Some bearded dragon owners may question whether their pets can aid with fly prevention. Although it’s handy that bearded dragons will eat just about everything, this trait also means they can’t distinguish between healthy and unhealthy foods. It is your responsibility as their caretaker and owner to explain the difference to them.
Understanding the differences between wild and commercially available flies is crucial for the health of your bearded dragon. Your bearded dragon depends on you to provide it the food and care it needs to live and develop, therefore you should constantly prioritize its needs.
Is it possible for Bearded Dragons to consume house flies?
Although house flies do provide some nutrition for bearded dragons, they aren’t the ideal choice for your pet.
House flies tend to congregate around stinky things like manure, rotting vegetation, and dead animals. They have been related to over a hundred different illnesses.
There is little advantage to feeding house flies to your bearded dragons and a high danger of illness.
Bearded dragons may safely consume house flies, although they provide very little in the way of nutrients when compared to more desirable insects. Store-bought flies are OK to use, but you should never expose yourself to wild flies.
House flies are a nuisance, but you shouldn’t try to rid yourself of them by feeding them to your bearded dragon (s). Your bearded dragon would be better off without the bad diet, illnesses, and feeding habits associated with house flies.
Instead of feeding your bearded dragon house flies, you should look into the better choices available at a pet or reptile shop. Discover the reasons why house flies are so detrimental to your bearded dragon’s health.
1. Why Avoid Wild Flies?
Flies feed on decaying matter. They feed on whatever is discarded.
If you’ve ever come across a dead animal on the side of the road or a mound of dog or other animal feces, you’ve probably seen a fly or two or three walking over the item.
The fly’s behavior is natural and expected. Yet, none of us would touch any of these items with our own hands, and we certainly wouldn’t allow our bearded dragon approach them.
And remember, flies have no place in homes or restaurants. Flypaper, professional exterminators, and good ol’ fashioned fly swatters are all tools people employ to combat the pests. The idea is that you may find them in stinky or otherwise dirty environments because they are unsanitary.
In conclusion? Wild flies are filthy animals that scurry about in filth and feed on decaying matter. Because of this, they are not something I would suggest giving to your bearded dragon.
2. Can Flies Carry Disease?
Indeed, that is the case. There is one another reason why you shouldn’t feed your bearded dragon flies caught in your own home or neighborhood.
Around 200 diseases and parasites are transmitted to humans by several kinds of flies, including house flies, cluster flies, and stable flies.
Trash cans, decaying animal carcasses, feces, dung, stale food, and other unappetizing surfaces attract flies. Flies may transmit a wide variety of illnesses, including typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.
It just takes a house fly a few seconds to infect your bearded dragon with its pathogens. (Yuck!) They don’t only drop off a lot of germs, they puke and poop right where they eat.
3. Keep Your Home Clean (Don’t Give Wild Flies A Chance)
It’s important to maintain cleanliness for the welfare of your bearded dragon and your loved ones.
Here are some suggestions for maintaining a fly-free house and bearded dragon enclosure:
- Always remember to clean the bearded dragon’s enclosure on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. If you are unable to do so, you should enlist the aid of a close friend or relative.
- After your bearded dragon has finished eating his or her vegetables and fruits, immediately take them away.
- Keep all of the drains in your house tidy.
- Garbage cans should be kept concealed.
- Keep flies out of your bearded dragon’s cage by installing a mesh screen over the top.
- To keep the bugs outside where they belong, you should screen your windows and doors or keep them closed.
- Make it a habit to clean up after yourself after each meal, put away dirty dishes right away, and sweep the floor afterward so that food scraps don’t become scattered about the place.
- Whether you have a dog, a cat, a reptile, or anything in between, you must ensure that its waste is properly disposed of.
Bearded dragon hygiene basics like keeping your living space clean and tidy may go a long way toward ensuring the health of you and your loved ones.
4. What Can Bearded Dragons Eat Instead Of Flies?
Keeping your bearded dragon entertained may be a challenge, and you may be at a loss for ideas. For all, you may have thought of letting him hunt for flies outdoors or in your room so that he may experience the thrill of the chase in the same way he did back in the wild.
