feeding list for beardies (whats ok to feed them)

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leew93

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hi everyone,

im new here and hope to get my first beardie soon, ive been looking at the site and found loads of use stuff to prepare me. any i want to contribute so i found this list about what good and whats bad or our little guys and gals.
(please add any advice or other foods that you may know about hopefully this can give us a big database of foods for what is good/bad)
ENJOY!!!

In terms of vegetables and fruits remember that they will have a high water content so feed in small quantities to avoid diarrhea. If you’re keeping your beardies on soil or sand based substrate then you’ll want to feed them in a high rim bowl to stop them getting dirt over those sticky, juicy pieces of fruit! Focus more on leafy greens with occasional fruit and occaisonally use a multivitamin dusting supplement, but be careful to check what’s in it first.

Consistantly high levels of the following may cause long term health problems for your pet, so moderation is the key

Goitrogens – Inhibits intake of Iodine that then causes problems with the Thyroid Gland such as swelling
Oxalic Acid – Binds with calcium to form calcium oxalate which is fairly insoluble and stops it being absorbed
Phosphorus – Blocks intake/ conversion of calcium, for every gram of phosphorus there needs to be 2 grams of calcium
Vitamin A and D3 – Bearded dragons can potentially overdose on these unlike vitamin C, they get vitamin D3 from the UVB so you don’t want a vitamin supplement with this in.
To avoid low calcium in the diet, remember to regularly dust the insects with calcium powder.

Avoid freezing vegetables or feeding any pre-frozen vegetables as any vitamins (B1) are generally lost.

Remember any plants that you take leaves or flowers from, will potentially contain pesticides, fertilisers from the soil in them, so you’ll need to ideally transplant the plant into a clean environment and leave 6-12 weeks for the nasty chemicals to leave the plants.

You should never feed insects that you’ve caught from the wild, especially anything that may be poisonous or stings. Even if it’s a spider living in your house, best to avoid it as you don’t know what it’s been crawling in.

The golden rule for fruit and vegetables is: variation and moderation!

Can Bearded Dragons eat Apples?

Yes, occasionally but remove the peel first.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Asparagus?

Yes, occasionally and a good source of protein for younger dragons.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Avocado?

Absolutely not, this can be fatal. Very toxic to lizards.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Bananas?

Yes, but they’re high in phosphorus which binds with calcium and can cause Metabolic Bone Disease (MBT), so should be fed rarely.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Basil?

Yes, daily a few fresh leaves are a great source of calcium and vitamin A.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Beetroot?

Yes, rarely, high water and oxalic acid content so very small amounts only (oxalic acid binds with calcium)

Can Bearded Dragons eat Bell Peppers?

Yes, occasionally, red peppers may interest your bearded dragons more than the green and are higher in vitamin C to offset the content of oxalic acid.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Blackberries?

Yes, occasionally, should be fed as a treat due to calcium to phosphorus ratio and oxalic acid but good source of vitamin C

Can Bearded Dragons eat Blueberries?

Yes, occasionally

Can Bearded Dragons eat Broccoli?

Yes, rarely. Very high in vitamin C but also contains oxalates and goitrogen

Can Bearded Dragons eat Brussel Sprouts?

Yes, rarely, high in vitamins but also has goitrogen

Can Bearded Dragons eat Cabbage?

Yes, rarely but can cause Anaemia, best fed to the insects due to lower vitamin content when compared to sprouts.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Carrots?

Yes, occasionally, really high in vitamin A which offsets the oxalates in them

Can Bearded Dragons eat Cauliflower?

Yes, rarely in small amounts as it contains goitrogens which block iodine intake which potentially can cause issues with the Thyroid Gland as a result

Can Bearded Dragons eat Cauliflower Leaves?

Yes, occasionally, but better fed to the insects

Can Bearded Dragons eat Celery?

Yes, occasionally – quite fiberous so very finely chop it up to avoid digestive issues

Can Bearded Dragons eat Cherry Tomatoes?

Yes, rarely but high acid content so small pieces – also it’s best to leave the seeds/ juice out if not hand feeding

Can Bearded Dragons eat Chicken?

No. While it may be high in protein, it’s high in phosphorus. Raw chicken is a salmonella risk of which dragons are at high risk to. Cooked chicken is questionable.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Corn?

Rarely as it’s very, very high in phosphorus and oxalates. Generally avoid feeding them this.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Cranberries?

Yes, occasionally, high in fibre and almost even mix of calcium and phosphorus

Can Bearded Dragons eat Crickets?

Yes, daily. Black or brown crickets, remember to dust a few eery few days – more often for babies. Also gut load them e.g. feed them vegetables an hour before feeding to the lizard. Best bet is to buy them live rather than frozen, always get them from pet shops or suppliers rather than from the wild

Can Bearded Dragons eat Cucumbers?

