To start with, the answer is yes. Bearded dragons can eat cicadas. In fact, cicadas provide important vital elements and nutrients for bearded dragons. There have been a lot of confusion on the diet for bearded dragons. Specially what bugs can bearded dragons eat. With that being said, we will now look at more details about this specific creature as a food for bearded dragons. We will clarify all the questions that you might have regarding “can bearded dragons eat cicadas?“
If you have been following this website for at least the past couple of articles, you already know what we are all about.
If you are new, we mainly work for providing you with all the information that there is to know about Bearded Dragons.
In this article, we will discuss about can bearded Dragons eat Cicadas or not.
As being a lizard, you can expect that it can be quite ferocious and also prone to attacking and biting humans. But that is not the truth at all. In most cases, bearded Dragons are well known for their friendly attitude. And bearded Dragons respond and acknowledge to interactions and care received from its owner. Almost like a cat.
These lizards are mainly from tropical/ desert countries. This means that they have a genetic Tendency of being familiar with warm and hot tropical-like environments. That is exactly why, having a bearded dragon as a pet animal requires a proper environmental setup as well as maintaining a good enclosure.
Bearded Dragons have a versatile list of food habits which means that you have the liberty of choosing from multiple items. But being cautious in all stages of the diet chart is really important. Because they have a complicated digestive system.
Throughout this article, we will discuss several pieces of information about the dietary habit of a bearded dragon. We will also discuss commonly with understood and miss heard information regarding these animals. Information and confusions such as can bearded Dragons eat bugs or not and so on will be discussed and explained throughout this article.
Basic diet habit for bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons eat both vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. Vegetarian food include leafy greens, beans, collared greens. Non-vegetarian items include Crickets, worms, Cicadas and many more. But that doesn’t mean that they can eat anything. You need to learn properly about what bugs do bearded dragons eat.
Bearded Dragons are omnivorous. That’s the first thing to start with. Omnivorous animals eat both veg and nonveg items. This means that you can feed your better dragon with both vegetables and also meat-like items such as mice and insects.
But in most cases, this “omnivorous” term is misunderstood. It never means that you can feed almost anything to your bearded dragon not considering the amount. You might even have this question: “do bearded dragons eat other lizards” and similar other facts. Every single item in its diet list has a specific amount that should be fed. Not more and not less obviously.
In most cases, people overfeed their bearded dragon causing them to have a bad digestive system. The best diet for bearded dragons is not consistent with any single item. Rather than it is focused on several items combined. That forms a perfect nutrition list.
Just like in a previous article. We have discussed about sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are quite healthy and good for bearded Dragons. Bearded Dragons also like sweet potatoes a lot. But that doesn’t mean that you can feed your bearded dragon with an unlimited supply of sweet potatoes.
That would only create vitamin A toxicity inside the bloodstream of the bearded dragon. And in severe cases, that can also lead to the death of the animal. So, you might now understand the depth of the matter. Before feeding any sort of unknown food or anything that you haven’t fed your bearded dragon before, always consult an expert. Or you can also come to us for learning whether the item that you have is good for your pet lizard.
Can bearded dragon eat cicadas regularly?
Yes they can, but only in the prescribed amount. As over-feeding can cause harms, it is important that we are aware of what we are doing.
Cicadas are one of the most popular items in the food list for bearded dragons. They provide important nutrients and minerals as well as a balanced health.
It is one of the most common questions for bearded Dragons. Bearded Dragons can be fair to with insects and vegetables. But in the insect section, people get confused a lot. And the reason for the confusion is also quite reasonable. As there are lots of varieties of insects. It is quite hard for a person to learn whether or not a specific insect is good for the bearded dragon.
Before answering the question of can bearded Dragons eat cicadas or not, let’s take a look at the commonly fed insects to a bearded dragon.
Bearded Dragons are mostly fed with insects such as crickets, earthworms, roundworms, similar small insects. Those are mostly small, and the bearded dragon can swallow it as a whole.
In terms of cicadas, the answer is yes and no both. Yes, because you can feed bearded Dragons with cicadas. No, because it is always recommended to consult an expert before feeding any number of cicadas to a bearded dragon. That is due to the fact of the nutritious value of cicadas.
When can you find cicadas for bearded dragons?
On a natural basis, you can find cicadas probably in your backyard during the end of summer. You can also check the local pet store for possible supplies of cicadas.
At the end of the summer, we see a lot of cicadas in our neighborhood. And when we are feeding bearded Dragons with a severe amount of insects, you might think if it is safe for a bearded dragon to have cicadas and it’s that list.
During the course of time, at the end of the summer season, you are going to see lots of cicadas in your local pet stores.
They are mostly kept there for food items for different types of lizards such as snakes, bearded Dragons, other reptilian classes.
Most of the people who are resourceful enough, set up traps and proper enclosure systems for getting a handful amount of cicadas in their collection.
