Best Worms for Bearded Dragons & Reptile: Reviews & Guide 2022

There are a lot of various food items you can feed with your pet dragon, but knowing what kind of food your lizard prefer and knowing the best feeding technique will be the best way to having a healthy lizard.

Bearded dragons are omnivorous reptiles and will eat vegetables, insects, worms, and fruits. Some adult dragons may also eat pinky-sized mice, baby lizards, and anything that may seem tasty for them.

Below will be a list of some of the best worms that you can feed your pet lizard and with other additional food items other than worms.

Proper Feeding Procedure

Before I list down the best worms for bearded dragons I will first discuss the proper way of feeding them to avoid obesity and health issues.

For One Year Old and Above

For a bearded dragon that is more than a year old, its normal diet should only be 30% of insects and 70% salad. Meaning, you should feed it more often with fruits and veggies and fewer insects. When it comes to insects, they should only be fed with at least 50 roaches or crickets a week or at least 30 worms a week.

Here’s a recommended feeding schedule: One day should only consist of fruits and vegetables, one day of insects or worms, and one day of nothing.

For Less Than a Year Old

For the younger ones, its normal diet should consist of 30% salad and 70% of insects. The complete opposite of the recommended amount of food given for the adults. The appropriate amount of insects or worms should be at least 30 to 50 pieces a day. Make sure that the sizes you feed them with should be smaller than the space between the young bearded dragon’s eyes.

Young beardies that aged less than 3 months should be fed at least 3 to 5 times a day. And for those that are at least 3 to 8 months old should be fed twice a day. And above 8 months old, they should only be fed once a day.

The older the bearded dragon gets, the more they are prone to become obese. Learn more about the best diet for Bearded Dragons.

If you do not have time to prepare a fancy meal for your pet, choose from a number of processed and canned products available in here. It is a full and balanced source of nutrition for your Bearder Dragon.

Best Worms for Bearded Dragons

As most of us know, reptiles like bearded dragons will just eat any kind of moving insects that they can find. However, when it comes to people that own a reptile as a pet like you, should be responsible enough to make sure that their pets only eat safe bugs.

1. Butter worms

The butter worms are also known as trevo worms. These worms are highly nutritional for invertebrate, amphibians, and of course, reptiles.

The calcium content of this kind of worm is 43 mg or 100 grams. Most owners usually fridge the worms before feeding it to their, gut loading these worms aren’t really necessary since they are already high in calcium. But if you still prefer to gut load them, wood food like tebo trees are good.

2. Hornworms

Hornworms are large and soft-bodied caterpillars, they’re similar to silkworms but these worms have a bright green color. The worms can quickly grow for up to 4 inches long.

The worm’s bright green color can be a great stimulant of food response for those fussy eaters and reptiles who are fasting for a cause. This kind of worm is a good feeding source for your pets since it’ll hydrate and give them the nutrition they’ll need. Its nutritional contents consist of – 3.07 % Fat, 46.4mg/100mg of Calcium, 85% of Moisture, and 9% Protein.

A lot of reptile owners only give this as a treat for their pet instead of a staple food since these worms are a bit pricey than other feeding worms.

3. Mealworms

Like the two first mentioned worms, the mealworm larvae also contains a high amount of fat content that ranges from 12 to 13% and with a low amount protein, it only contains 20.3%. This is also not recommended to be the staple food of the reptile since it can lead to obesity and to a poor growth rate.

But, it can still be occasionally fed to your pets since it is a very tasty treat for them but may also lead them to get addicted to its taste. Mealworms should ONLY be fed to adult bearded dragons because the skin of the larvae is too hard for young and baby beardies.

4. Superworms

A lot of people think that mealworms and super worms are the same things, but that is not the case. Superworms have higher protein content (20%) and less fat (13%). They are just as tasty as other feeding worms but also with a lower ratio of calcium content (1:25).

However, like mealworms. Superworms should only be fed occasionally, and as a recommendation, both mealworms and superworms should only be fed once a week. The right length of worm that is to be fed to juvenile beardies should be around 1.2 to 2cm long, while for adult beardies it should be 3.8 to 6.3cm long.

5. Phoenix Worms

These kinds of worms are good for all insectivores, including bearded dragons. They also contain the perfect balance of calcium and phosphorous content that is good for your beardie’s health.

Phoenix worms are good for both young and adult bearded dragons, though you should give a higher count of worms for the adults since the worms are quite small for older beardies.

Since the worms have a low-fat content, they can be used as a staple food for your little reptile’s diet. Also, these worms don’t need to be gut loaded and can be readily eaten by your pet as soon as you take them home.

6. Silkworms

Feeding your beardies with silkworms are probably the most nutritious ones. Not only are they nutritious for your pet but they are also economical and convenient feeders.

Silkworms are also the best choice of a staple food for your bearded dragon, they have low-fat content and high nutritional value. They have the high source and perfect balance of Iron, Magnesium, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, Sodium, and Calcium.

This can also be fed to baby beardies as long as it’s no longer than the space between its eyes. They are soft, have a good taste, and easier to catch since they are worms and worms are slow movers and do not jump.

7. Wax Worms

Like some of the earlier mentioned worms, wax worms also have a high-fat content which also makes them a tasty treat for your reptile. Wax worms also have a soft body and can grow for up to 1 inch long.

