How Long Can A Baby Bearded Dragon Go Without Eating? (6 Complete Answer)

Bearded dragons are like camels of reptiles, as they do need food, but once fed, these beardies easily survive hunger, as 50-60% of the food is reserved for fighting at least 3 to 4 days.

How long can a baby bearded dragon go without eating? A breaded dragon’s age, health, and size significantly affect its ability to withstand hunger, and many bearded dragons go without eating anything for an average of 3 to 4 days. At the same time, the fittest beardies survive for many days without eating anything.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss how long a bearded dragon can go without eating during Brumation and the main reasons it’s not eating.

Let’s start the article now.

What Is A Baby Bearded Dragon?

If you’re not a dog or a cat person and can’t take many responsibilities, there’s a perfect pet animal for you that is essentially small in size and doesn’t require much care.

We’re talking about the bearded dragon, a small dragon-shaped reptile lizard that only grows to 3 inches when born. A bearded dragon attains a length of 24 inches on average and is available for only 100 USD.

But don’t think that you own a small pet; it won’t require any care and attention. Smaller animals might have a more challenging time bringing them up than cats or dogs.

Also Read : Moose size compared to horse

What Do Baby Bearded Dragons Eat?

After owning a pet animal, the first question that comes to mind is its feeding, as food is essential for survival and bearded dragons require a specific diet during the Brumation.

During Brumation, the rapid growth requires more food to develop the organs correctly. The concern for juvenile and hatchling beardies increases, like crickets and tiny feeder insects, are their recommended diet at least three times daily.

Bearded Dragon Feeding Chart

A bearded dragon eats anything that is moving. Still, it would be best to differentiate the correct food for your beardie and only choose the following things for its rapid growth during the juvenile period.

The allowed foods for a bearded dragon are:

Insects Allowed For Bearded Dragons	Plants Safe for Bearded Dragons
Dubai Roaches	Collard Greens
Phoenix Worms	Alfalfa
Crickets	Squash
Super Worms	Mustard Greens
Butter Worms	Dandelion Greens
Meal worms	Carrots
Horn worms	Turnip Greens
Silk Worms	Bell Peppers
Wax Worms	Okra

These insects and plants are considered safe for the bearded dragons and cause no harm to them.

While you should never give some other foods to bearded dragons, which are as follows:

Prohibited Foods For Bearded Dragons : 

• Avocado
• Dairy products
• Seafood
• Poultry
• Red meat
• Wild insects
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Onion
• Rhubarb

This is the basic feeding chart for Bearded Dragon that how many meals should a bearded dragon have per day:

Bearded Dragon Feeding Chart

Age	Insects	Plants	Meals/Day
Up to 3 Months	80%	20%	5
3 to 5 Months	50%	50%	4
Six months to a Year	50%	50%	3
Up to 1.5 Years	50%	50%	2
Two years+	25%	75%	2

How Often To Feed Baby Bearded Dragon?

It would help if you were concerned about your bearded dragon’s health, as too much food can also cause complications.

It’s best to feed a bearded dragon three times a day, while the juvenile beardies must have insects as the main diet comprising 80% of the total diet. 

Let your bearded dragon east for at least 10 minutes freely with a basket full of insects. Typically, about 50 insects are recommended as a daily meal.

How Often To Feed Baby Bearded Dragon – Chart

Age	Per Day Meals	Insects Per Day
Up to 3 Months	5	50
3 to 5 Months	4	50
Six months to a Year	3	40
Up to 1.5 Years	2	35
Two years+	2	30

How Long Can A Baby Bearded Dragon Go Without Eating?

With a high need for food, a bearded dragon goes on for a perfect period. Typically, you can’t expect such a small animal to even last a day without eating any meal, but the facts are bizarre.

Two different phases for bearded dragons exist when the younger juvenile dragons go without eating for only 2 to 3 three days. At the same time, the bromating dragons can even go for months or weeks without eating anything, as bromating is the period of hibernation in winters.

In simple situations, the young beardies or the mature bearded dragons can’t survive long without food.

So it’s better not to leave your pet alone at home without giving him a planet of food or without someone who can take care of the food needs of your bearded dragon (hire a caretaker for your bearded dragon if you’re going out for more than three days).

8 Reasons Why Your Baby Bearded Dragon Isn’t Eating

Why won’t my bearded dragon eat? A lot of people report their bearded dragon not eating much because of unknown causes.

Bearded dragons require much care for feeding, as they won’t eat if not comfortable. Not all lizards are moody, but some factors might affect your bearded dragon’s appetite, such as:

1. Stress

The first and the foremost reason why is your bearded dragon isn’t eating is the stress.

Most bearded dragons aren’t comfortable when they are kept in captivity. If you have bought a new pet, that small beardy might miss its mommy and get cold and sad.

That’s why a bearded dragon doesn’t show much appetite, or sometimes, no appetite at all.

It’s important to comfort your baby dragon by buying it some toys or another bearded dragon, for it might solve the problem.

But before buying another bearded dragon, you must consider your pet’s behavior and see if it’s okay to live and share its shelter, food, and love with another bearded dragon.

2. Aging

Aging is defined as bearded dragons getting older. A bearded dragon lives for 15 years when kept in captivity, but its surrounding must be like the wild, which will eventually increase its lifespan.

As a bearded dragon ages, the appetite decreases. A young beardie who was eating 3 to 4 times a day will not be eating that much. Aged bearded dragons eat only two times a day or less.

