What Vegetables Can Bearded Dragons Eat?
Vet Explains
Bearded dragons can feast on different kinds of vegetables. Sometimes it can be difficult to coax them into eating a varied diet of different veggies, but since vegetables are an important source of energy and nutrients, you need to make sure you’re offering a balanced diet with a variety on vegetables.
Yet, you need to keep in mind that not all veggies are suitable for beardies and may cause health problems when fed too often.
Many vegetables that are perfect for human health may harm your bearded dragon, so you need to choose wisely what you are feeding to your pet.
– Dr. Abdul Basit Javed, DVM
Keep reading to learn which vegetables your bearded dragon can eat safely.
Vegetables In Bearded Dragon Diet
Bearded dragons come from an environment where water is sparse, so they get most of their fluids from eating veggies and greens.
An adult bearded dragon should get about 70 to 80% vegetables and greens in its diet for proper body functions and health.
– Dr. Abdul Basit Javed, DVM
An adult bearded dragon should get about 70 to 80% vegetables and greens in its diet for proper body functions and health. For juvenile dragons, 20% of their diet should be plant-based.
Bearded dragons can consume all sorts of veggies like peas, squash, cabbage, asparagus, and many more, which are described further in the article.
However, many vegetables that are perfect for human health may harm your bearded dragon, so you need to choose wisely what you are feeding to your pet.
Peas
Yes, peas can be consumed by bearded dragons. They are an outstanding source of vitamin A and K. They also contain antioxidants, protein, iron, thiamine (good for the nervous system), and numerous other nutrients.
However, due to the higher phosphorus to calcium ratio and the presence of oxalates, peas cannot be used as a staple veggie for beardies to prevent metabolic bone disease and calcium deficiency. Peas can be given every other week, and varieties including green peas, snow peas, and snap peas are all safe for consumption.
Fresh peas are the best choice for beardies, but you can also use frozen and canned peas with no added flavors, salt or sugar, and any kind of preservatives. Frozen peas should be brought to room temperature before feeding.
Vet’s Tip
Beardies can eat an entire pea, only avoid it if your breaded dragon is too small. Peapods can also be given as a bonus as they also contain different nutrients. Thinly slice the pea pods pre-feeding to avoid the risk of choking your bearded dragon.
Asparagus
Bearded dragons can feast on asparagus every week. Depending on their taste, beardies may love or hate asparagus due to its bitter taste, but most of them tend to love devouring it.
Asparagus supplies them with vitamin C and antioxidants, which boost their immune system. Asparagus helps with muscle growth due to its protein content, improves kidney health, and the fiber present in asparagus promotes the gastrointestinal health of your bearded dragon. Vitamin E, vitamin K, and folate help in cellular functions and growth.
The reason that asparagus cannot be used as a staple vegetable for beardies is due to the surplus phosphorus and very little calcium. High oxalate content is also a concern with asparagus.
Vet’s Tip
You can feed both cooked or raw asparagus to our bearded dragon. Cook the asparagus without using any oil, salt, pepper, and other ingredients. Finely dice the asparagus and serve it to your bearded dragon.
Bell pepper
Beardies can dine on bell peppers but only in reasonable amounts. Green, yellow, and red bell peppers are all good options.
Green bell peppers are considered less nourishing because they are not completely ripened, but you can still safely feed them. Bell peppers offer a lot of nutrients like antioxidants (good for immunity), vitamin A and C (good for vision, immunity, and reproduction), vitamin B6 (helps in hematogenesis), vitamin E and K, and folate.
Unfortunately, bell peppers cannot be utilized as a staple vegetable because of their low calcium content and problematic phosphorus-to-calcium ratio. You should only feed them twice a week or less. Wash them and remove the seeds and inner core. Thinly chop the outer skin and feed it to your bearded dragon.
Artichoke heart
Surprisingly bearded dragons can consume artichoke hearts, and they are not harmful to them. They can eat both cooked and uncooked artichoke hearts; just remember to chop them into bite-size chunks before feeding.