I haven’t mentioned it earlier but worms that have high-fat contents are a favorite of bearded dragons, but even if they are considered as one of the best worm feeders they can only be given as treats because it can be bad for the reptile’s health if given constantly.

Since this worm has quite a big size, it can only be fed to adults. And aside from that, they are too high in fat content for the younger ones.

8. Dragonfly Larvae

Live bugs are really good for the reptiles, but canned bugs can also be good food alternatives.

Canned bugs like dragonfly larvae can also provide the same amount of nutrition that lives bugs can give. It contains high quality of ingredients like fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates.

9. Redworms/Red Wigglers

Red worms can be good for bearded dragons since it is also a good nutrition source for them. Somehow, it is also good for some sick beardies.

Since worms like these are too long, some pet owners cut it into half just so the reptile won’t a problem in consuming it. like other worms, this should only be fed occasionally.

Just a note though, don’t buy redworms that will be used as baits. As the seller for the ones that are good for reptiles.

10. Zilla Mealworm Munchies

Aside from living mealworms, packed mealworms can also be good for bearded dragons. The nutrients it provides are no different from the live ones.

Most owners prefer to feed this to their pets as snacks since they mostly prefer the live ones. Nevertheless, this is also one of the best food that you can feed to your pet beardie.

And these are the best worms that can be fed for your pet dragon. Aside from butter worms, hornworms, mealworms, super worms, phoenix worms, silkworms, and wax worms. Insects like cockroaches, crickets, locusts, and roaches are also good feeders for them. Especially roaches.

Staple Vegetables for Bearded Dragons

There are more than 50 kinds of vegetables that are safe to be eaten by your beardies. But, I would only list down half of them that can be stapled to your pet’s diet.

These are the most common staple veggies that you can feed your pet with:

• Acorn Squash
• Artichoke Heart
• Raw Asparagus
• Raw Bell Peppers
• Bok Choy
• Butternut Squash
• Raw Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Chicory
• Collard Greens
• Peeled Cucumber
• Cooked Lentils
• Endive
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mustard Greens
• Raw Okra
• Parsnips
• Radicchio
• Spaghetti Squash
• Turnip Greens
• Raw Yams
• Raw Zucchini
• Yellow Squash

Fruits that Bearded Dragons Can Eat

Also mentioned earlier in this article, bearded dragons can also eat a different kind of fruits. These reptiles are omnivorous, meaning fruits are also included in their diet.

Here’s a list of fruits that are safe to be eaten by your bearded dragon:

• Apricot
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Cherries
• Chayote
• Figs
• Cranberries
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Mangos
• Guava
• Nectarine
• Papayas
• Peaches
• Pears
• Pineapples
• Plum
• Prunes
• Raisins
• Strawberries
• Watermelon
• Kiwi
• Dates
• Melon

Plants that are Safe for Your Pet

You can also feed your pet with a few kinds of plants also, but only occasionally.

Here are some lists of safe plants:

• Carnations
• Basil
• Chives
• Clover
• Dandelion Greens
• Daylilies
• Impatiens
• Maple Leaves
• Oregano
• Mint Leaves
• Fresh Rosemary
• Rose Petals
• Fresh Thyme
• Sage

Here are other edible plants for your pet.

Foods that Should Be Avoided

The reptiles can eat anything, but not everything is safe and can be lethal for them to be eaten. So, to make sure that your pet is always healthy and stays on its proper diet, make sure that it doesn’t eat the things that are listed below:

Insects or Worms that You Caught Outside

It’s not a good idea to feed your bearded dragon with insects that you just caught outside or from your backyard. Those insects or worms could probably have parasites in them and have been exposed to insecticides or pesticides, which can be bad for your pet’s health.

Avocados

Not all fruits are safe to be eaten by your pet. Avocados are toxic to them and can be deadly when eaten, not only for your bearded dragon but also for birds.

Glowing Insects

All insects that can glow in the dark, for example, fireflies, can be lethal for both young and adult bearded dragons. Glowing insects may seem beautiful and tasty for your pets, but they do not so avoid feeding it to them.

Spinach

Spinach may be healthy but since calcium easily binds onto it, it can hard for the bearded dragon to digest it. Avoid feeding spinach to your pet.

Lettuce

Every veggie that contains the word “lettuce” in its name should be avoided. Lettuces contain a lot of water and it is not very nutritious for the reptiles.

Plants and Foods that are Poisonous for Your Bearded Dragon

Listed below are from veterinarians that should be avoided because of the plant’s toxicity:

• Buttercup
• Boxwood
• Elderberry
• Wild Daffodil
• Hydrangea
• Holly
• Ivy
• Iris
• Juniper
• Jack-In-The-Pulpit
• Oak
• Mistletoe
• Poison Oak
• Poison Ivy
• Poinsettia
• Poison Sumac
• Tobacco
• Rhododendron
• Water Hemlock
• Tulip

All of these should be avoided for the sake of your pet’s health. Not only can they be deadly, they can also be lethal to them.

Conclusion

These reptiles are really easy to take care of and can a great pet. They don’t get too large, can eat various kinds of food (though some may be picky eaters), you can play with them during the day (if the reptile trust you enough), and gentle.

They’re inexpensive and doesn’t need a lot of caring items. These animals are friendly and can be a great addition to your family.

Make sure that you properly follow its diet schedule to keep it healthy and live a longer life.