So, at an older age, you can replace a bearded dragon’s diet with a high-energy diet that can meet its energy needs even when fed two times only.

3. Low Temperature

Reptiles have a phobia of low temperature. Bearded dragons don’t like eating in cold temperatures and restrict their motion as well.

You won’t see a bearded dragon eating much in winters or rainy seasons, as they have preserved food and water in their bodies and can go days without eating.

Temperatures lower than 10 Degrees Celsius will cause the bearded dragons to restrict eating, and you will see that they exhibit another type of behavior known as Brumation.

4. Brumation

Almost everyone is well-aware of the Brumation, which is close to hibernation.

Brumation or hibernation is the process where the reptiles can go on without eating or drinking for weeks or months until the cold, freezing season is over. The bearded dragons land into a dormant state, where they are sleeping, and external temperature will not affect them.

So, when in Brumation, a bearded dragon will not eat for six months at maximum.

5. Before Shedding

Do you know that a bearded dragon sheds its skin and renews itself like a snake? Yes! All reptiles undergo shedding. The process is sometimes called molting or sloughing.

Younger bearded dragons shed their skin 3 to 6 times a year, and during this period, they will restrain from eating. The older (adult) bearded dragons don’t eat during the shedding.

6. Constipation

Nobody likes to eat during constipation, right? Like humans, their pets can also get constipated, and during this period, you won’t see they are eating much or at all.

Constipation causes great swings in mood, or it also affects a dragon’s organ damage, which does not stimulate hunger. So, your bearded dragon will not eat during constipation, and it requires a vet visit.

Don’t be late to go to a pet if your bearded dragon is bloated or having constipation, and provide immediate vet assistance.

7. Not Getting Enough Heat and UVB

Rather than food, the most common behavior of bearded dragons or lizards is getting heat by bathing in the sun.

Sun provides heat and UVB (Ultra Violet Type-B) to the dragon lizards, and if your bearded dragon isn’t getting enough UVB light, its appetite changes. So, make sure to let your bearded dragon take a sunbathe three times a week.

Not providing enough UVB and heat to your bearded dragon also affects a bearded dragon’s ability to eat or behave normally, which could be dangerous for its health.

That’s why we never recommend you miss your baby beardies’ sunbath.

8. Don’t Like the Old Diet

The most common reason in many cases that is not seen is the diet change in bearded dragons.

Recent changes in your bearded dragon’s diet cause the beardies to refrain from eating the traditional diets. So, always make a strict diet plan for your bearded dragon, and never change the diet all of a sudden.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon Digging and Not Eating?

Digging is the process exhibited by the bearded dragons during the winters when snowfall or rainy nights cause an appreciable decrease in temperature.

The bearded dragons then start digging and go down to the earth, entrapping heat and hibernating. This process is known as Brumation, and a breaded dragon doesn’t eat during this period.

Can A Baby Bearded Dragon Go A Day without Eating?

Yes, a bearded dragon easily goes a day without eating anything.

There are two conditions for a bearded dragon to go without eating; the simple mature beardies go without eating for two to 4 four days, while the bromating beardies don’t eat anything for weeks or months.

Also Read : Are camels faster than horses?

What Do I Do If My Baby Bearded Dragon Won’t Eat?

There are certain things that you must do when your bearded dragon stops eating. 

A few of these are:

• Check the diet
• See if your beardie is sick
• Take a visit to the vet.
• Analyze the behavior
• Double-check if the bearded dragon is bromating
• Make sure to keep the tank of bearded dragon warm.

How Long Can You Leave A Baby Bearded Dragon Alone?

How long can you leave a bearded dragon unattended? Many people would love to go on trips for a week or longer time. So, in this period, you must not keep a bearded dragon alone.

If you’re going for more than three days, make sure you’re given the responsibility of providing a meal to your beardie to someone.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why Does Baby Bearded Dragon Need Heat?

Bearded dragons are reptiles that need sunbathing to regulate their body temperature. This process is known as thermoregulation.

So, sunbathing or making the bearded dragon’s tank warmer are good ways to provide heat to them.

How To Tell If A Baby Bearded Dragon Is Starving?

There are several possible symptoms to tell if your bearded dragon’s starving like:

• Black Inside of Mouth
• Cloudy/Sunken Eyes
• Dark-colored Stomach
• Loss of Appetite
• Loss of Movement
• Runny Stool

Why Is My Baby Bearded Dragon Not Eating?

Your baby bearded dragon isn’t eating because of possible causes that affect your pet’s comfort level. These reptiles love to be in their comfort zone and won’t eat if their comfort level is concerned.

Following are the reasons a bearded dragon isn’t eating:

1. Stress Aging
2. Low Temperature
3. Brumation
4. Before Shedding
5. Constipation
6. Not Getting Enough Heat and UVB
7. Don’t Like the Old Diet

When Should We Go To The Reptile Vet?

You must maintain a regular two times checkup for your bearded dragon to be healthy. The first and essential checkup necessary for your bearded dragon’s health is right when you take it home from the pet store.

Final Words

A bearded dragon is a small pet that requires a lot of feeding care. Numerous reasons cause the bearded dragons to prohibit eating.

Brumation is the main reason for bearded dragons not eating in winters to prevent low temperatures. The 2nd, 7th, and 1st reasons mentioned above are major factors for a bearded dragon not eating. Usually, it could go three days without eating in typical cases.

If your bearded dragon isn’t eating for a longer time, go to a vet, and have a detailed checkup. That was all about how long can a baby bearded dragon go without eating.