They have a good vitamin and mineral profile providing vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, phosphorus, magnesium, and many other nutrients. The high amount of fiber in the artichoke heart is good for bowel activity. You can feed them every other week.
Cabbage
All varieties of cabbage are safe for bearded dragons, with red cabbage being the healthiest. Cabbage can be fed to beardies in moderation once or twice a week.
Cabbage is a cheap and healthy option to satisfy the tummy of your bearded dragon and provide it with valuable nutrients like fiber, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and numerous others.
Red cabbage, green cabbage, savoy cabbage, and napa cabbage are all safe for beardies. The phosphorus and calcium ratio in cabbage is not excellent, so don’t overfeed it and keep altering the diet. Feeding too much cabbage can also lead to diarrhea. Thinly slice before feeding to sidestep the hazard of choking.
Sweet potato
You can feed sweet potato to beardies once a week. Sweet potatoes have a lot of Vitamin A, so feeding too much can induce vitamin A toxicity – although it’s very rare. General symptoms of vitamin A toxicity are nausea, loss of appetite, and abdominal cramps.
Sweet potatoes can also cause MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) if fed regularly due to high phosphorus content. Infrequent feeding is completely safe, and beardies can eat both cooked and raw sweet potatoes.
Vet’s Tip
Thoroughly wash them and peel off the skin. Cut long and thin strips of sweet potato instead of cutting it into chunks or cubes, which may be difficult to ingest.
Green beans
Green beans are one of the favorites for bearded dragons, filled with vitamins and minerals. They nourish them with protein, vitamin C, E, and K. Green beans even comprise minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, etc.
Bearded dragons love to munch on green beans, but sadly they cannot be a staple food due to the presence of oxalates that reduce calcium absorption in the body.
So you have to feed green beans along with some additional calcium-rich sources like leafy green vegetables or supplemental calcium.
Vet’s Tip
Avoid feeding canned or oven-ready green beans because they include added preservatives and flavors. Uncooked and fresh green beans are better, and if you still want to cook them, there should be no added ingredients. Dice them into little palatable pieces and feed them to your scaly pet.
Squash
All kinds of squash, including butternut squash, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash, are edible for bearded dragons. Beardies may even relish summer squash and yellow squash.
An outstanding aspect of squash is that it is rich in calcium and lacks phosphorus, so it’s an ideal vegetable to add to your bearded dragon’s diet. Squash also contains high concentrations of Vitamin A and C.
You can feed squash two to three times a week with other greens. Cooked squash should be avoided as cooking decreases the availability of nutrients and lowers palatability. Thinly slice or grate raw squash before feeding.
Zucchini
Although zucchini holds a lot of nutrients, including various vitamins and minerals, it can’t be offered as a staple food because it contains very little calcium and has unsuitable phosphorus to calcium ratio.
Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater or chop into bite-size scraps and feed it to your beardie. However, don’t feed zucchini more than once a week.
Carrot
Bearded dragons can safely feast on carrots when they are diced into small bits. Carrots offer a wide variety of nutrients, but they shouldn’t be fed too often. They are rich in vitamin A which can induce vitamin A toxicity if fed in large amounts, and they are also low in calcium.
Cucumber
Cucumber is a safe veggie for bearded dragons. Cucumber retains a lot of water which is helpful to hydrate your bearded dragon, but beardies don’t need too much water as they are desert critters.
Vet’s Tip
You should only feed cucumbers every other week as the high water content may cause diarrhea, and cucumbers are not very high in calcium. Peel and cut into small pieces before feeding. They are also deficient in calcium.
What Veggies Can Bearded Dragons Eat?
A-List of Suitable Vegetables For Bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons should be fed a lot of leafy greens, as they contain many nutrients and are high in calcium. Actually, about 80% of an adult beardie’s diet should consist of leafy greens, vegetables, and a small amount of fruit.
