Can bearded dragons eat katydids? If you are feeding your bearded dragons insects, then you might as well end up asking this question.
The truth is that beardies can eat a variety of insects. But not all insects are safe for them.
So, can bearded dragons eat katydids?
Unfortunately, bearded dragons cannot eat and should not be given katydids. Katydids can be potentially poisonous to bearded dragons. As a rule of thumb, never feed bearded dragons insects caught in the wild.
I personally do not know if katydids are indeed poisonous to bearded dragons. This is because I don’t feed my beardies insects that I don’t know if they are safe or not.
But because insects caught in the wild are not suitable for bearded dragons, I strongly suggest that you stay away from katydids. Choose healthy insects instead.
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Best Insects for Bearded Dragons
As mentioned, there are a variety of healthy insects or live feeders you can offer to your beardie instead of offering katydids.
In this post, I will share with you some of the healthy insect options that I feed to my bearded dragons. There are many of them but I will only share with you a few.
The following are the best insects for bearded dragons.
Dubia Roaches
When it comes to choosing the best insects for bearded dragons, we cannot discard Dubia Roaches (click here to check dubia roaches on Amazon). These roaches are some of the best staple insects for bearded dragons.
- Approximately .75 in length, and a great choice for most reptiles including sub-adult bearded dragons, leopard geckos, crested geckos, and chameleons
- Our Medium Dubia are about the length of an adult cricket, but heavier
- All Dubia nymphs are a mix of male and female; not sexed unless otherwise specified
Dubia roaches are rich in protein and have low-fat content. The good thing about dubia roaches is that they come in different sizes depending on their age.
You can buy the perfect size for your bearded dragon. Having size choices is very important. This is because bearded dragons cannot eat insects larger than the space between their eyes.
The best thing about dubia roaches is that they:
- Are quiet and do not make any noise
- Do not smell as crickets
- Can easily be bred
- Cannot climb making them unable to escape
Another good thing about dubia roaches is its nutritional content. They contain:
- 61% moisture
- 36% protein
- 7% fat
- 2% ash
Related Article: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cockroaches?
Goliath Worms
My second recommended live insect is the Goliath Worms (click here to check goliath worms on Amazon). These worms are another great staple insect feeder for beardies.
- Hornworms are great for picky eaters and can be a good trick to get your reptile off a hunger strike
- They come in an intriguing blue/green color that is sure to catch the eye of your reptile
- They are a good treat due to their high water content which will help re-hydrate your reptile
- The 12 count hornworm cups will have enough food to grow them to their full 3”-4” length
These worms can grow so fast up to five inches in length. They are also a great source of protein. When feeding these worms, please be reminded that the distance between the eyes of your bearded dragons should be taken into consideration.
As you know, bearded dragons are prone to choking and other digestive issues when eaten large chunks of food. I only recommend feeding goliath worms to adult bearded dragons. Do not feed baby beardies goliath worms because it could cause some risks.
Goliath worms have the following nutritional content:
- 85% moisture
- 9% protein
- 3% fat
- 46.4mg of calcium
Wax Worms
My next recommendation is Wax Worms (check these worms on Amazon). However, these worms are not suitable for staple food for beardies. The reason being is that wax worms are high in fat.
- Waxworms are the larvae of wax moths with a high fat content and because of that are craved by insect eating animals
- Bearded dragons, geckos, anoles, turtles, frogs, and chameleons, salamanders, and newts all love them
- Waxworms can be stored between 55 and 60 degrees and will become dormant
- Great for feeding reptiles, birds, chickens, and for fishing
Again, I recommend that you only feed wax worms to adult bearded dragons. But make it as an occasional part of their diet. Five worms a day can be enough for adult bearded dragons. Remember that these worms are high in fat. So feeding too many of them to bearded dragons can potentially cause obesity.
Wax Worms have the following nutritional contents:
- 61% moisture
- 15% protein
- 21% fat
- 28.3mg of calcium
Crickets
Crickets are another good insect feeder for bearded dragons (click here to check crickets on Amazon). However, the only drawback of crickets is that they have hard body parts that could cause digestion difficulty in bearded dragons.
