You are here because you love your bearded dragon, and you want to make sure you are feeding your dragon the proper diet. You've come to the right spot! Greens are an underrated diet for reptiles in general, but did you know an adult bearded dragon diet consist of 70% greens on a daily basis? If this is alarming for you, I can help! I have created a list of healthy greens your bearded dragon should consume on a daily basis and greens they can consume occasionally. Most of these greens can be found at your local grocery store.
What are the key factors we are looking at to determine which greens are best for your bearded dragon?
- Nutrition: Greens that provide plenty of nutrients play a vital role in your dragon’s diet.
- Calcium: helps with dragon’s bone development and proper growth.
Staple Greens(daily) for Bearded Dragons:
Let’s start with the staple greens I feed Charizard:
Collard Greens: Great source of calcium, rich in Vitamin A, C, E, and K. Fiber, iron and magnesium. Vast amount of folate, which helps build healthy bones. (14.5:1)
Mustard Greens: Rich in calcium, Vitamin A, C, and K. Slight peppery taste, giving your dragon an alternative on flavors. Recommended to serve with collard greens due to moderate level of oxalates. (2.4:1)
These are staple greens you may see in Charizard’s feeding dish. Now let’s look at other staple greens you can feed your dragon.
Dandelion Greens: Rich in Calcium and Vitamin A. Recommended to serve with collard greens due to moderate level of oxalates. (2.8:1)
Endive: Moderate nutrients and calcium. Gives a texture to your bearded dragon meal. Paired with high dense calcium green (Collard Green). (1.9:1)
Turnip Greens: Rich in Calcium, and Vitamins A and C. Must pair with calcium rich greens. (4.5 to 1)
Cactus Pad: Rich in Calcium fiber, Vitamin C and Antioxidants. Great nutrition and hydration. Pair with 1 other staple green due to excessive fluid may cause diarrhea. (2.3:1)
Occasional Greens: Once every 2-4 weeks
Bok Choy: Vitamins A and C, but its goitrogenic.
Cabbage: Mixture of Vitamin C, fiber, calcium, iron and potassium but is goitrogenic.
Celery Leaves: Antioxidant, vitamin c and great for hydration. Too much liquid for daily meal. May cause upsetting belly.
Kale – Dense Vitamins A, C and K, Potassium, manganese, magnesium and calcium. Low in oxalates and is somewhat goitrogenic, which prevents this green from being a daily staple.
Pea Sprouts: Vitamin A and K but high on phosphorus, minimal amount should be fed.
Watercress: High in vitamin A, C and K, calcium, and manganese but also high in oxalates.
Herbs – Rosemary, basil, cilantro and parsley (for added taste and scent). High on antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Greens you should NEVER feed your dragon:
- Spinach: Can cause metabolic bone disease. A common disease in the bearded dragon community.
- Broccoli
- Romaine
- Chives
- Leeks
Any greens that are high oxalate, high phosphorus, high goitrogen. These issues will make it hard for your bearded dragon to absorb calcium, vitamins, and possibly other health concerns. I've made the mistake of feeding my bearded dragon broccoli before, but I stopped immediately once I found out the cons of broccoli.
Dragon not eating their greens?
If your dragon does not eat their greens, try any of these methods.
- Have your greens mixed with moving insects. Your dragon will target the moving insect and might miss a bite and grab their greens instead.
- Soak the insects with water and place it with the greens. The insects will become slippery and it will take your dragon several attempts to grab a hold of the insect. In the meantime, your dragon may accidentally grab some greens.
- Dust bee pollen powder onto your dragons salad. Bee Pollen has a welcoming scent that attracts bearded dragons. Bee pollen carries high quality nutrients a dragon needs, like vitamin C, D, E and amino acids. Luckily, we have our own bee pollen powder you can check out.
Our Bee Pollen Powder was created to help my bearded dragon eat her greens. I adopted Charizard as an adult, and she never ate greens and had no interest in any type of greens when I placed it in her bowl. With this concern, I decided to create a bee pollen product that would help dragons consume their daily greens. The rest is history, Charizard enjoys her greens only when it is dusted with bee pollen powder. Get your Bee Pollen Powder now @ https://reptiliankingdom.com/
Bee pollen powder works for many types of reptiles,
- Bearded Dragon
- Crested Geckos
- Chameleons
- Iguana
- Uromastyx
- Leopard Gecko
- Tortoises
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