HomeMade Beardie Food

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Pareeeee

Member
Hello!

I kind of invented this stuff after reading up on "Homemade Crested Gecko Diet". I thought it would be great if I could do something similar for my beardie as well, especially since she had some health issues after laying WAY too many eggs. She lost almost all of her fat reserves, and I wanted something that she would eat readily that would help her gain back some weight.

I give this Homemade Bearded Dragon food to my beardie, Auzzie. She absolutely LOVES it! I give it to her along with their regular food. Auzzie runs to the food dish, buries her face and feet in it, closes her eyes, and laps it up.The best expression of happiness I've ever seen on her face!

This is what I give her (for one dragon):
In the blender/food processor:

2 to 3 cups Leafy greens such as: Collard Greens(the best), Kale, dandelion greens or Lettuce (Romaine, NOT iceberg)
Handful of green beans. You don't really need these - I just add em for variety.
1 Carrot and/or equal amount of squash. I don't always put squash in but it's supposed to be really good for them.
Approximately 2 Tbsp of PLAIN chicken baby food - if you give your beardie insects you don't really need the chicken. (get the stuff with no spices or added flavors. Don't overdo the chicken as they don't need much)
One Banana
10tbsp PLAIN UNSWEETENED applesauce (if you can't find the unsweetened stuff just blend up some apples)
1/2 cup yogurt with active probiotic bacterial culture. I got peach. Try to get unsweetened. MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT HAVE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS IN IT. (splenda, aspartame, etc.) Reptiles cannot digest dairy unless it has probiotics in it.

Then stir in a bit of calcium/vitamin powder. Follow the instructions on the bottle how much per body weight of your reptile. (you don't need to do this if you feed your beardie vitamin dusted insects)

Pour into icecube trays, freeze, then dump all the cubes into good strong ziploc bags. This stuff will last you a good while kept in the freezer. I her give one thawed cube every day. This food is also a great way to get them to take in moisture - especially if you have a beardie that won't drink water from a dish.

DO NOT give them citrus fruits, spinach or iceberg lettuce.


Auzzie also gets a separate dish of EXO TERRA Adult Bearded Dragon dry food, along with this diet.
 

wes

Juvie Member
Thanks for sharing this! I'll have to try this. This is especially a great idea for when we go on vacation -- imagine having someone just put a thawed ice cube in for him. I might add some roaches instead of baby food, if I can stomach the thought of that.

I have a couple of questions. What is the advantage of adding yogurt? I thought that was a questionable food item.

Could I trouble you to give estimates of the amounts of each food? For instance, you wrote to add a few big spoonfuls of yogurt, but I don't know in what proportion that is to the rest of the recipe.

Thanks again!
 

Jess

Extreme Poster
Sounds good! I might have to make Wink some... He is being a picky little eater.
And I would actually reccomend using soy yogurt w/ cultures... Not dairy yogurt.
 

Pareeeee

Member
Original Poster
Yogurt is a controversial topic in the reptile world. There are so many conflicting reports about it. I have read in several places that it is safe to give them yogurt as long as you're sure it has live bacterial culture in it. Just as some lactose intolerant people can still eat probiotic yogurt since the bacteria helps them digest it. I've even heard of yogurt being a treatment for beardie gut problems.

What I always say is if you feel uncomfortable feeding dairy and want to be on the safe side, then by all means use the soy yogurt.

To be honest, I've found about an equal amount reports for and against dairy yogurt, so I really don't know what to think. :|


I have a bad habit of NOT going by recipes...so I'm not good at giving measurements. I will be making a new batch of the diet again soon - I will try to measure what I put in this time!!!!!! Will try to post back again soon.
 

Pareeeee

Member
Original Poster
PS: Also make sure you store in something freeze-proof. Putting yogurt in the freezer does not harm the acidophilus, etc. It puts them in a state of suspended animation.
 

wes

Juvie Member
Thanks for adding the amounts.

Before you posted this, I tried a mixture of dandelion greens, apple, banana and cockroach, but our beardie didn't go for it. Do beardies tend to like baby food and yogurt? I happen to have some plain yogurt (picked up by mistake). It says it has live active yogurt cultures (and lists them) but it doesn't say anything about being probiotic. Is that just a marketing term?
 

Pareeeee

Member
Original Poster
Probiotics are the 'good bacteria' in the yogurt. They include things like acidophilus, etc...
 

