Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cicadas

Bearded dragons can eat cicadas in limited amounts. The full answer to can bearded dragons eat cicadas depends on where the insect came from.

A pesticide free cicada is fine as an occasional treat. One caught on the lawn is not worth the risk. NC State College of Veterinary Medicine tells owners not to feed wild caught insects at all, because they often contain parasites.

This guide covers what a cicada actually is. It covers what the insect offers nutritionally, and why an outdoor find is riskier than a store bought feeder. It also covers size limits and what to watch for after an unplanned meal.

What Cicadas Are

Cicadas are large winged insects with a hard exoskeleton and prominent eyes. Periodical cicadas spend 13 or 17 years underground and emerge together in synchronized broods. Annual or dog day cicadas spend 2 to 5 years underground with overlapping generations, so some appear every summer.

University of Maryland Extension puts periodical emergence from around April through mid June, with adults living 2 to 6 weeks. Annual cicadas are the larger insect at 1.5 to 2 inches, brown or green. Periodical cicadas are smaller and black bodied, with red eyes and orange wing veins.

During a periodical emergence, millions can appear in one area within a few weeks.

That volume is exactly why the question comes up so often. The insects are suddenly everywhere in yards and on trees. An annual cicada found on a porch light is the same basic insect, just far fewer of them.

Cicada Nutrition

Cicadas are protein dense once past the earliest nymph stage. A peer reviewed study measured this in the cicada species Meimuna opalifera, by developmental stage. That species is native to Asia, not necessarily the cicada in a keeper’s own yard, so treat the numbers as a general cicada reference.

Protein climbs sharply after the earliest nymph stage. It roughly triples by the late nymph and adult stages. Fat drops over that same window, while fiber, mostly from the exoskeleton, is highest in the winged adult.

Are Cicadas Poisonous for Bearded Dragons

Cicadas themselves are not venomous or toxic to bearded dragons. University of Maryland Extension confirms they cannot bite or sting; the female’s ovipositor is only for laying eggs in twigs. They produce no defensive toxin the way some beetles and caterpillars do.

The same extension page still says pets should be discouraged from eating large numbers. The real danger is not the insect itself.

The danger is what a wild cicada may be carrying. An insect that fed on treated grass or a sprayed tree can carry pesticide residue on its body. A cicada also spends over a decade underground as a nymph, with a long window to pick up soil parasites.

That combination is why so many keepers ask can bearded dragons eat wild cicadas, rather than simply can bearded dragons eat cicadas. The distinction between a farmed insect and a wild one matters more than the species itself.

Why an Insect Caught Outside Is a Different Risk

NC State’s bearded dragon feeding guide is blunt: do not feed wild caught insects, as they often contain parasites.

LafeberVet, a veterinary continuing education resource, flags the same concern for any insect gathered outdoors rather than purchased. Keepers cannot know which chemicals or parasites the insect met before it reached the dragon. That applies to a cicada bearded dragon owners find on a fence post, just like any other yard insect.

The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that reptiles can pick up nonpathogenic parasite forms simply by eating prey that carried them. The parasite never establishes an infection in the reptile itself in that case. Merck also notes that reptiles can act as hosts for certain tapeworm life cycles picked up from prey.

Neither risk applies to a feeder insect raised indoors on a clean diet. Pesticide exposure is also a documented concern during a periodical cicada emergence. A university extension entomology resource notes that homeowners commonly spray pyrethroid insecticides such as permethrin against emerging cicadas, with repeat applications every few days.

Maryland Extension adds that those sprays are ineffective at reducing cicada numbers. They pose a risk to people, pets, beneficial insects and birds. The spraying happens anyway, which is the keeper’s problem.

A cicada caught near a recently treated lawn or tree should never go to a bearded dragon. If the treatment history of a yard is unknown, treat every cicada from it as unsafe.

