Can Bearded Dragons Eat Flies? Benefits, Risks & How to Feed

Many of us don’t like flies, and their continuous buzzing irritates everyone. Most of the time, we try to kill them with various equipment like coils, sprays, and sometimes electric shocks. Still, flies are increasing day by day. Flies are undoubtedly carriers of diseases; they sit in unhygienic places and carry diseases.

However, flies can be a tasty snack for bearded dragons. Yes, flies that humans never like can be treated as food items by bearded dragons.

Many beardie owners have doubts that can bearded dragons eat flies, will feeding flies be a safe option for them to eat? Although, flies are a safe option if eaten in a particular quantity. There are many varieties of flies in the world, and only some files are safe for beardies to consume. Let’s see how flies can be a food item for beardies.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Flies?

Flies are safe for beardies to eat and can be given to beardies as a snack. 

Though, flies are not providing any nutrition as compared to other bugs. Worms are better than flies in terms of nutrition count. Flies will surely not hurt beardies, but only some varieties of flies are safe to consume. Household flies are okay to feed to beardies. 

How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Flies?

It is good to offer flies the diet twice or thrice a week to give your beardie a balanced diet. Adding insects to beardies’ diet is not sufficient for them as flies are not nutritious enough to provide a healthy diet to beardies. Adding them as a snack with veggies can be a better option. Since Bearded dragons are omnivore animals, they need an 80% meat diet and the rest 20% veggies.

However, fruit flies are a better option than any fly as they can make a balanced diet up to some extent. 

Apart from feeding a particular type of fly, feeders can also add other insects/bugs like earthworms, crickets, and grasshoppers. They not only fulfill the nutritional according to their source but also help stabilize the pet dragon’s diet.

2 Benefits of Flies for Bearded Dragons

1: Improves Moisture Count

Flies are rich in moisture. Their bodies are highly moisturizing agents making the requirement of moisture complete. Flies are wet and slippery when touched, so it clarifies that their moisture count is sufficient for beardies.

Bearded dragons usually drink a small amount of water and face severe skin issues. To avoid bacterial growth in their body, always ensure they have their water intake in a proper quantity.

2: Mood Enhancers

Feeding insects to beardies can alter their mood. Usually, food varieties are quite low for beardies as compared to humans. Feeding them the same diet every alternate day can ruin their mood. Adding live insects and bugs could be good for health and mood.

3 Risks Of Feeding Flies To Bearded Dragons 

Flies are dangerous for humans and animals, and their presence is enough to bring diseases and health complications. Flies are scavengers; they eat the dead remains of animals, causing many diseases. Several risks of feeding flies to bearded dragons include: 

1: Disease Carriers

Flies are disease carriers. They fly in search of food and sit in dirty places. Sitting causes germs to stick in their legs, transmitting them from one place to another. Also, flies are scavengers, carrying various viruses from dead bodies to food due to this issue.

2: Chances of Obesity

Insects are rich in fats and lower in other nutrients required for adequate growth in the body. Eating live flies fascinates beardies, but their addiction is enough to make them obese. 

Bugs have a very meager percentage of other vital nutrients. However, their fat count is high, which can cause beardies to become obese.

3: Making Addicted

Each beardie has different characteristics; some are playful, while others are not. To ensure a healthy lifestyle, various food items are put in to make the diet of beardies safe and healthy. Adding only insects such as beetles, earthworms, and grasshoppers is not the best option for beardies.

They can be assigned as a snack is a good option. However, it should be low in count as their addiction is toxic to beardies. If beardies only want to eat bugs, their other nutrient count will become poor.

How to Feed Flies to Your Bearded Dragons?

Bearded dragons love to eat every food item; they can grab anything and analyze it accordingly. Their long jiggly tongue helps them eat insects and whatever food is offered.

Add Some Flies to a Plate Full of Veggies

As per the experts, the best method to feed flies to beardies is mixing flies with veggies or fruits, either dead or alive; it helps them analyze the food according to their needs. If they wish to eat it, they will go ahead; otherwise, they will stop! 

If there is a chance of missing some vital nutrients, mix them in a plate or crush the nutrient tablet into powder form; sprinkle it. This way, the nutrient count can be managed up to some extent. Beardies will love to eat their food this way!

Flies Buzz

The buzzing sound attracts the mind of beardies. So, feeding live flies improves their diet’s eating habits, as flies’ movement attracts and draws the attention of beardies. It makes beardies move towards them and grabs them entirely from the source with their tongue. This way, the beardies will have some movement in their body and eat their food. Otherwise, offer them flies they can figure out on their own!

It is best to keep the beard in a separate room quite small and fill that room with flies. Beardies will use their tongue to capture the flies. Keeping your beardie indoors will save your bearded dragon from possibly ingesting a pathogen or a parasite that could do severe damage.

Conclusion

So, the answer to can bearded dragons eat flies is yes. However, flies are not the best food item to be added to the diet of beardies, but they are fine to offer as a treat or in moderation. Pet store flies are better and safe for beardies to eat. Feeders must keep an eye on beardies on whatever things they are eating. The metabolism of beardies is not strong enough to handle any food.

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