Some of the best fruits and vegetables for bearded dragons are dark green leafy vegetables. For example, beets, broccoli, and carrots are all delicious to beardies. Also try sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, and endive. Read on to find out more. Hopefully, this article will help you make the best diet choices for your beardie. And remember, beardies don’t like the same things that you do!
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Dark green leafy vegetables
Your dragon can also enjoy dandelion greens and flowers. These are both very nutritious and cheap. Also, mustard greens are high in calcium and phosphorus, and you can add them to their diet for their moisture content. However, you should avoid giving them grass, as it contains goitrogens and oxalates, which can cause digestive problems.
The best vegetables for bearded dragons are dark green leafy ones. The leafy greens are low in calories, sodium, and sugar, and can form the bulk of a daily salad. If you want to keep the greens unnoticeable to your dragon, you can combine them with other dark green vegetables. Try blending them with fruits and berries to disguise them from your bearded dragon. Experiment until you find a type of vegetable your dragon loves.
Dandelion leaves
Despite being considered a “green food,” dandelion flowers are not the best option for your beardie’s diet. Although the flower’s flavor is unique and dandelion greens are packed with healthy nutrients, cooking them can remove a significant amount of their nutrients. Additionally, dandelion flowers are notoriously unpleasant for bearded dragons, and if you try to give them a taste, they’ll probably reject them.
Dandelion flowers and leaves are edible, but don’t feed your beardie the flower’s stem. The leaves are not as nutritious as the flower’s stem, so don’t waste your time serving them whole. However, you can serve dandelion flowers and leaves as treats to your beardie. Just make sure to cut them up smaller and give them the leaves. Be sure to serve the flowers and dandelion leaves with calcium-rich greens.
Endive
One of the most common vegetables your bearded dragon may not like is endive, which is a bitter vegetable that can cause intestinal distress in some species. This vegetable is not recommended as the primary source of greens in your beardie’s diet, but it can be given occasionally to stimulate interest. It is also a source of fiber, which helps to regulate digestion and prevent constipation.
Be sure to cut the endive into smaller pieces so that your beardie will eat it. Endive has a 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio, which prevents absorption of calcium. It is also low in calories. Bell peppers, or sweet peppers, are another great veggie to offer your beardie. Depending on which type you select, they can easily be shredded and eaten by your beardie.
Escarole
While you aren’t able to give your dragon any specific fruit or vegetable, it is safe to say that you can feed your dragon many of the same vegetables that you would eat. Ideally, your beardie would get a majority of its nutrients from leafy greens like broccoli, spinach, alfalfa hay, and beet greens. Other vegetables to include in your beardie’s diet are cilantro, parsley, and red or green cabbage.
If you want to provide your beardie with a balanced diet, you can try chicory, endive, and escarole. These plants are part of the Cichorium family and contain minimal levels of phosphorous, potassium, and calcium. Despite their high levels of calcium, they’re not too high. Additionally, chicory and escarole are not high in Vitamin A or oxalate, which may limit calcium absorption.
Cilantro
Chopped cilantro is an excellent food to feed to your bearded dragon. Chopped cilantro can be fed alone or combined with other foods. You can also try to offer your beardie a couple stalks of cilantro every now and then. Be sure to thoroughly wash your cilantro before serving to your beardie. Fresh cilantro is always best. Just make sure to choose organic cilantro, as it may contain small amounts of chemicals.
A daily supply of cilantro provides your beardie with many essential vitamins, including calcium and phosphorus. The proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus is 4:1, which is the correct balance for a beardie’s diet. A poor ratio can result in metabolic bone disease, which affects the growth of bones. Caffeine is not a good source of calcium. Caffeine is bad for beardie’s teeth.
