Best Feeder Insects for Bearded Dragons, Ranked
I've fed bearded dragons every common feeder insect on the market, and I'll tell you up front: most "best feeder" lists are written by people selling one product. I sell roaches, and roaches do top this list, but I'm going to be honest about every feeder here because trust matters more to me than any single order. A bearded dragon's diet should be a rotation, not a monoculture, and each feeder earns its rank on nutrition, safety, and how much it makes your life harder.
For juveniles, insects make up 70-80% of the diet, so the feeder you choose matters enormously during the growth phase. For adults, insects drop to 20-30% with greens taking over. The rankings below assume you understand that context.
How I rank feeders
I weigh four things: nutritional value (protein, fat, moisture, and the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio), safety (bite risk, chitin, impaction), convenience (smell, noise, shelf life, escape risk), and cost per actual feeding. A cheap feeder that dies in three days isn't cheap.
One accuracy note that overrides a lot of bad internet advice: nearly every feeder insect is phosphorus-heavy, meaning it has more phosphorus than calcium. Phosphorus binds calcium in the gut and works against bone health, so you dust with calcium powder regardless of feeder. The lone exception is black soldier fly larvae, which carry enough calcium of their own.
#1: Discoid roaches
Roughly 20% protein, 7% fat, 65% moisture. Discoid roaches (Blaberus discoidalis, not dubia, though dubia are nutritionally near-identical) take the top spot because they win on every axis at once. High protein, moderate fat, excellent gut-load retention, and unmatched convenience. They're quiet, odorless, can't climb smooth walls, and live for months with basic care. For Florida keepers like me, discoids are the legal go-to since dubia are banned statewide.
Best for: daily staple at every life stage, from tiny nymphs for hatchlings to large adults for full-grown dragons. The only downside is a higher unit cost than crickets, though far less die-off evens that out. You can buy them sized to your dragon from my discoid roach collection.
#2: Silkworms
About 9% protein (as-fed), 1% fat, 83% moisture. Silkworms are a premium supplemental feeder with an exceptional profile: extremely lean, very high in moisture, soft-bodied with zero chitin, and they carry the enzyme serrapeptase. Most dragons find them irresistible, and they're safe for the smallest hatchling.
Best for: supplemental feeding 2-3 times a week, picky eaters, recovering dragons, and overweight adults that need lean calories. Downsides are real cost, a short shelf life, and the need for mulberry chow.
#3: Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL)
About 17% protein, 14% fat, and the highest natural calcium of any common feeder. BSFL are the one feeder you don't have to dust, which makes them uniquely valuable against metabolic bone disease, the most common and devastating bearded dragon health problem.
Best for: regular calcium-boost feeding, especially for juveniles in rapid growth. Downsides: higher fat than roaches, small size limits their use for big adults, and some dragons find their slow movement less stimulating.
#4: Hornworms
About 9% protein, 3% fat, 85% moisture. Hornworms (Manduca sexta) are the crowd-pleasers. The bright green color and wriggling trigger an explosive feeding response, and the moisture makes them excellent for hydrating dragons that ignore water.
Best for: hydration and enrichment 1-3 times a week, and coaxing sick or stubborn dragons back onto food. Can't be a staple, they're too watery and protein-light, and they grow shockingly fast so you have to use them quickly.
#5: Superworms
About 20% protein, 18% fat, 58% moisture. Hearty and protein-rich, with enough activity to drive a strong feeding response. Easy to store at room temperature.
Best for: occasional treats for adults, 1-2 times a week, and adding weight to underweight or breeding dragons. The fat is nearly triple a roach's, so this is not a staple. Skip them entirely for dragons under six months.
#6: Mealworms
About 20% protein, 13% fat, 62% moisture. Cheap, widely available, and storable in the fridge for weeks. The protein looks fine on paper but the fat is high and the Ca:P ratio (~0.04:1) is the worst of any feeder.
Best for: an occasional adult treat or emergency backup. Not for juveniles under six months, their tough chitin is a genuine impaction risk for developing digestive systems.
#7: Crickets
About 15-21% protein, 6% fat, 73% moisture. Crickets are nutritionally adequate and have been the default for decades. But they smell within days, chirp all night, die in bulk, escape into your house, can carry parasites, and will bite your dragon if left in the enclosure overnight. They're the most annoying feeder I've ever kept.
Best for: budget keepers who don't mind maintenance, or an emergency feeder. Roaches outperform them in every practical way.
#8: Waxworms
About 14% protein, 25% fat, 58% moisture. Waxworms are junk food. Dragons love them so much that some become "addicted" and refuse healthier feeders.
Best for: a very occasional treat (once a week or less), or tempting a sick dragon to eat. Never a staple.
The ranking at a glance
| Rank | Feeder | Protein | Fat | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discoid roaches | ~20% | ~7% | Daily staple |
| 2 | Silkworms | ~9% | ~1% | Lean supplement |
| 3 | BSFL | ~17% | ~14% | Calcium boost |
| 4 | Hornworms | ~9% | ~3% | Hydration treat |
| 5 | Crickets | ~15-21% | ~6% | Budget alternative |
| 6 | Mealworms | ~20% | ~13% | Adult backup |
| 7 | Superworms | ~20% | ~18% | Occasional treat |
| 8 | Waxworms | ~14% | ~25% | Rare treat |
Building the rotation
For an adult dragon, a workable week is 3-4 roach feedings, 1-2 feedings of BSFL or silkworms, one hornworm session, and an occasional superworm or waxworm treat. Juveniles eat more often (2-3 sessions daily) and lean on smaller roach nymphs, BSFL, and small silkworms, with mealworms and superworms off the menu until six months.
The reason I push rotation so hard is bone health. Captive bearded dragons develop metabolic bone disease when their calcium intake and UVB don't keep up with growth, and the broad consensus from veterinary sources like the Merck Veterinary Manual is that varied, calcium-supplemented diets plus proper UVB are the frontline defense. For the underlying feeder-insect nutrient numbers, Finke's published analyses are the standard reference (see doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21012).
If you want the deeper numbers behind these rankings, see my discoid roach nutrition facts and the full complete bearded dragon diet guide.