Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok so i just got a 1 year old male sunfire bearded dragon at a local reptile swap this sat. and things are going good and he is eating his crickets and mealworms like a champ but i wanted to see what else i can feed him i know you can feed romaine lettuce and i tried that but hes bein real picky with that and i have heard conflicting reports on what fruits and veggies are ok to feed

so if u can let me know some good ones that beardies like i would really appreciate it

Here is good food chart for you. I use it for my iguana and bearded dragon and it has work out for me wonderfully. One thing, though... Don't feed your bearded any lettuce...not even romaine...because it has no or almost no nutritional value compared to some of the food listed as the main staple on the chart. Good luck!
Food Chart for Greens and Veggies

and all of those are ok for beardies?

and i have been told that romaine is fine for them jus not to feed them iceberg because that is bad

Yeah, they are OK to feed to beardies. Lots of people do it. It's a chart that tells you the nutritional break down of the fruits and veggies which serve as a guide for people who have herbivorous herps or omnivorous ones not just iguana.

Many people on here will tell you not to feed even romaine for the same reason I stated. Nutritionally speaking it has next to nothing and it takes up room in the stomach which could be filled with more nutritious greens and veggies.

ok ya is there any that you find that your dragon likes alot so i dont have to go out and buy like 40 bux worth haha

I find the best 2 are Mustard and Dandelion.

can i find the Dandelion Greens and the mustard greens at like any grocery store or do i have to go somewhere special

Usually, Raley's carries dandelion. I change the greens and veggies every week so my boy gets variety, and that's what you should do. I get mine to eat any greens by giving him greens early in the morning and crickets late at 5 p.m. When there are no crickets available and if your dragon is hungry, they will nibble on the any greens you put in the cage, but it may take a few days or a week for your dragon to eat the greens you want him to eat, but now mine devours anything I put in his cage. And the fact I feed him greens in the morning does not dent his appetite for crickets either. One time, mine ate a big plate of salad and then later inhale 70 large crickets. That's a lot of a young juvy. I've only had him for a little over month and he's already doubled in size.

but will like jewel osco carry them

and im worried about overfeeding mine plus he hasent gone to the batroom in two days so im gonna give him a bath soon so he has a movement

Best thing to do is feed 2-4 greens that are listed as 'staple' on that list with a few other greens/vegetables not so good to have all the time but are beneficial in other ways. So Staples and 'occasional' are good to mix.

Bearded dragons should have very little fruit maybe a couple times a week as a treat more than anything.

As for where to buy the greens, you will have to check your local grocery stores. Spring Mix salads are often good but check the ingredients as you do want to avoid ones that have spinach. A tiny bit of spinach mixed with many other good staples is ok, but it should not be used at all.

The no poop for two days isn't too major a concern. Not all dragons poop daily.
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PHLdyPayne

ok when should i worry if he doesnt poop like how many days haha

and by the way thank you for all the help from everyone

Usually, I do 2 parts good greens and 1 part occasional. That's has worked for me.

Here is a good article for you to read:
Fact Vs. Fiction

If she's eating regularly and plenty of healthy greens without showing any signs of dehydration I wouldn't worry about it till a week then if no poop then start soaking or adding squash or pureed carrot to her salad.
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PHLdyPayne

Here's another great source of info. I agree, no romaine, no lettuce.

http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html

can i find the Dandelion Greens and the mustard greens at like any grocery store or do i have to go somewhere

Mustard Greens you should be able to find in the produce section, Dandelions likely not. Turnip Greens and Collard Greens are pretty common and also very good. Kale is fair, but don't feed it all the time.

As far as greens go, I feed mostly weeds and things I grow in my yard. It's not something you should do without a lot of research, but I think the abundance of free or nearly free food I've discovered has been well worth the effort.

Nobody has mentioned this yet but DO NOT FEED SPINACH. It binds up calcium in their systems so they don't process it properly.

I only give mine fruit once a week or so as a treat, and then just a small piece. Avoid citrus fruit. I give mine a bit of raw grated sweet potato, peeled apple, a blueberry or two.

Hope this helps and good luck with your dragon.

curious how do you know what "weeds" are good for a beardie? we find all of our greens at the local walmart however I cannot find dandelion greens at all. we live on a farm so if I have something around here that they would like I would definetly feed them homegrown

I get dandelion, mustard, turnip, collard etc. at my regular supermarket. It is a major brand supermarket, but the other major supermarket chains in this area don't carry these greens so you may have to check around. I've heard asian markets carry country greens, you could check there. Otherwise talk to the produce manager. He can order any green he wants and you might be surprised, he may stock it for you.

Spring Mix is lettuces (not good nutritionally), cabbage (not good at all) and beet greens (so-so). It can be fed once in a while since it's easy but shouldn't be a staple.

I haven't found a single site with all the information I need. There are several sites online that have guides for some edible weeds and you can also find other sites with their nutritional content. It's scattered all over the place and it took me a while to track it down, but it's there if you can find it.

Some random hints for finding the info:

Wilderness survival related sites often give guides of plants it's safe to eat, many with pictures to help you identify them.

If you already have weeds and you are certain of their identity, search the weed name online with the word "edible" and see what comes up.I did a lot of my searching this way.

Searching "edible weeds" and "edible landscaping" will bring up a lot of information.

I've been concentrating on planting edible landscaping and I should be totally self-sufficient for all foods by next year. With 15 lizards, I think that's a pretty large accomplishment, lol.

I think it is a wonderful idea, also next year I plan on raising some of my own also. definetly will check out the weed thing tho it would give them a good variety I think

OK here is a good site, which a lot of people use.
Plants

edible weeds/wild plants for humans may not be good for bearded dragons. Dandelions is one that is good for bearded dragons and is considered a weed. I would look carefully at the nutrition of these weeds first before feeding them to dragons, or other lizards. You want a high calcium content with low phosphorus, low Vit. A, low oxates and other calcium binding elements.

On a farm, if you grow alfalfa plants these are quite good as a staple green for dragons (the plant, not the sprouts). You can also grow your own mustard greens, collard greens, etc.
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PHLdyPayne