Yes, occasionally but not much nutritional value, better as a source of water

Can Bearded Dragons eat Dandelions?

Yes, daily – a great source of calcium and vitamin A in the leaves but be very careful of pesticides. Flowers are also edible.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Earthworms?

No. Stick to mealworms. Do not buy worms from fishing bait shops either or capture from the wild/ garden.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Eggs?

Hardboiled only, in small quantities rarely as a treat.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Fish?

No. The small bones may cause impaction and the fish will generally be a big parasite risk.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Grapes?

Yes, occasionally, green or red probably best to cut the grapes in small pieces. Good for fiber and water, but high in sugars and oxalates.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Grasshoppers?

Stick to Locusts, but if a reptile store is providing them I don’t see why not. But certainly don’t catch them from the wild/ your garden.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Lettuce?

No, never. No nutritonal value and most likely to cause diarrhea.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Locusts?

Yes, daily. You must always gut load the locusts as without them feeding on greens they have very little nutrition for the dragon. Remember to frequently dust with calcium as well.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Kale?

Yes, occasionally – high in calcium and vitamin A but also high in goitrogens and oxalates.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Mealworms?

Infrequent, high in fat and phosphorates, but low in calcium – dust them with calcium and they’re good a s supplement for dragons to put on some weight. Avoid feeding them mealworms that are due to malt as the hard skin/ chitin will cause digestive issues.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Mice?

Very rarely as a treat but only pinkie mice and only for fully grown adult bearded dragons.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Mushrooms?

No, avoid. Mushrooms can be poisonous and are high in phosphorus.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Oranges?

No, because of the high volume of citric acid which can cause problems with their digestive system especially when you can get the vitamin C and A from safer vegetables. Avoid citrus fruits.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Pears?

Yes, occasionally but high in oxalic acid. Never, ever feed Bearded Dragons Avacados

Can Bearded Dragons eat Peas?

Yes, but rarely since it has a very high phosphorus to calcium ratio. Better off feeding them the leaves and pods which are much safer.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Pineapple?

Yes, occasionally

Can Bearded Dragons eat Plums?

Yes, occasionally

Can Bearded Dragons eat Pumpkin?

Yes, occasionally, most squashes seem to be fine and high in fibre, vitamin A and calcium

Can Bearded Dragons eat Rhubarb?

No, this can be fatal, highly toxic and amazingly high in oxalates.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Rocket?

Yes, daily.

Can Bearded Dragons eat Rose petals?

Yes, occasionally, they tend to love these but remember that any fertilisers/ pesticides in the soils will be in the flowers

Can Bearded Dragons eat Spiders?

Yes, but best to avoid since spiders can be venomous and you don’t know where they’ve been, if they’ve got parasites etc…

Can Bearded Dragons eat Spinach?

No, never, while it’s a good source of calcium it also binds with free calcium causing potential problems

Can Bearded Dragons eat Strawberries?

Yes, occasionally – dragons will end up looking like they’re wearing lipstick which is quite amusing

Can Bearded Dragons eat Tomatoes?

Yes, occasionally but high in acid so small pieces – best to leave the seeds/ juice out if not hand feeding

Can Bearded Dragons eat Watercress?

Yes, occasionally. High in vitamin A and C but also very high in oxalic acid

Can Bearded Dragons eat Watermelon?

Yes, occasionally.
 

leew93

Member
Original Poster
thanks for that, like i said im a noob, appreciate showing me the site. i thought kale was alright for daily, just have to find a better salad for them now :) cheers
 
Although lettuce has no nutritional contents, its good for beardies if they are dehydrated or impacted since its mostly water, so I wouldn't say to never feed them lettuce.
 

Teleste

Member
What would you recommend as easy-to-prepare daily salads?

Right now I'm cutting up collard greens very fine for my 4 month baby. I wish I had access to dandelion or mustard or turnip greens but sadly I do not. I was shredding up carrots on top of his collard greens but I decided that's probably not a very good daily salad. My next thought was shredding up some sweet potato.

Any suggestions?
 

leew93

Member
Original Poster
Teleste":2aefh591 said:
What would you recommend as easy-to-prepare daily salads?

Right now I'm cutting up collard greens very fine for my 4 month baby. I wish I had access to dandelion or mustard or turnip greens but sadly I do not. I was shredding up carrots on top of his collard greens but I decided that's probably not a very good daily salad. My next thought was shredding up some sweet potato.

Any suggestions?

can i second this , ive also been trying to find a good daily salad, also some help with the name of salad in the UK i know that collard greens and spring green over here

thanks every one for contributing
 
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

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