Can Bearded Dragons Eat Boxelder Bugs?
It is hard and fun for bearded dragon owners to try new foods for their pet beardie. “Can bearded dragons eat boxelder bugs?” There are a huge variety of food items that you can feed to your Bearded Dragon as treats and staples, but there are many other foods that should be avoided. Keeping away your bearded dragons from that food will be best for them. The first food item that you have to avoid giving your bearded dragon are wild Bugs.
Wild (caught) bugs are not safe bet for your Bearded Dragon. Bugs you caught from the yard can carry a lot of parasites and diseases that can be transmitted to your Bearded Dragon. It is very important to never give your Bearded Dragon fireflies or lightning bugs, Box elder bugs and lady bugs. All of the above mentioned bugs are said to be very toxic and fatal for Bearded Dragons.
The safe option for feeder insects for Bearded Dragon is purchasing captive feeder insects from a well known source. This will discard the chances of bearded dragons ingesting a parasite and getting sick. Here this is clear that they can’t ingest any type of wild bug because they may carry parasites. Here we are going do discuss a commonly asked question by pet owners.
The answer is very simple. No, Bearded Dragons can not eat boxelder bugs because they are very toxic to them. Boxelder bugs are said to be “sap sucking pest”. Nutritional value of boxelder bugs; why the boxelder bugs are unsafe for bearded dragons?. Boxelder bugs don’t provide any nutrients or nutritional value to bearded dragons.
Even though this bug is not dangerous it self, but these may carry diseases which could affect bearded dragon’s health and also cause serious harms – such as E. Coli (food poisoning) and salmonella bacteria present on the boxelder bugs can infect the bearded dragons if ingested. So, it is clear that you should not give boxelder bugs to Bearded Dragon. As you have read they are toxic, so should be avoided completely.
What should I do if my bearded dragon ingests a boxelder bug?
First thing you should try hard to stay your Bearded dragon away from boxelder bugs but unfortunately If this happens to your little pet then you should not waste time and take your Bearded Dragon to a veterinarian immediately. They will give a antivenin ( antitoxin to a venom) to assist treat your bearded dragon.
can the baby bearded dragons eat boxelder bugs?
No, the baby bearded dragons can not eat boxelder bugs like an adult beardie. As these wild bugs are harmful because they carry a numbers of poisons that can directly infect your baby bearded dragons. So, it is best for your baby pet to avoid this bug entirely. Another thing (vegetable) that should not be given
to your Bearded Dragon is Iceberg Lettuce. It is not harmful to your bearded dragon but it actually does not contain any nutrients for Bearded dragon. It is mostly possess water and can cause diarrhea. If only given iceberg lettuce, your bearded dragon will obtain many vitamin deficiencies that will affect the life of bearded dragons negatively. Due to these reasons, Iceberg lettuce must be avoided for the good health of your bearded dragon.
The other foods that are safe for bearded dragons
Some great food items to give your Bearded Dragon on daily basis include collard, mustard, dandelion greens, arugula, alfalfa, and squash. Some other things that can be fed two times in a week are bell peppers, kale, apples asparagus and pumpkin. You may also read: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Wasps
Safe bugs for Bearded dragons include Dubia roaches, BSFL, super worms, hornworms and crickets, and mealworms (live, frozen, or thawed). Caterpillars (live and pupae both), Grasshoppers, locusts, and mantis (live and frozen/thawed) are also safe for beardies. Dubia roaches are the best staple for Bearded dragons and possess a great amount of protein and nutrients.
There are many other items that can be given to bearded dragons that will not harm your beardie . It is very important to do a lot of research before feeding your Bearded Dragon any new food. Some of these are safe in moderate amounts and some are harmful. There are many online sources that will guide you making the best snacks for your Bearded dragons.
Conclusion:
As per the above explanation, it is concluded that boxelder bugs are totally unsafe for Bearded dragons due to the presence of parasites on it and lack of nutrients. It is harmful both for adult and baby bearded dragons. Other safe bugs you can offer to your Bearded dragons are crickets, locusts, mealworms. Caterpillars, grasshoppers, katydids and super worms.