When you decide which greens to feed to your beardie, you need to consider:
● Overall nutritional value to make sure the veggies contain a lot of different nutrients
● Calcium content because bearded dragons need a diet that contains a lot of calcium to prevent metabolic bone disease
● Calcium to phosphorus ratio because phosphorus prevents calcium absorption leading to calcium deficiency and MBD
● Oxalate content. Just like phosphorus, oxalates inhibit calcium absorption. A diet that is high in oxalates can induce metabolic bone disease.
● Goitrogens, because a diet too high in them causes thyroid problems for beardies.
With all this considered:
These are considered staple foods for beardies and can be fed daily. However, we recommend switching between different greens to provide all the best vitamins and minerals without the negative effects of goitrogens, oxalates, and phosphorus.
Some of the best greens you can give your pet include:
● acorn squash
● butternut squash
● cactus pads/prickly pear
● carrot tops
● collard greens
● dandelion greens
● endive
● escarole
● grape Leaves
● green beans
● mustard greens
● okra
● parsnips
● snap peas
● sweet potato
● turnip greens
● watercress
● yellow squash
Other greens you can feed your pet but in smaller portions and more sparingly are:
● artichoke hearts
● asparagus
● basil
● beet greens
● bell peppers
● bok choy
● broccoli
● cabbage
● carrots
● celery leaves
● cilantro
● clover
● corn
● cucumber
● grape leaves
● kale
● kohlrabi
● lemongrass
● mushrooms
● parsley
● peas
● pea sprouts
● rosemary
● spinach
● sprouts
● Swiss chard
● zucchini
What Vegetables Can Bearded Dragons Eat Everyday?
These Are The Vegetables Bearded Dragons Can Eat Daily
No vegetable is a perfect staple for bearded dragons; you must keep rotating veggies weekly to make sure they are not getting too many oxalates, goitrogens, or oxalates. Also, a varied diet is important to ensure sufficient intake of many important nutrients.
Most veggies are not suitable for daily feeding, and you should keep track of how often you feed each veggie to prevent any deficiencies or other health issues.
– Dr. Abdul Basit Javed, DVM
However, several different greens can be considered a daily staple for bearded dragons :
● acorn squash
● butternut squash
● cactus pads/prickly pear
● carrot tops
● collard greens
● dandelion greens
● endive
● escarole
● grape Leaves
● green beans
● mustard greens
● okra
● parsnips
● snap peas
● sweet potato
● turnip greens
● watercress
● yellow squash
You can add different vegetables with these staple greens to make the meal of your bearded dragon more wholesome.
Bottom Line – Vegetables for Bearded Dragons
You must supply fresh vegetables to your bearded dragons to boost their health and prevent diseases. Vegetables can be provided cooked or raw, depending upon the type of vegetable.
Always wash them thoroughly to rinse off any pesticides or insecticides because they can cause significant harm to your pet.
It is also important to cut, slice or grate the veggies so your pet will be able to ingest the food.
Sometimes bearded dragons need a little coaxing to get them to eat all their greens, but adding some fruit on top of their daily veggies salad may help.
There are many different vegetables bearded dragons can enjoy. Still, most veggies are not suitable for daily feeding, and you should keep track of how often you feed each veggie to prevent any deficiencies or other health issues. For sufficient calcium, try this Fluker’s Calcium Reptile Supplement with added Vitamin D3.
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Vet’s Comment
You cannot neglect the importance of vegetables in the diet of bearded dragons. Vegetables are responsible for providing vital vitamins and minerals to bearded dragons, which they can’t get otherwise.
Vegetables even supply fiber for beardies which is essential for gastrointestinal health because it ensures better gut motility.
Make sure you are feeding the right amount of veggies corresponding to the age of your bearded dragon. Consistently wash your vegetables to remove dirt and chemicals.
Slice them appropriately, take your time preparing them, and do not rush things because, as a pet owner, it is your responsibility to provide the best for your pet.
– Dr. Abdul Basit Javed, DVM
NOTE: Advice provided within this article by FeedingMyPet.com is not a substitute for veterinary advice. Please discuss your pet’s specific dietary needs (based on his breed, weight, age, and health status) with a veterinarian.
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