VogueStar

Member
Thank you so much for posting this!!! Ive just finished making about 4lb.s :eek: :shock: yes 4. <I work for a catering company so I was able to use some of our extras> I was not expecting to make so much I guess I got carried away I really hope my beardies will gobble this all up... they havent really taken a liking to finely shredded veggies. LoL We shall see!! What I used though is as follows
:mrgreen:
2 zucchini
2 Yellow Squash
15+/- baby carrots
Sum broccoli & cauliflower
A quarter of yellow bell pepper ( my beardies like it ..is it okay?)
About 1/2 a head of Green Leaf Lettuce and sum mixed greens ( no spinach or iceberg! )
A can'o'grasshoppers ... eww! >:puke:
About 30 meal worms

I know its not a perfect recipe. Iam open to suggestions
:blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5: :blob5:
I put everything in a food processor, mixed it all up and its freezing in ice trays now. What I couldnt fit into the ice trays I left in a plastic Tupperware. Iam really excited , it will be a nice break not making them salads everyday now I can just pull my ready to go salad from the freezer and its done!
:blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8: :blob8:
 

rescuebeardies

Hatchling Member
Pareeeee":1p7nscuz said:
Hello!

I kind of invented this stuff after reading up on "Homemade Crested Gecko Diet". I thought it would be great if I could do something similar for my beardie as well, especially since she had some health issues after laying WAY too many eggs. She lost almost all of her fat reserves, and I wanted something that she would eat readily that would help her gain back some weight.

I give this Homemade Bearded Dragon food to my beardie, Auzzie. She absolutely LOVES it! I give it to her along with their regular food. Auzzie runs to the food dish, buries her face and feet in it, closes her eyes, and laps it up.The best expression of happiness I've ever seen on her face!

This is what I give her (for one dragon):
In the blender/food processor:

2 to 3 cups Leafy greens such as: Collard Greens(the best), Kale, dandelion greens or Lettuce (Romaine, NOT iceberg)
Handful of green beans. You don't really need these - I just add em for variety.
1 Carrot and/or equal amount of squash. I don't always put squash in but it's supposed to be really good for them.
Approximately 2 Tbsp of PLAIN chicken baby food - if you give your beardie insects you don't really need the chicken. (get the stuff with no spices or added flavors. Don't overdo the chicken as they don't need much)
One Banana
10tbsp PLAIN UNSWEETENED applesauce (if you can't find the unsweetened stuff just blend up some apples)
1/2 cup yogurt with active probiotic bacterial culture. I got peach. Try to get unsweetened. MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT HAVE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS IN IT. (splenda, aspartame, etc.) Reptiles cannot digest dairy unless it has probiotics in it.

Then stir in a bit of calcium/vitamin powder. Follow the instructions on the bottle how much per body weight of your reptile. (you don't need to do this if you feed your beardie vitamin dusted insects)

Pour into icecube trays, freeze, then dump all the cubes into good strong ziploc bags. This stuff will last you a good while kept in the freezer. I her give one thawed cube every day. This food is also a great way to get them to take in moisture - especially if you have a beardie that won't drink water from a dish.

DO NOT give them citrus fruits, spinach or iceberg lettuce.


Auzzie also gets a separate dish of EXO TERRA Adult Bearded Dragon dry food, along with this diet.


What a cool idea. Thanks for sharing. Take care
KAREN
 

Buggsy

Gray-bearded Member
Just wanted to point out that live bacterial cultures are rubbish, its just a scam by companies to make you pay that little bit more, there have been no studies to prove bacterial cultures help protect the natural flora at all. I am a medial microbiologist and this is one of my pet peeves!

Basically the theory is that if you add some of the bacteria known to enhance the gut, there will be less stomach upsets, but the bacteria are killed by stomach acids way before they reach where they should be, they dont attach and you just poop them out.

That being said, the lower pH of yogurts may have a beneficial effect. if a bacteria (not of the normal flora) is growing rapidly the change in Ph may kill them allowing the normal bacteria to repopulate.

Sorry i just had to get that little rant out!
 

Pareeeee

Member
Original Poster
LOL. Your rant :p

Question: Then why, when I take Acidophilus capsules, does my stomach feel better? (amongst other things)


Buggsy":26lxuwbj said:
Just wanted to point out that live bacterial cultures are rubbish, its just a scam by companies to make you pay that little bit more, there have been no studies to prove bacterial cultures help protect the natural flora at all. I am a medial microbiologist and this is one of my pet peeves!

Basically the theory is that if you add some of the bacteria known to enhance the gut, there will be less stomach upsets, but the bacteria are killed by stomach acids way before they reach where they should be, they dont attach and you just poop them out.

That being said, the lower pH of yogurts may have a beneficial effect. if a bacteria (not of the normal flora) is growing rapidly the change in Ph may kill them allowing the normal bacteria to repopulate.

Sorry i just had to get that little rant out!
 

Buggsy

Gray-bearded Member
the capsules are made differently, the sugary coating is digested, and its the bacterial cell walls which are included. You immune system recognises them and you are better equipped to resist infection from that particular strain. In the end your paying money for 'live' bacteria when they just get killed off. Some studies, although limited have proven the capsules to be of some benefit, but none of the yoghurt's!
 
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