Pets have an essential role in an owner’s life. Being an owner, you have the dual responsibility of taking care of your pet and keeping check and balance on their diet not to cause any disease. They are your loved ones, and they need your extra care like your own relatives. If you’re wondering if bearded dragons eat mealworms, so don’t worry. You can feed mealworms to your breaded dragons twice a month as a treat because mealworms are a good source of protein for bearded goons. Still, unfortunately, they have a high portion of fat among them, which is almost 19%, and their hard-shell makes them impossible to digest sometimes.
How many Mealworms to feed a Bearded Dragon?
Well, if you are wondering how much you should feed mealworms to your bearded dragon, then it can be varied according to the age and size of the bearded dragon. For example, the number of mealworms for babies is different from adult ones. This theory we’ll discuss later. Mealworms can be fed on alternative days or once a week according to the age of the baby dragons because mealworms are high in fat, and they can cause obesity to bearded dragons. Also, mealworms have an external shell, challenging for a bearded dragon to swallow. Therefore, we should care while feeding our bearded dragons mealworms.
Mealworms in Bearded Dragons Diet
Mealworms are a good source of protein, but if we feed them every day to Bearded Dragons, then a high amount of fat and their sharp shells can be trouble for bearded dragons. But if you are providing once in a week or sparingly, then it can be a good provider of protein for your bearded dragon.
Nutritional value of Mealworms
Here we will disclose the nutritional value of mealworms per 100 grams so that you can assume whether mealworms are suitable for your bearded dragons or not
Fat 13%
Moisture 61%
protein 20%
fibre 2%
B carotene
vitamin B 12
phosphorus 1:7
Can bearded baby dragons eat mealworms?
Well, we all know that a bearded baby dragon diet depends 75% on protein and 20% on veggies while 5 to 10% on the fruit. But in the case of mealworms, the diet varies for Bearded Dragons because mealworms have external hard shells, which is dangerous for baby bearded dragons. Therefore, if you forcefully feed mealworms to your baby Bearded Dragons, it may cause damage to their digestive tract. Also, baby Bearded Dragons can digest such harsh shells despite high protein. Also, if baby beardies consume mealworms every day, the high fat of mealworms will make them obese soon, which I am not good at all. Therefore, it is better to give Ricketts and other small insects to baby Bearded Dragons rather than mealworms which are larger and may cause trouble in future.
Can adult bearded dragon eat mealworms?
Adult bearded dragons have 20% protein, which differs from the baby’s diet. Also, adult bearded dragons have 75% vegetables and 10 to 15% fruits. But in the case of mealworms, we can’t feed a large number of mealworms to adult bearded dragons. The first reason is the high amount of fat among mealworms may cause improper digestion and fat tissues in the bearded dragon. Also, due to their hard shells, adult bearded dragons can’t digest these mealworms. Therefore, it is better to feed once a week to bearded dragons. One more thing, adult bearded dragons don’t need more protein; therefore, feeding mealworms to them will not be beneficial.
Health benefits of Mealworms for Bearded Dragons
If we look at the article mentioned above, we can assume that mealworms are not so suitable for bearded dragons because of their fat and hard shells, but they are a good source of protein. So, if you are feeding mealworms once a week to your bearded dragons, they can cover up the required amount of protein.
Health concerns of Mealworms for bearded dragons
Although mealworms are high in protein, still they are not considered as suitable for bearded dragons as other insects because the first reason mealworms are prohibited from the bearded baby dragon is they can cause choking and impaction, some time to our bearded dragons because babies bearded dragons have a small stomach and can’t engulf more giant insects. Also, mealworms can cause constipation and other health issues due to improper digestion to bearded dragons of both ages. A proper and balanced diet plays a vital role in the growth of bearded dragons; therefore, always prefer that food that can benefit your lovely pets.
How many mealworms to feed per day to bearded dragons?
Well, suppose you want to feed mealworms to your giant dragons. In that case, it is better to give them a treat once a week or twice a month because many mealworms in the Bearded Dragons diet may cause an extra level of fat and imbalance the digestive system, leading to health issues and maybe fatal in case of seriousness. Also, mealworms are not so suitable for bearded dragons as other insects, so you can give alternative insects to your bed to overcome their need for protein.
Conclusion
We can conclude that despite having high protein among them, mealworms can’t be good enough for bearded dragons. The fat ration and hard shells make mealworms vulnerable to bearded dragons. You can choose alternative ways to feed protein to your bearded dragon, i.e. rickets, cockroaches, larva etc.