---|---|
| Protein | Moderate to high (around 18 to 20 percent) |
| Fat | Low (around 6 percent) |
| Chitin | Moderate, thin exoskeleton |
| Ca:P ratio | Poor on its own (about 1:9), fix by dusting |
| Best role | Everyday staple insect |
Gut loading and dusting
Gut loading means feeding your crickets a nutritious diet for 24 to 48 hours before they go to your dragon, so the cricket itself becomes a vitamin and mineral package. Offer leafy greens, squash, carrot, and a commercial gut-load with added calcium. Hydrate the crickets with a water gel rather than an open dish they can drown in. A well-fed cricket is far more nutritious than a starved one.
Dusting means coating the crickets in supplement powder right before feeding. Place a few crickets in a bag or cup, add a pinch of calcium powder, and shake gently to give them a light coat. Growing dragons need calcium at most feedings, with calcium plus D3 and a multivitamin worked in on a schedule that fits your UVB lamp. Learn more in our feeder insects guide.
How to feed crickets safely
- Size each cricket no larger than the space between your dragon's eyes.
- Release only what your dragon will eat in a 10 to 15 minute window.
- Remove every uneaten cricket so it cannot hide or bite your dragon later.
- Dust with calcium and gut load before each feeding.
- Keep your feeder colony ventilated, fed, and hydrated so they stay alive.
How often to feed crickets by life stage
Insects make up the larger share of a young dragon's diet, so crickets feature heavily early on and taper off with age.
- Hatchlings and babies (0 to 5 months): insects roughly three to five times a day, eating as many appropriately sized crickets as they want in each short session.
- Juveniles (5 to 18 months): insects once or twice a day as greens become a bigger part of the diet.
- Adults (18 months and up): a diet that is about 80 percent greens and vegetables, with crickets and other insects offered a few times a week.
Risks to watch for
- Impaction: crickets that are too large are a leading cause of gut blockage and even temporary hind-leg paralysis in babies. Always size down when unsure.
- Metabolic bone disease: feeding undusted, poorly gut-loaded crickets long term can cause calcium deficiency and weakened bones.
- Bites and stress: loose crickets left in the enclosure can nip your dragon, especially at night.
- Escapees: crickets are noisy, smelly, and quick to escape, so a secure feeder bin matters.
A balanced bearded dragon diet is roughly 80 percent insects for babies and 80 percent leafy greens for adults. Crickets are a dependable insect staple, but variety is healthier than any single feeder, so rotate them with other gut-loaded insects. Explore the full picture on our diet hub to build a feeding plan that fits your dragon's age.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are crickets a good staple for bearded dragons?
Yes. Crickets are one of the classic staple feeders because they are lean, widely available, and dragons love to chase them. On their own their calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is poor, so the key is to gut load them well and dust them with calcium. Done right, crickets can form the backbone of a baby or juvenile dragon's insect diet.
How many crickets should a baby bearded dragon eat?
A lot. Hatchlings and babies can eat 20 to 50 appropriately sized crickets a day, split across three to five short feeding sessions of 10 to 15 minutes each. Let your dragon eat as many as it wants in that window, then remove the rest. This high insect intake fuels the rapid growth that happens in the first several months.
What size crickets are safe to feed?
Use the space between your dragon's eyes as your size guide. A cricket should be no longer than that gap. Feeding insects that are too large is a leading cause of impaction and even hind-leg paralysis in young dragons, so when in doubt, size down. Pinhead and small crickets suit babies, while adults take large crickets.
Do I need to dust crickets with calcium?
Yes. Crickets have far more phosphorus than calcium, which over time can pull calcium from your dragon's bones and cause metabolic bone disease. Lightly dust crickets with a plain calcium powder at most feedings for growing dragons, and add a calcium with D3 and a multivitamin on a schedule that matches your UVB setup.
Can I leave loose crickets in the tank overnight?
No. Uneaten crickets will hide, stress your dragon, and can actually bite a sleeping or brumating dragon, sometimes causing wounds. Always remove any crickets your dragon does not eat within the feeding window. Keeping feeders contained in a bin and only releasing what is eaten in a session prevents this problem.
Why do my crickets keep dying before I feed them?
Crickets are fragile and need ventilation, a little moisture, and food. Keep them in a ventilated bin with egg-crate cardboard for surface area, offer a water gel or moist vegetable rather than an open dish they can drown in, and feed them a quality gut-load diet. Good husbandry keeps them alive and makes them far more nutritious.
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