Even the local stores are going to be quite filled with a high amount of cicada collections. The Gators present pet owners with a nutritious food source. This source is quite important due to the variety of nutritional values. More than 100 species of cicadas can be found in just the North American region alone. And due to the season, they are quite disturbed by the sudden temperature change and they come to the surface. You could probably understand this by the sound that they make. Regarding the answer, yes you can feed bearded Dragons with cicadas.
Where can you find cicadas for bearded dragon?
You can either catch cicadas with insect traps, or you can scan a local pet store for cicadas. Either way, it does the job for you.
There are two basic ways for you to obtain a collection of cicadas for your bearded dragon. As you already have the answer to the question regarding can bearded Dragons eat cicadas or not, it is time for you to understand where you can find these insects.
In this case, the two options that we’re talking about are either making your own trap and enclosure system for cicadas. Or you can go to your local pet store to buy a collection and sometimes a jar of cicadas to be fed to your pet animals.
Can bearded dragons eat wild insects? The answer is yes, only if you know what should be fed and what shouldn’t. Insects that are prone towards leaving toxic material upon attack, should be avoided at all costs. There are some species of cicadas that have the tendency of doing such things. And that is why, just because you know that you can feed a certain insect to your bearded dragon, you shouldn’t do it right away.
In the North American region, almost all sorts of cicadas that are found are friendly to bearded Dragons. This means that if you are catching the insects by yourself, it is most likely to be friendly to be fed to your bearded dragon.
Now, how to catch and set up enclosure devices for cicadas will be discussed in a further article. For now, let’s take to the other option.
In your local pet store, you would find a jar full of cicadas in most of the seasons. And you can purchase them for a diet collection of your bearded dragon.
As bearded Dragons are to be presented with a properly distributed and all-around diet list, you can have at least 5 or 7 cicadas per day for an adult bearded dragon.
Can a baby bearded dragon eat cicadas
No, you shouldn’t do that. Baby bearded dragons have a fragile digestive system. And in most cases, if they are being fed the wrong items, the result can be quite damaging.
This insect is not to be considered a safe item for baby bearded dragons. Cicadas are comparatively harder in texture than insects. This means that if you feed a cicada to a baby bearded dragon, it might face severe injuries in the intestines.
Things that you should remember before feeding cicadas to a bearded dragon
Cicadas have higher density of some specific minerals. So be careful before feeding your beardie with unlimited cicadas.
In a general sense, bearded Dragons quite love these insects. Cicadas are one of the most favorite insects to bearded Dragons. To be honest, it’s almost like a full-on buffet for the bearded dragon when they have cicadas. In the wild environment, bearded Dragons have been eating similar insects for a long amount of time. This means, in a genetic sense, Bearded Dragons have a tendency to hunt down cicadas.
Crickets, cicadas, earthworms have been the natural food for bearded Dragons in the wilderness for a long amount of time.
Cicadas have been in the menu for a long time for bearded dragons in the wild.
On a different note, cicadas are safe for bearded dragons. The nutritious value of a cicada is quite high. It is packed with protein. So, if you want a proper supply of protein for your bearded dragon. Cicadas are the best Source. Cicadas are really one of the best treats for bearded Dragons. But there are of course, some issues that you need to keep in your mind.
Should you feed bearded dragon with Wild Cicadas?
No, that is definitely not a good thing to do.
The reason why you should avoid wild cicadas is quite simple. In the wilderness, there are lots of natural chemicals and plant extracts that can be quite toxic for a bearded dragon. And As for letting your bearded dragon hunt down wild cicadas, there is always a risk. Because you cannot be sure about where that insect has been. It might have been set on a specific leaf that might be quite toxic for your bearded dragon.
And that is exactly why letting your bearded dragon hunt down wild cicadas is always a bad idea. Even if the cicada is found on your own lawn, it should be avoided. Cause regular loans are maintained with several chemicals, pesticides, or even some form of fertilizers. Which can be dangerous for bearded Dragons. If you really want cicadas to be fair to her bearded dragon, getting it from your local pet store is the best option.
And if you live in an area that faces a severe amount of lawn maintenance and professional lawn cleaning options. You should avoid getting wild insects at all costs. Cause almost all of the insects in your area might have been contaminated with the pesticides or fertilizers that have been used for lawn maintenance purposes.
What would happen if your bearded Dragons eats toxic cicada
In most cases, cicadas are getting in contact with chemicals and pesticides that are used on public lawns. In most houses, people use professional lawn cleaning and maintenance services. Who, of course, use several different pesticides and fertilizers to make sure that the lawn is bright green with grass. If your bearded dragon consumes an insect in this class that has been contaminated with dangerous chemicals. The result can be catastrophic.
The bearded dragon can face severe issues with the digestive system. There is also a possibility that the animal might die. If you believe or think that your bearded dragon has consumed wild insects, you should always consult a vet.
