Live Food for Bearded Dragons: Best 5 Picks from Northampton Reptile Centre

Bearded dragons are the most popular pet lizard in the UK, and a big part of keeping them happy and healthy is getting the live food side of their diet right.

They’re a brilliant choice for new and experienced keepers alike, as their care covers a lot of the ground needed to keep more sensitive species, but they’re also extremely resilient and have a great character. 

Part of keeping a bearded dragon happy and healthy is the live food portion of their diet. Its common knowledge that dragons love their live food, but not all types are equally good for them.. Some are brilliant staples, some are best saved as treats, and a few are better avoided as a main diet. Here are our 5 picks on the best live food for bearded dragons.

1. Brown Crickets

Brown crickets are the staple of many insectivorous and omnivorous reptile diets. They're nutritious, easy to digest, widely available and very cost-effective.

This is the bread and butter live food and should be present in all reptile or exotic pet shops you might visit. We have chosen the brown over black crickets, as they tend to be a little less noisy and aggressive.

If your dragon is having a hard time hunting them or just isn’t interested, black crickets would be a great alternative. One thing to watch: crickets can burrow under food dishes and water bowls, so check the enclosure before adding more. Offer them daily for juveniles and as part of a regular varied rotation for adults.

2. Locust

Locusts are a more active, visually striking prey item and a great option to have alongside crickets. Their bright yellow and black colouration and energetic movement make them easy for the dragon to spot and chase, which can be useful if your dragon has been off its food or struggling to find its crickets. They have a similar nutritional value to crickets, though they tend to be larger and slightly less cost-effective.

We'd typically offer half a dozen at a time. If locusts work better for your dragon than crickets as a day-to-day feeder, that's absolutely fine.

3. Waxworms

Waxworms are small, pale and silky larvae that we often use as a treat for our dragons. They aren’t very big and are very easy to digest, so we will also use them if we have dragons looking a little skinny or older bearded dragons struggling to eat their normal diet.

They have a really high-fat content, which makes them a good recovery food but not a great staple diet. We would normally provide them once every week or two as a treat or to achieve a healthy weight.

You can tweezer feed wax worms to your dragon or just let the dragon go crazy on a worm dish. 6-10 per feeding would be plenty for an adult bearded dragon. Give fewer to smaller dragons, and keep them to once every week or two rather than as a daily offering.

4. Mealworms

Mealworms are commonly recommended and widely available, but they're harder to digest than most other feeders on this list, particularly for younger animals. We wouldn't use them as a main live food, but as part of a varied diet offered once or twice a week they can work well as a treat. Avoid relying on them as the primary feeder for babies or juveniles.

5. Cockroaches

Cockroaches are harder to come by, but they’re an excellent addition to a bearded dragon diet.

In-store we often use medium or large dubia roaches with our dragons when they are available. They’re extremely protein-rich and are normally a larger meal.

While they’re very nutritious, we find that their size, ease of digestion and nutrition aren’t quite as good as crickets, so we use them as part of a varied diet rather than a main diet. 

Just a few cockroaches will be a fine meal, and we would normally only provide them 1-2 times per week.

Gut-Loading and Dusting: Why It Matters

The nutritional value of your live food depends heavily on what the insects have been eating before you feed them to your dragon. Gut-loading, feeding your feeder insects a nutritious diet of leafy greens and insect food for 24 to 48 hours before offering them, passes those nutrients through to your bearded dragon. A poorly fed cricket delivers far less than a well-fed one.

Dusting is equally important. Coat your live food with calcium powder before most feeds, and include vitamin D3 and multivitamins on a regular rotation. Juveniles need calcium at most feeds given how rapidly they're growing. For further guidance on supplements, our Bearded Dragon Care Sheet covers the full routine.

Live Bearded Dragon Food from Reptile Centre

Whatever live food your dragon prefers, gut-loading and dusting before every feed makes a real difference to the nutritional value they're actually getting. Variety matters too: rotating through a few different feeders is better for long-term health than relying on one staple indefinitely.

If you have questions about your dragon's diet, supplement routine or which live food suits your animal best, get in touch with the team at Northampton Reptile Centre, call us on 01604 753823 or browse our full range of reptile supplements and live food.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best live food for a bearded dragon?

Brown crickets are the most reliable everyday staple, offering strong nutritional value, easy digestibility and good availability. For variety, locusts and waxworms are excellent additions. The key is rotating through a range of feeders rather than relying on one type.

What live food is best for baby bearded dragons?

Babies need appropriately sized prey, which means small crickets and small locusts work well. The rule of thumb is that no insect should be larger than the gap between your dragon's eyes.

Can bearded dragons eat mealworms?

Yes, but they shouldn't be a primary feeder. Mealworms are harder to digest than most other options and aren't the best choice as a staple, particularly for young dragons. Offered once or twice a week as part of a varied diet, they're fine for adults.

How do I make live food more nutritious for my bearded dragon?

Gut-load your feeder insects for 24 to 48 hours before feeding, using leafy greens and a quality insect food. Dust the insects with calcium powder before most feeds and add vitamin D3 and multivitamins on a regular rotation. These two steps make a significant difference to the nutritional value of every feed.

Do bearded dragons need live food or can they eat dried insects?

Live food is an important part of a bearded dragon's diet, especially for juveniles. The movement of live insects triggers natural hunting behaviour, which is good for both physical health and enrichment. Dried insects can supplement the diet but shouldn't replace live feeders entirely, particularly for younger animals.