- The crickets from BuyFeederCrickets come from a farm that has been in business over 50 years
- Potatoes are included to serve as food and water in shipping
- Heat packs are included during cold weather seasons to ensure live delivery
Another challenge is storage. Keeping crickets can be difficult because they can escape. They also tend to produce noise and a bad smell.
Nutritional content of crickets:
- 69% moisture
- 21% protein
- 6% fat
- 34.5mg of calcium
Phoenix Worms
My next recommended feeder insect is Phoenix Worms (click here to check these worms on Amazon). Unlike crickets, these worms are easy to keep. They are a good source of protein and calcium too.
- Hermetia illucens or BSFL (Black Soldier Fly Larvae) is an excellent staple food for many reptiles like bearded dragons and geckos
- Great to use as a protein source for fish, birds, chickens and many other worm/grub eating pets
- They are naturally high in calcium (one of the highest on record)
- Can be stored at room temp and will keep for approx. 2+ weeks
Because of their small size, bearded dragons can easily eat them without having digestive problems.
Nutritional contents of phoenix worms are the following:
- 68% moisture
- 15.5% protein
- 8% fat
- 43mg of calcium
Butterworms
Another great worm for bearded dragons is Butterworms. Butterworms are also small sizes that are easy for bearded dragons to eat. They are a great source of protein and calcium.
The nutritional value of butterworms include the following:
- 58.5% moisture
- 16% protein
- 5% fat
- 87mg of calcium
Earthworms
Earthworms are other great options for bearded dragons. But I only recommend the cultured earthworms and not the ones that you caught in the wild. Earthworms (click here to check healthy earthworms on Amazon) are also a great source of calcium and moisture.
- Live, healthy red wiggler earthworms
- Free care and maintenance instructional sheet included
- Grown in sustainable conditions
- You will receive at least as many worms as youve ordered... and they will be alive
When purchasing earthworms, make sure that they do not have dyes in then. Stay away from any kind of chemicals.
Nutritional value of earthworms:
- 83% moisture
- 10.5% protein
- 1.6% fat
- 444mg/kg of calcium
Silkworms
Silkworms (click here to check silkworms on Amazon) are another nutritious worms you can offer to your bearded dragons. They are a very good source of protein and moisture. Aside from protein, silkworms also rich in phosphorous and calcium.
- Cup contain about 45+ silkworms
- Silkworms are the perfect staple food for most insect eating pets
- High in nutrients, packed with protein, low in fat, and easy to digest since they are soft bodied
- They are easy to keep and each cup has enough food to last a long while till they become large silkworms
Here are the nutritional contents of silkworms:
- 76% moisture
- 64% protein
- 10% fat
- 7% ash
I have a quick caveat though. When you feed worms to your bearded dragons, make sure that they are not larger than the distance between the eyes of your beardies. Always remember that bearded dragons are prone to choking and impaction.
This is the reason why I only recommend large worms for adult beardies. If you have young beardies, try to feed smaller insects. Also, be careful when feeding worms with hard body parts.
As you noticed, I did not include mealworms on the list. Well, the reason is that mealworms have a hard exoskeleton making them hard to digest. If eaten in large amounts, bearded dragons, especially the young ones could potentially suffer from impaction.
Final Thoughts on Can Bearded Dragons Eat Katydids
Bearded dragons cannot and should not eat katydids. This is because katydids are potentially poisonous to bearded dragons.
Instead of feeding katydids to your reptile, choose healthier insects. The recommended insects in this post are healthy and safe for your bearded dragons.
I hope this helps. Thank you for reading.
Related Questions
How many insects should a bearded dragon eat a day?
This depends on the size and age of bearded dragons. For juvenile bearded dragons, they can have 20 to 50 insects a day.
Can bearded dragons survive without insects?
Yes, bearded dragons can survive without insects as long as you can provide other protein sources for them. Remember that protein is a very important part of beardies’ diet and insects are good sources of protein.
Can you leave crickets in a bearded dragon cage?
No. As much as possible, do not leave crickets in the bearded dragons’ cage. Crickets may cause stress in bearded dragons when roaming in the cage.