If you see any sort of new or abnormal behavior in your bearded dragon, always consult a doctor. Because symptoms related to chemical intoxication can be quite similar to unusual behavior and sometimes unwillingness to eat and to move around. If a bearded dragon has swallowed any sort of insects that have been contaminated with dangerous chemicals. It is always highly recommended to consult the doctor as soon as possible. Imminent treatment is always recommended in such types of cases.
If you have a question regarding which insect can bearded Dragons eat. It is quite simple. Determining the size is easier. Bearded Dragons should never eat insects larger than the space between their eyes. This means if you measure the distance between the two eyes of a bearded dragon. You can easily get the maximum size of an insect that you can feed do it.
What if the noise of a cicada is bothering your bearded dragon?
If you know in a similar area, you already know the trouble. The immense noise from millions of cicadas moving around at the end of summer is quite unbearable for us humans.
So, we cannot even imagine the situation for bearded Dragons. If you live around one of the hotspots of this specific season, you will be in a really noisy environment.
And the noise is not just some average loud noise. It can be measured nearly 100 decibels easily. A single male cicada can be louder than your regular lawnmower.
You can now imagine how much loud that a cicada can get. But such a type of heavily loud noises, you can see your cicada getting uncomfortable with it. In this part, we will discuss how to reduce the stress of a bearded dragon for the excessive noise of a cicada.
The first thing that you can do is bundle the sweet lizard in a blanket and hold it close to you. If your bearded dragon has a tendency to like when you are holding it, this can be most useful. The next thing that you can try is to give it a bath.
As bearded Dragons are cold-blooded lizards, they have a tendency to seek heat and also to seek proper water sources. They seem to enjoy bath and bathing sessions a lot. If you are able to give it a proper bathing session with a nice warm water cover it can be really relaxing for the bearded dragon.
How to relax bearded dragon from stress
Dimming the lights and bringing some peace help the bearded dragon to reduce stress.
Just like any other lizard, Bearded Dragons are also quite on the nocturnal side. So if you can turn off the lights in your house and get a little bit of darkness around it, it can be relaxed a bit. And most of all, if your bearded dragon doesn’t like to be handled. Give it proper space. Like an animal in the exotic class, it has a really high selection of personal space. Always be aware of that.
The first thing that you can do is bundle the sweet lizard in a blanket and hold it close to you. If your bearded dragon has a tendency to like when you are holding it, this can be most useful. The next thing that you can try is to give it a bath. As bearded Dragons are cold-blooded lizards, they have a tendency to seek heat and also to seek proper water sources. They seem to enjoy bath and bathing sessions a lot. If you are able to give it a proper bathing session with a nice warm water cover it can be really relaxing for the bearded dragon.
Just like any other lizard, Bearded Dragons are also quite on the nocturnal side. So if you can turn off the lights in your house and get a little bit of darkness around it, it can be relaxed a bit. And most of all, if your bearded dragon doesn’t like to be handled. Give it proper space. Like an animal in the exotic class, it has a really high selection of personal space. Always be aware of that.
The first thing that you can do is bundle the sweet lizard in a blanket and hold it close to you. If your bearded dragon has a tendency to like when you are holding it, this can be most useful. The next thing that you can try is to give it a bath. As bearded Dragons are cold-blooded lizards, they have a tendency to seek heat and also to seek proper water sources. They seem to enjoy bath and bathing sessions a lot. If you are able to give it a proper bathing session with a nice warm water cover it can be really relaxing for the bearded dragon.
Just like any other lizard, Bearded Dragons are also quite in the nocturnal side. So if you can turn off the lights in your house and get a little bit of darkness around it, it can be relaxed a bit. And most of all, if your bearded dragon doesn’t like to be handled. Give it proper space. Like an animal in the exotic class, it has a really high selection of personal space. Always be aware of that.
FAQ
Can I feed my bearded Dragons any insect that I want?
How should I determine the size of the insect for my bearded dragon?
Can I hold my bearded dragon while feeding it?
What if my bearded dragon eats a toxic cicada?
Where can I find insects for my bearded dragon?
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed about can bearded dragons eat cicadas. The straight answer is yes, they can. But just like any other item in the food list for a bearded dragon, you should always avoid making any sudden decisions without consulting properly.
Just like humans or any other living creature, bearded Dragons have their specific set of nutrition requirements. If you are overfeeding it or underfeeding it, both can lead to damage to the health of the animal. If you have any questions or confusion regarding what should be fed, you can always call upon an expert. And also on this website, there is several information that has been already posted. And not to mention the future times where there will be more discussions on expert material for bearded dragon owning. If you have any questions regarding any of the information or if you seek any further information in any specific sector, let us know via the comment section. You can also reach out directly to us with the contact information given below.
Remember, getting any pet animal also means taking responsibility for the being regarding its survival. You need to be cautious and also attentive to what the creature needs from you. Overdoing or underdoing in any sector can cause damage. But on another hand, it is quite easy to have a bearded dragon as a pet animal.