What to feed your Bearded Dragon? A few things to consider: Commercial diets, fruits, vegetables, and gut-loading insects. You may also want to include live feeder insects. However, be sure to clean up feces immediately. If your beardie accidentally eats feces, it can cause a medical issue. Bearded dragons don’t eat fruit in every feeding; they should only get fruit as treats.
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Vegetables
Vegetables for bearded dragons can be eaten in two forms: cooked and raw. The latter retains more nutrients. When feeding your beardie, be sure to wash the vegetables thoroughly. If you don’t have any other vegetables around the house, consider giving your beardie some free flowers. Make sure to avoid floral plants that have been treated with chemicals. Vegetables for bearded dragons can also be served as a part of a meal or a treat.
Fruit
You can give your bearded dragon some fruits on occasion, but be sure to limit the amount you feed them. Although fruit is high in sugar and oxalates, your dragon will still enjoy a piece of fruit in salad or as a dessert. If you’d like to give your dragon fruit once a week, learn your dragon’s food preferences and offer a variety of fruits. This will ensure that his diet stays well balanced.
Commercial diets
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a commercial bearded dragon diet. For starters, your lizard should be fed a variety of foods to ensure that it will thrive. You should try to provide at least 50% of its diet with moistened juvenile commercial bearded dragon food, and you should reduce vitamin supplements to a minimum. Ideally, you should feed your beardie a variety of fruits and vegetables, and a good quality commercial beardie diet will replace some of the live foods and be equally appealing to your lizard.
Gut loading insects
When it comes to feeding your beardie a high-quality diet, you need to know how to gut load insects. While you can buy commercial insect diets, it is best to make your own at home using prepared reptile foods and bee pollen. Just be sure to give your beardie enough time to gorge on the food before you remove it from the container. Gut-loading insects is a great way to increase your beardie’s calcium intake and improve its health.
Commercial diets contain oxalates
Some commercial bearded dragon diets contain oXALATES, a type of sugar that blocks absorption of calcium and other trace minerals in the body. These oxalates are especially problematic for bearded dragons that have problems with their digestive system. Additionally, such foods as Swiss chard, spinach, and beet tops are also high in oXALates. You should feed your beardie very sparingly, and consider only giving him a small portion of these foods once or twice a month.
Vegetables are devoid of nutrients
Vegetables are a valuable source of fiber and other nutrients, but should be fed in limited amounts. A good example of a vegetable that bearded dragons can eat is yellow squash. This vegetable contains adequate levels of potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C. It also tastes good to beardies, and bearded dragons tend to prefer it to other vegetables. A few other examples of vegetables include carrots and cabbage.
Mushrooms are toxic
Many people do not realize that mushrooms can actually be dangerous for a bearded dragon’s health. They are highly acidic and have an unbalanced phosphorus to calcium ratio. Bearded dragons need an appropriate amount of calcium in their diet to keep their bones strong and their blood clotting ability strong. While they may not be able to digest large amounts of mushrooms, small amounts can still be dangerous.
Cooking vegetables
When it comes to preparing bearded dragon food, a variety of different foods will provide your reptile with a variety of different nutrients. Instead of offering one specific type of vegetable, mix a variety of vegetables together to make a tasty treat for your dragon. By offering a variety of vegetables, you’ll increase your beardie’s chances of acceptance. You can even feed your beardie fruits and flowers, provided that you thoroughly wash them first. If you’re not comfortable doing so, you can also use canned mixed vegetables. Be sure to cut all vegetables in small pieces to ensure that your beardie is comfortable chewing them.
Freeze-dried mealworms
Freeze-dried mealworms for beaver food contain the same nutritional content as live mealworms but vary in moisture content. If you’re not sure whether freeze-dried mealworms are right for your bearded dragon, read on to learn more. This natural snack is safe for your bearded dragon to eat and is a great option for a healthy diet.
