Live Reptile Food, Feeder Insects & Species-Specific Diets
Every reptile eats a little differently, and getting that right matters more than most new owners expect. HardyPaw carries live crickets, canned and dried feeder insects, gut-loading food, and species-specific diets for bearded dragons, leopard geckos, crested geckos, turtles, tortoises, and more.
Shop by Reptile Food Type
- Live Crickets: Banded feeder crickets in a range of sizes, from pinheads and extra-small up through adult, so you can match cricket size to your reptile's mouth.
- Cricket Care & Gut-Loading: A cricket food formula designed to keep feeder crickets alive and gut-loaded before they're fed off, boosting the nutritional value your reptile actually gets from each cricket.
- Canned & Dried Feeder Insects: Shelf-stable canned crickets, mini crickets, superworms, cockroaches, silkworms, grubs, mini mealworms, grasshoppers, snails, and dried soldier worms, plus fresh vacuum-packed crickets and dubia roaches.
- Bearded Dragon Food: Gourmet dry food formulated specifically for bearded dragons, giving you a balanced pelleted option alongside live and canned feeders.
- Gecko Food: Dedicated dry diets for leopard geckos and crested geckos, including fruit-blended crested gecko formulas.
- Turtle & Tortoise Food: An extensive range covering aquatic turtle growth, maintenance, and hatchling formulas, box turtle dry and canned wet food, sinking mud and musk turtle food, floating reptisticks, tortoise crumbles and gourmet dry food, plus turtle banquet blocks with added calcium and flower food toppers.
- Lizard & Omnivore Food: Wet food for tortoises and omnivorous lizards, along with a lizard flower food topper to add variety to an existing diet.
- Amphibian Food: Dry food for aquatic frogs, tadpoles, and newts.
- Hermit Crab & Blue Tongue Skink Food: Dedicated dry food for hermit crabs and canned wet food for blue tongue skinks and tegus.
Why Proper Reptile Nutrition Matters
Getting a reptile's diet right affects more than just its weight. Growing reptiles like juvenile bearded dragons and geckos need enough nutrients to develop properly, and a diet that's short on calcium and vitamin D3 puts reptiles at risk of metabolic bone disease, a serious condition that causes soft or deformed bones over time.
Choosing the Right Reptile Food
- Match Diet to Species Type: Insectivorous reptiles like leopard geckos and most bearded dragons need live or canned feeder insects, herbivorous species like tortoises need plant-based diets, and omnivorous species do best with a mix of both.
- Size the Feeder to the Reptile: Pinhead and extra-small crickets suit juvenile reptiles, while adult crickets are better matched to fully grown bearded dragons and larger lizards.
- Gut-Load Before Feeding: Feeder insects are only as nutritious as what they've eaten. Gut-loading crickets with a dedicated cricket food before offering them to your reptile passes along more of that nutrition.
- Don't Rely on One Food Type: Rotating between live feeders, canned insects, and a pelleted or dry diet where appropriate gives most reptiles a broader nutritional base than any single food alone.
Why Buy Reptile Food from HardyPaw?
- Wide Variety: From live crickets and canned feeder insects to species-specific diets for bearded dragons, geckos, turtles, and tortoises, all in one place.
- Trusted Brands: We carry Zoo Med, Ovipost, Fluker's, and TetraFauna, established names in reptile care.
- Competitive Pricing: Fair pricing on the feeders and diets you'll be restocking regularly.
- Fast Delivery: Order online and get your reptile food shipped quickly.
- Expert Advice: Not sure what your reptile needs? Our team can help you figure out the right diet and feeding schedule.
FAQs About Reptile Food
Q1: What size crickets should I feed my bearded dragon?
Ans: It depends on age. Juveniles do best with pinhead or extra-small crickets, while adult bearded dragons can handle medium to large crickets. As a rough guide, the cricket shouldn't be wider than the space between your reptile's eyes.
Q2: Why do I need to gut-load crickets before feeding them?
Ans: Crickets pass along whatever nutrition they've eaten to the reptile that eats them. Feeding crickets a dedicated gut-load formula before offering them boosts the nutritional value your reptile actually gets from each feeder.
Q3: Can I feed my reptile only canned or dried insects?
Ans: Canned and dried feeders are a convenient supplement, but many reptiles do best with a mix of live feeders and canned or dry options rather than relying on just one format long-term.
Q4: What's the difference between bearded dragon food and general lizard food?
Ans: Bearded dragon-specific formulas are built around what bearded dragons actually need nutritionally, while general lizard or omnivore diets are formulated more broadly. Species-specific food is generally the safer default.
Q5: Why do turtles and tortoises need different food from each other?
Ans: Most tortoises are herbivorous and need plant-based, high-fiber diets, while many turtles are omnivorous and benefit from a mix of pellets, protein-rich treats, and plant matter. That's why HardyPaw carries separate formulas for each.
Q6: How often should I feed my reptile?
Ans: It varies by species and age. Juvenile reptiles like young bearded dragons typically need daily feeding, while many adult reptiles eat less frequently. Checking species-specific guidance is worth doing.