So can bearded dragons eat fireflies? No bearded dragons cannot eat fireflies. Indeed, fireflies also known as lighting bugs are highly toxic for your beardie.
If your bearded dragon eats even one firefly by mistake, you need to contact a vet as soon as possible.
Are fireflies toxic to lizards?
According to the ASPC Animal Poison Control Center [1], fireflies which go by the scientific name of Photinus sp. are highly toxic to lizards.
Indeed, it takes half of a firefly to kill a full-grown bearded dragon. The main toxins in lighting bugs are called lucibufagins [2].
You should avoid feeding fireflies to your lizard at all costs.
What happens if a bearded dragon eats a fly?
When you beardie eats a firefly by accident or intentionally, it will head shake and vomit.
This will progress to difficulty in breathing and eventually death. The first signs of poisoning will appear within 15 minutes to 2 hours after exposure, according to Aspcapro.org.
If you suspect that you pet has ingested a firefly, contact a vet immediately for help.
Resources
[1] ASPC Animal Poison Control Center
https://www.aspcapro.org/poison
[2] Lucibufagin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucibufagin
My name is Brad and I am the main editor of BeardieZilla.com.
The only goal of this site is quite simply to be able to help you. To help you by the means of my experiment, of the relation which I maintain with my bearded dragon as well as some of my knowledge about beardies.
I hope that you will find answers to some of your most pressing questions here.
Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the blog!
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