Oxalates, Goitrogens, phosphorus oh my!

[My_Angel]

When I tell you there's a lot of conflicting information on veggies for beardies, lemme tell ya there's A LOT. I'm passionate about proper diet and feeding all of my animals well, but nothing has become more confusing or conflicting than the balance of food for bearded dragons, specifically their veggies!!

My little one is a sub adult, and I have found the key is VARIETY. I do 80% leafy green (pak choy, rocket, friseé, mâche, kale, romaine, rosemary, etc) 10% other veggie (pumpkin, butternut squash, bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, beet, etc) 5% other nutritional topper (flower petal, bee pollen, etc) and then the other 5% is half of one berry of choice, once every couple of weeks. (I rotate between blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry atm)

All of this is rotated so that she never gets the same salad twice in a row, and chopped very finely so she can't pick out pieces. Rotatation and variety! I don't live in America, so I don't worry over collard or mustard greens anymore. No spinach, broccoli or cabbage so far, since I heard that they can be Goitrogenic. But I may give a small amount in the future for variety's sake!

All of the beardie safe and unsafe veg option lists, the guides for phosphorous to calcium ratios, its all so different no matter where you look! So, from all that I gathered, the bulk should be leafy greens that aren't garbage like iceberg, and the rest should be veggies that are rotated very often, with the occasional topping of a fruit, always sprinkled with a d3 free calcium, and a calcium with d3 once a week.

I wish we could all come to a consensus about it! It makes research so hard for newcomers to beardie keeping! Good luck to those hunting for the best diet possible for your little ones!

 

[xp29]

When I tell you there's a lot of conflicting information on veggies for beardies, lemme tell ya there's A LOT. I'm passionate about proper diet and feeding all of my animals well, but nothing has become more confusing or conflicting than the balance of food for bearded dragons, specifically their veggies!!

My little one is a sub adult, and I have found the key is VARIETY. I do 80% leafy green (pak choy, rocket, friseé, mâche, kale, romaine, rosemary, etc) 10% other veggie (pumpkin, butternut squash, bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, beet, etc) 5% other nutritional topper (flower petal, bee pollen, etc) and then the other 5% is half of one berry of choice, once every couple of weeks. (I rotate between blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry atm)

All of this is rotated so that she never gets the same salad twice in a row, and chopped very finely so she can't pick out pieces. Rotatation and variety! I don't live in America, so I don't worry over collard or mustard greens anymore. No spinach, broccoli or cabbage so far, since I heard that they can be Goitrogenic. But I may give a small amount in the future for variety's sake!

All of the beardie safe and unsafe veg option lists, the guides for phosphorous to calcium ratios, its all so different no matter where you look! So, from all that I gathered, the bulk should be leafy greens that aren't garbage like iceberg, and the rest should be veggies that are rotated very often, with the occasional topping of a fruit, always sprinkled with a d3 free calcium, and a calcium with d3 once a week.

I wish we could all come to a consensus about it! It makes research so hard for newcomers to beardie keeping! Good luck to those hunting for the best diet possible for your little ones!

It can be very confusing tgat is for sure.

 

[Claudiusx]

the guides for phosphorous to calcium ratios, its all so different no matter where you look!

That is because there are different varieties of each veggie and green, just like there are 12092309 different types of tomatoes. Each one is going to have a slightly different nutrient makeup.

You're right, it can be confusing, but you've already learned the secret to solving the confusion. VARIETY! And that's what I've been preaching for years. No one single food is going to provide the body with everything it needs. Variety is important with the feeder insects you offer too!

-Brandon

 

[My_Angel]

That is because there are different varieties of each veggie and green, just like there are 12092309 different types of tomatoes. Each one is going to have a slightly different nutrient makeup.

You're right, it can be confusing, but you've already learned the secret to solving the confusion. VARIETY! And that's what I've been preaching for years. No one single food is going to provide the body with everything it needs. Variety is important with the feeder insects you offer too!

-Brandon

Feeders yes! Right now we're rotating between dubias, superworms, hissers, and funnily enough she'll take a big bite out of some dusted fruit flies if offered! I keep dart frogs and mourning geckos as well, and I showed her the pile of dusted flies thinking she wouldn't be interested....man was I wrong! so cute and funny!