Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering if its ok to feed my beardie thawed out greens. My concern is if they will be to moist.

Thanks

Greens get nasty when frozen. Turn black and get slimy. I feed frozen veggies, thawed out of course. Pea/carrot/greenbean/corn combo. I run it through the food processor a bit to make it an even blend. If i don't food process, dragons will eat only the green ones I find. I give this mix to babies to adults once a week, maybe twice a week.
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www.moonstonedragons.com

Just don't forget to replace the Thiamin.

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

fresh greens and insects is the way to go. Adding some frozen greens to a fresh salad or offered when fresh greens are scarce for a few days, is ok. As BDlvr pointed out, freezing does destroy some nutrients. That and thawed greens are pretty much the same if you cooked them.

If you are having a hard time finding greens for your dragons year around, I suggest growing your own. You don't need anything special to start, just a flower pot, potting soil, organic fertilizer and seeds. A full spectrum light can be used if you don't get alot of sun year around (or for those greens who don't like direct sun or prefer cooler growing conditions). Make extra and add the greens to your own salad too.

The best place to find seed for all the exotic greens is a feed and seed store. Some nursery/garden centers may have more variety of seeds as well. I found collard greens, endive, escarole, mustard greens, a spicy spring mix (which includes a variety of greens both good and ok for dragons...and no spinach which was a plus. And it sounded appealing to have in my own salad too).

If you only have one or two dragons, you don't need to grow alot of plants...maybe 2-4 of each and every couple weeks start a new batch (to replace the older ones as the year progresses). If you are eating them too and are not the only person who will be eating them, increase number of plants.
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PHLdyPayne

I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice.

Thanks.

This thread was an interesting read. I always have fresh greens available near the house so freezing isn't necessary. I always seem to be freezing fruits for my lizard applications though When you keep a large roach colony it's good to give them a varied diet so every other day a frozen banana or papaya spear is thrown into the mix. The freezing extends the shelf life and keeps the fruit moist while being consumed. After reading the link BDlvr provided I wonder if the frozen fruit is losing any nutrients in the freezing period?

Kevin

Any time you wage chemical warfare, there are casualties. Freezing and cooking does damage some of the nutrients, thats why I only use veggie combo for variety. There are a number of greens available daily at supermarkets. Cut and Clean brand makes country mix and Euro mix. Both are great for dragons once the large stems are removed. If memory serves it is mustard, collards, turnip, chard in Euro and I cant remember the other one in Country blend. Although they claim to be "clean" wash and soak them to boost moisture content. Hatchlings prefer the soft curly type greens over the leathery heavier ones like collards.

When you talk about "greens" just make sure you don't include spinach. It contains chemicals that blocks the absorption of calcium in birds and reptiles.
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