Bearded dragons can eat a variety of bugs, each with unique nutritional values. For instance, worms majorly consist of protein and fat making them suitable as appetizers, while dubia roaches and crickets are rich in protein, sodium, and calcium which help in both bone development and overall growth. As a result, it’s relevant to know what feeding earthworms hold for your pet.
Bearded dragons can only eat earthworms occasionally as they do not fulfill their dietary needs. Though earthworms are nutritious and hydrating, prolonged or excessive feeding can lead to malnutrition and other ailments.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to feed earthworms to your bearded dragon, the benefits and potential drawbacks they may have, and tips on how to find healthy and safe sorts. Let’s dive!
How to Feed Earthworms to Beardies: Dos And Don’ts
Appropriately feeding your bearded dragon earthworms is crucial to prevent health problems such as choking or parasitic infections. These issues can be life-threatening for your pet and expensive to treat. Here are the dos and don’ts of feeding earthworms to your bearded dragon.
Don’ts | Do’s |
---|---|
Feed wild-caught earthworms | Feed earthworms in bite-sized pieces |
Feeding dry earthworms | Feed occasionally to beardie |
Feeding cooked earthworms | Dust with calcium before feeding |
Feeding earthworms regularly | Gut-load earthworms to raise the nutritional value |
Rely on earthworms for calcium and hydration | Feed with other protein sources |
Don’ts (Never, Ever Do These)
- Don’t feed wild-caught earthworms: worms from your yard mostly carry parasites or harmful chemicals which can cause serious health problems to your pet.
- Don’t feed dry earthworms: dehydrated types can lead to choking and impaction. They are suitable for fish and birds, but not for bearded dragons.
- Don’t feed cooked earthworms: cooking the worms depletes the nutrient content offering little benefit to your pet. Undoubtedly, your bearded dragon may find them disgusting.
- Don’t feed earthworms regularly: treat them as occasional snacks rather than staple foods. Only provide them periodically to prevent malnutrition.
- Use earthworms for calcium or hydration: while they can provide some calcium and hydration, earthworms can’t and shouldn’t replace proper hydration or calcium supplements (view on Amazon). Always nourish your pet with a calcium-rich diet and supplement to ensure they grow healthy, and provide a water source now and then for hydration. Do not leave water bowls in the tank for too long as this can raise humidity levels. Opt for misting your pet outside the tank or soaking it in lukewarm water for 10 to 15 minutes.
Dos (What You Can & Should Do)
- Cut earthworms into bite-sized pieces: to prevent choking and indigestion, chop the worms into small pieces that fit comfortably between your pet’s eyes. While bearded dragons may seemingly swallow easily, they are prone to choking and impaction.
- Feed earthworms occasionally: regular feeding can lead to health issues (discussed later in this article). So, limit intake to once or twice a week.
- Dust earthworms with calcium supplements: enhance your beardie’s diet with calcium supplements to build a healthy skeletal structure or prevent it from weakening.
- Gut-load earthworms before feeding: ensure earthworms are well-fed with nutritious foods like fruits (which are sometimes problematic for beardies to eat directly) and vegetables before offering them to your pet to enrich their diet.
- Include earthworms in a balanced diet: always complement earthworms with staple bugs like crickets and dubias to offer a complete nutritional profile for your pet. I’ve written an article that dives deep into the dietary requirements of bearded dragons, providing all the details you need to know.

6 Benefits of Feeding Earthworms to Bearded Dragons
Adequately treating your beardie with earthworms can enhance its diet as they are:
1. High in Protein
Earthworms contain 60% to 70% protein content which makes them particularly beneficial treats for juvenile bearded dragons, who require higher protein levels for growth and development.
2. Easier to Digest
Unlike mealworms with tough exoskeletons, earthworms have a soft, permeable cuticle. This makes them easier to digest, especially for bearded dragons suffering from bloating or impaction.
3. Rich in Calcium
Earthworms are abundant in calcium due to their burrowing habits in mineral-rich soil. The calcium is integrated into their bodies, ultimately increasing their value as beardies require calcium for strong bones and overall health.
4. Good for Gut-Loading
Earthworms can serve as vehicles for delivering essential vitamins that may be problematic for bearded dragons to consume, such as some fruits. However, this may be insufficient since earthworms mostly feed on only a few decimal grams of decaying matter per day.
5. Hydrating
Comprising approximately 70% water, earthworms can help hydrate your bearded dragon, especially if it is struggling to drink water or eat its greens. A meaty hydrating treat may be more appealing and uplifting for your pet compared to soaking or misting methods, despite the latter being more effective.
6. Loaded with Vitamins
Earthworms are rich in important vitamins like Vitamins A and E, and minerals such as zinc and magnesium. These nutrients support cellular health, neurological function, and cognitive alertness, contributing to your beardie’s overall vitality.
How(Where) to Get Safe Earthworms for Your Bearded Dragon
You can get beardie-safe earthworms from your local pet store or reptile retailer that specializes in breeding feeder insects or worms. If they breed multiple species, the retailer may recommend the best type of earthworm for your pet before purchasing.
Alternatively, you can consult pet owners who foster earthworms for feeding purposes. For example, axolotl owners often breed earthworms as they’re staples similar to how bearded dragons require crickets.
Conclusively, choose the healthiest-looking worms without signs of injury, parasites, or discoloration that resemble bruising on their bodies to prevent spreading diseases to your pet. If you’re buying from an online vendor, check reviews to confirm that the seller is reputable.

Dangers of Excessively Feeding Earthworms to Bearded Dragons
Although earthworms have benefits, feeding them to your beardie can cause the following health problems:
Metabolic Bone Disease
MBD in bearded dragons may result from calcium inadequacy. Hence, beardies rely on the correct calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for proper calcium absorption as phosphorus depletes calcium availability.
Earthworms have a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 1:1.5 to 1:2.5 in contrast to the ideal ratio of 2:1. As a result, your pet may lose calcium from overfeeding on earthworms which can lead to a metabolic bone disease. While dusting the earthworms with calcium supplements might solve the mineral imbalance, it creates another problem: malnutrition.
Malnutrition
Beardies need a healthy amount of protein to grow strong. Although earthworms are proteinous, they are not the suitable type of protein required to build beneficial muscles, especially in juvenile beardies.
Younger dragons are heavily protein-reliant and will most likely be stunted or die from illnesses if they eat earthworms excessively. Meanwhile, an adult dragon may grow unhealthy fat which can lead to more health problems.
Obesity
Earthworms are high in fat which can lead to obesity in bearded dragons, especially since captive beardies are generally less active than their wild counterparts. The chunkiness may be cute, but it’s highly problematic to your pet’s respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and neurological systems. Ultimately, this reduces its quality of life and increases its mortality.
Parasitic Infections
Earthworms feed on decaying matter which are often thriving with parasites. These organisms survive within the worms and directly infest your pet and multiply. While this issue can be solved by purchasing purely bred earthworms, it doesn’t entirely eliminate the possibility of feeding your pet a parasite-infested worm.