Locusts and Hoppers for Bearded Dragons

Bearded dragon hoppers are the young locusts sold as feeder insects in graded sizes. They make a safe, useful food for Pogona vitticeps at every life stage.

Cultured Locusta migratoria and Schistocerca gregaria are the two species sold as hoppers in the UK and Europe. Both work well once sized correctly and gut loaded before feeding.

This guide covers what hoppers are, their nutrition, and portion sizes by age. It also covers gut loading and how locusts compare with other feeders on the full feeder insects list.

Bearded dragon hoppers: the short answer

Yes, locusts and their hopper stages make good feeders for bearded dragons. This verdict applies to cultured, farmed stock only.

Wild grasshoppers carry a real risk of pesticide residue and misidentified species. That is a separate topic, covered on the wild grasshoppers guide.

Both commercially reared species work as feeders. UK and European suppliers sell the small stage as a hopper. The full grown stage is sold as an adult locust.

What locusts and hoppers actually are

A hopper is simply an immature locust. It is wingless or short winged, and smaller than an adult insect.

Suppliers grade hoppers by age in days, or by size band. That lets a keeper match insect size to dragon size.

Farms raise both species on grain and greens under controlled conditions. That keeps the insects free of pesticide residue and parasites. Wild caught insects can carry both.

Bearded dragon hoppers reach a keeper as a farmed product, not a wild caught one. That farming is what makes them a safe default feeder.

Nutrition: protein, fat, and the calcium to phosphorus ratio

Locusts run high in protein and moderate in fat on a dry matter basis. One peer reviewed review reports Locusta migratoria adults at 55.5% to 64.9% protein by dry weight. Fat runs 18.6% to 29.6% over the same range.

The calcium side matters most for a calcium dependent reptile. Merck Veterinary Manual data lists locusts at about 0.1% calcium and 0.75% phosphorus. That is a ratio near 0.13 to 1.

That ratio is inverted, meaning phosphorus outweighs calcium by roughly seven times. Left undusted, a diet built mainly on locusts pulls calcium from a dragon’s bones over time. The result is a higher risk of metabolic bone disease.

Crickets sit at a similarly inverted ratio, near 0.23% calcium, per the same Merck data. The fix is the same for most feeder insects. Gut load and dust every insect before it goes in the enclosure, covered next.

For a closer look at that feeder on its own, see the crickets guide.

The roach figure spans three species tested together. Treat it as a wide range, not a single dubia only number. For dubia roaches specifically, see the dubia roaches guide.

Size rule and hopper sizes by age

The sizing rule holds for every feeder insect, locusts included. NC State CVM’s rule is never to feed an insect wider than the dragon’s head; the gap between the eyes is the stricter version most keepers use.

An oversized insect raises the risk of a stuck or regurgitated meal. In worse cases it can cause gut impaction.

Hatchlings and very young juveniles need the smallest hopper grade a supplier sells. That is sometimes labeled a first or second stage hopper.

As a dragon grows, move up through larger hopper grades. Adult dragons can eat full grown adult locusts.

Moving up through hopper grades this way is a common keeper standard. It follows directly from the head width rule that NC State CVM documents.

How many locusts and how often

Feeding frequency follows a dragon’s age more than the insect species offered. NC State College of Veterinary Medicine sets hatchlings under one month at two to three feedings a day.

Juveniles from one to four months eat twice a day. Dragons from four months to adulthood eat once a day. Adults eat once a day or every other day.

Applied to hoppers, that means offering small hoppers at each hatchling feeding. Offer as many as a hatchling clears in about ten to fifteen minutes. That portion is sized to appetite, not a fixed count.

For a full breakdown of amounts and timing, see the feeding schedule guide.

Juveniles and adults follow the same appetite based rule at their own feeding frequency. A portion of sized hoppers or adult locusts can stand in for any feeder offered that day.

The baby bearded dragon diet guide covers the younger end of that schedule in more depth.

Gut loading and dusting hoppers before feeding

Gut loading means feeding locusts a calcium rich diet before they become food. Their gut contents then add nutrition to the meal.

NC State CVM calls this step necessary. Dusting alone “cannot replace proper gut-loading,” in the college’s own wording.

Locusts naturally run high in phosphorus relative to calcium. Gut loading with calcium rich greens for a day or two helps close that gap. A commercial gut load product works as well.

Dust every hopper with a calcium supplement right before it goes into the enclosure. Do this at every feeding for growing dragons. Adults need dusting several times a week.

Risks with locusts and hoppers

The main risk with cultured locusts is size, not toxicity. An oversized hopper can cause choking. In a small dragon it can lead to later impaction.

The inverted calcium to phosphorus ratio is a nutrition risk, not an acute one. Skipping gut loading and dusting raises that risk over weeks and months. It rarely shows up after a single meal.

Never feed wild caught locusts or grasshoppers collected outdoors. NC State CVM warns that wild caught insects “often contain parasites.” Asked about wild grasshoppers in a LafeberVet clinical discussion, an exotic animal veterinarian said he would be hesitant unless the keeper was sure they were not a toxic species and had not been “sprayed with any sort of chemicals.”

Neither risk applies to farmed, cultured stock raised for the pet trade.

Keeping locust hoppers before feeding

Cultured hoppers typically keep for a few days in a ventilated container at room temperature. Give them fresh bran or oats, plus a piece of leafy green for moisture. Remove any dead or weak insects daily rather than leaving them in with the rest.

Locusts compared with other feeders

Locusts sit close to crickets on protein and on an inverted calcium ratio. That makes them a reasonable rotation partner for crickets, not a full replacement diet.

Rotating locusts, crickets, and roaches such as dubia spreads out any single feeder’s nutritional gaps. The full comparison across every feeder covered on this site lives on the feeder insects list. Bearded dragon hoppers earn a place in that rotation, not a spot as the only feeder offered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can bearded dragons eat locusts

Yes. Cultured locusts and their hopper stages are a safe feeder for Pogona vitticeps at any age. They must be gut loaded, dusted with calcium, and sized to the eye gap.

Are locusts good for bearded dragons

They are a solid protein source, running 55.5% to 64.9% protein by dry weight. Their natural calcium to phosphorus ratio runs inverted, at roughly 0.13 to 1. Gut loading and dusting correct that gap; the insect alone does not provide balanced nutrition.

Can baby bearded dragons eat locusts

Yes, if the hoppers offered are the smallest graded size a supplier sells. They should be no wider than the space between the hatchling’s eyes. Feed hatchlings two to three times a day at that size.

How many locusts should I feed my baby bearded dragon

Offer as many small hoppers as the hatchling clears in about ten to fifteen minutes. Use that window rather than a fixed count. Remove any hoppers left over so they do not bite the dragon overnight.

Should I give a baby bearded dragon locusts

Locusts work as a feeder from the start, so there is no need to wait. Just match the hopper size to the eye gap rule. Gut load and dust every hopper first.

How long can locust hoppers be kept before feeding them

Cultured hoppers generally keep for a few days in a ventilated container at room temperature. Give them bran or oats and a piece of fresh green for moisture. Check daily and remove any dead or weakened insects.