The good news is that there are many of alternatives to feeding your bearded dragon the same old boring food all the time.
For beardies, how are house flies harmful?
House flies may transmit illnesses to your bearded dragon, so keeping your pet away from them is important.
Find out where the house flies are coming from and get rid of them so they don’t end up in your bearded dragons’ food.
If you have bearded dragons, you should probably alter their diet since maggots are just as hazardous as house flies.
What’s the point of avoiding wild flies?
Waste is fly food. They subsist on the waste products of other species.
If you’re out on a walk and chance to come across a dead animal, you’ve undoubtedly seen at least one fly, if not more, casually cruising over an item.
The fly is capable of doing this with ease. But, we would never put our bearded dragon in danger by exposing it to any of these things.
Keep in mind that flies are not acceptable in homes or restaurants. Flypaper, exterminators, and the time-honored fly swatter are just some of the tools at your disposal for eliminating pesky insects. They are dirty and should be avoided at all costs, regardless of where they may be found.
So, what did they decide? Wild flies that have been exposed to contaminated food are a typical sight throughout the city. So, for no good reason, should you feed them to your bearded dragon.
Why shouldn’t bearded dragon eat flies?
1. Insect that scavenges
The fly’s eating habits are the main reason not to give one to a bearded dragon. This bug is a natural scavenger, eating everything it finds that has gone bad. The bearded dragon won’t become sick from being bitten by a wild fly, but it will if it consumes one of the insects the fly is after.
2. Being a disease carrier
Additionally, flies have a justified bad name for spreading a broad variety of infectious illnesses due to the viruses they carry. The common house fly and the fruit fly are only two of the numerous species of insects here.
The house fly, not the mosquito, is the primary vector of disease transmission, however. House flies pick up disease-causing pathogens from damaged food, garbage, and human waste, including salmonella, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. Diseases spread by flies are just as lethal to animals as they are to humans.
3. Fewer nutritional advantages
Bearded dragons are malnourished, and their owners often lose the fly that they rely on for food. A grown house fly has a protein value of 197 grams, however the fly’s body lacks other nutrients.
Bearded dragons should be fed a variety of insects, each with its own unique nutritional needs. Nutritional supplements are also recommended. Only high-protein flies purchased from a pet shop may be used. Therefore, it is never a good idea to give a bearded dragon a fly that you see flying about the neighborhood.
Are flying fruit flies safe for bearded dragons to consume?
In a word, yeah.
Bearded dragons may get parasites from the insects you feed them.
Hence, pet owners may give their pets fruit flies that can’t fly at their own peril. If you’re unsure about whether or not you should eat this, don’t.
You may play it safe by getting some from a pet shop.
Find Out Where the Fly Came From
Flies are insects, but not all flies are created equal.
Flies in house
House flies with hairy bodies are drawn to manure and rotting fruit. Disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria, fungus, viruses, and nematodes, may all be transmitted by flies.
There’s no way I want my pet dragon ingesting any of those viruses, and I’m not even an entomologist (an specialist on insects). Canned Dubia roaches are an excellent, risk-free choice for feeding your reptile.
Flies purchased at the store
It’s safe to believe that commercially available flies have been raised under sanitary conditions. The lack of filth in this area should keep the bearded dragons free of annoying insects.
A bearded dragon can, technically, consume a store-bought fly, but this is not ideal. Feeding flies to our dragons is illogical since they have minimal nutritional value.
Flies that have been caught in the wild.
Scavenger insects, like flies, feed on rotting matter. The germs, parasites, and nematodes found in things like roadkill and animal excrement might be dangerous to our dragon’s health.
Insects and fruit flies
Bearded dragons thrive on insects, so don’t forget to include them in their diet. Bearded dragon hatchlings, who are most likely to associate fruit flies with food, benefit greatly from this. The fruit flies may be “gut-loaded,” or given a large quantity of additional nutrients by eating a special diet. Powdered commercial supplements are also readily available at most pet stores. Spread the powder over the flies by shaking the plastic bag slightly. This provides nourishment for the flies by coating them.