Size and How Many Cicadas a Bearded Dragon Can Eat

A cicada’s body, wings included, is often too large for a young or small dragon. NC State’s rule for any feeder is not to offer an insect longer than the width of the dragon’s head. Many keepers narrow that to the space between the eyes for young dragons.

At 1.5 to 2 inches, an annual cicada fails the head width test for most juveniles and many adults. The wings and the hardest part of the exoskeleton add bulk without much digestible nutrition.

That bulk raises impaction risk in the same way an oversized beetle does. See the impaction guide for the broader warning signs of a blockage. Keepers who do offer a verified clean cicada usually remove the wings first.

They also offer only one or two insects at a time, never as a daily feeder. A wild cicada cannot be gut loaded for the 24 to 72 hours NC State recommends. Dusting with calcium right before offering, as Merck’s husbandry guidance advises for feeders, is the only correction available.

There is no published feeding trial that sets an exact cicada count for Pogona vitticeps. Given the size and chitin load involved, treat a cicada the same way as other large, crunchy treats such as beetles, not as a staple food.

Is There a Farmed Cicada for Feeding

Cicadas are not commercially farmed as a feeder insect the way crickets or dubia roaches are. See the feeder insects list for the staples that are actually raised for reptile diets. Because there is no clean, gut loaded cicada supply chain, every cicada a keeper can obtain has come from outside.

That gap is the main practical reason most keepers treat cicadas as a skip rather than a staple. A crunchy, protein rich treat with a known origin is easy to find elsewhere. A commercially raised feeder delivers a similar benefit without the pesticide and parasite uncertainty of a yard insect.

What to Do If a Dragon Already Ate a Wild Cicada

A single cicada from an untreated yard is unlikely to cause a problem on its own. Watch the dragon over the next day or two for vomiting, unusual lethargy, appetite loss or diarrhea. Any of those signs is a reason to call a reptile veterinarian rather than wait it out.

LafeberVet’s general reptile guidance notes a useful threshold. A dragon that has eaten reliably for most of its life, then stops eating for a couple of days with no husbandry change, warrants a veterinary evaluation. The same threshold applies after an unplanned wild insect meal.

A vet visit is also the right call if the cicada likely came from a sprayed lawn or tree. The safest path going forward is to keep wild insects out of the enclosure entirely. Rely on a known, gut loaded feeder instead.

For a full list of what is and is not safe to pick up outside, see the bugs from outside guide.

Other large or unusual treats carry their own separate risks. Caterpillars, ladybugs and frogs are each worth checking on their own, starting with the caterpillars page.

For the full picture of a bearded dragon’s regular diet, including greens, staple insects and safe treat rotation, see the complete diet guide. Cicadas fit into that plan, at most, as a rare and carefully sourced extra.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can bearded dragons eat cicadas from outside?

They can physically eat one, but an insect from outside may carry pesticide residue or parasites that a farmed feeder never encounters. Most keepers skip cicadas caught in the yard, especially during a heavy periodical emergence.

Are cicadas good for bearded dragons?

Nutritionally, adult and late stage cicadas are high in protein based on the closest available species data. The bigger factor is sourcing, since a cicada with unknown pesticide exposure outweighs the protein benefit.

How many cicadas can a bearded dragon eat?

There is no published feeding trial that sets an exact number for this species. Keepers who offer a verified clean cicada typically give a single insect, occasionally, rather than a regular portion.

Are cicadas poisonous for bearded dragons?

No, cicadas do not carry a venom or defensive toxin. The risk comes from pesticide residue, soil parasites or contaminants the insect picked up outdoors, not from the cicada’s own biology.

Can bearded dragons have cicadas during a big emergence year?

An emergence year raises the risk rather than the benefit, since homeowners commonly spray lawns and trees with insecticide during those weeks. A cicada from an untreated yard is a different case, but confirming that is often impossible.

What should I do if my dragon already ate a wild cicada?

Watch for vomiting, lethargy, appetite loss or diarrhea over the following day or two. Call a reptile veterinarian if any of those appear, or if the insect likely came from a treated lawn or tree.