What Do Lizards Eat? - PetMD

By Laurie Hess, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian Practice)

Lizards of all kinds are very popular pets, and given the variety of lizard species available today, it can be confusing to know what to feed them. Some lizards are carnivores (eat only animal products), some are herbivores (eat only vegetable and fruit) and some are omnivores (eat both meat and vegetables plus fruit). It is impossible to generalize what lizards eat, as different lizard species require different diets to be healthy.

We know that all lizards need fresh water daily, and most also need supplemental nutrients—such as calcium and vitamin D3, plus a multivitamin—the frequency of which depends on their species, age and breeding status. Typically, supplemental vitamins and minerals are provided as a powder dusted in small amounts on insects or produce, depending on the lizard’s diet. For most commonly kept captive lizards, calcium without added vitamin D3 should be sprinkled on food every other day alternating with calcium containing vitamin D3 on the days in between. In addition, a multivitamin should be offered on food once a week. Finally, regardless of species, lizards should never be fed fire flies (also called lightning bugs), as these insects are toxic and typically kill all lizards that ingest them.

Perhaps the most commonly kept lizards today include bearded dragons, leopard geckos, and chameleons. Learn more about the feeding requirements for each species, below.

What Do Bearded Dragons Eat?

Bearded dragons are omnivores that should be a fed a mixture of fresh (rather than less-nutritious frozen or canned) produce plus live insects daily. They can have vegetables such as leafy greens, squash, carrots, peppers, broccoli, string beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, celery, cucumbers, and asparagus, with smaller amounts of fruit such as bananas, apples, pears, peaches, melon, plums, apricots, nectarines, watermelon, grapes, papaya, pineapple, and berries. Onions and garlic should be avoided. Insects they can be fed include mealworms, crickets, Dubia roaches, butterworms, hornworms, Phoenix worms, earthworms, silkworms, superworms, and waxworms (which should be fed sparingly, as they are fatty). All of these worms are available from pet stores; insects found outside or in homes should not be fed, as they may contain pesticides or other chemicals unhealthy for lizards. In general, younger, growing bearded dragons need more insects and a little less produce, while adult dragons eat more produce than insects.

Just as fresh produce is more nutritious than frozen or canned, live insects are more nutritious than dead ones, plus the movement of the insects stimulates the lizard’s instinctual hunting behavior.  All insects should be gut-loaded (fed with fortified food) so that they are nutritious for the lizard, and the lizard should be offered only enough insects that it will eat, so that left over insects trapped in the lizard’s enclosure don’t start chewing on the lizard.