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Post by BeardedDragonDude on Nov 9, 2020 18:41:35 GMT -5
Alright, there are only 2 people on this forum so I'll try to kick the forum off with a few informational posts that can help the forum gain some members. If the forum Admin, (Bandit) has the ability to "sticky" this thread to the top of the "Dietary" sub-forum, I hope he does so.
So, have you ever wondered what to feed your bearded dragon? If so, you're not the first. In the sea of answers that tell you they're right and others are wrong, but then you find another answer that says they are right and others are wrong, it's hard to find a straight-forward answer. So, I'm here to give you that straight-forward answer you've been looking for.
I will not go into crazy detail about every food. I am only going to tell you what they can and can't eat. If you want more info on a separate food, look it up yourself. I also will not go into exotic foods, if you have an exotic food that you want to feed your BD, please research it yourself. Thank you.
(I will attach a "Safety Meter" at the end of each food. 10 will be deadly to your BD, and 1 will be completely safe.)
Greens: -------------- Kale - A very good food to feed your BD. Most people say that kale has too many oxalates, but that is a myth. (1/10)
Collard Greens - An amazing food for your BD. Quite possibly one of the best foods for your BD. (1/10)
Mustard Greens - Another amazing food. They are very high in calcium, which your BD needs a lot of. (1/10)
Turnip Greens - These are very high in essential nutrients. Such as calcium, vitamins, etc. (1/10)
Oregano - Only feed in small increments in a salad. Other than that, they're a great green to feed your BD! (1/10)
Bok Choy - Another great green to feed your BD. High in nutrients. (1/10)
Dandelion Leaves - Another great food for your BD. They are VERY high in calcium, which is great. (1/10)
Escarole/Endive - An okay green, I wouldn't feed them too much though. (2.5/10)
Alfalfa Hay - A good green to feed your BD, but only adult BDs should eat it. (2/10)
Red/Green Cabbage - In moderation, it is a great green/vegetable to feed your BD. Because it's high in calcium and other essential nutrients. But you shouldn't feed them cabbage too much. (4.5/10)
Cilantro - They can eat cilantro, although, you shouldn't make it a staple in their diet. (3/10)
Rhubarb - Rhubarb is very toxic to your BD. Don't feed it to them. (10/10)
Spinach - Another terrible green to feed your BD. Don't feed it to them. (8/10)
Swiss Chard - Not good for your BD. Don't feed it to them. (8/10)
Beet Tops - Beet tops are not good for your BD at all. Don't feed it to them. (9/10)
All Types of Lettuce - NO. They are all terrible for your BD. DO NOT FEED IT TO THEM! (11/10)
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Post by BeardedDragonDude on Nov 10, 2020 8:05:42 GMT -5
Vegetables: -------------- Bell Peppers - My favorite vegetable to give a BD. It is an amazing vegetable for them! Be aware, it will give them slight diarrhea. (1/10)
Artichoke - A good food for your BD. Only feed them the artichoke hearts, chopped up though. Do not feed them artichoke leaves! (1/10)
Squash - They can eat squash. They can eat Spaghetti, Butternut, Acorn, Summer, Scallop, and Hubbard squash. If you don't see a type of squash listed here, look it up yourself. Make sure you check how to chop up a squash for your BD first. (1/10)
Sugar Snap Peas - Only feed occasionally. (1/10)
Carrots - A good food for your BD. It shouldn't be a staple in their diet though. Make sure you chop them up small enough for your BD to eat. (2/10)
Asparagus - Only feed occasionally. (2/10)
Sweet Potato - Only feed occasionally. (3/10)
Arugula - Don't make this a staple in their diet. (3/10)
Celery - They can eat celery, although it's not advised. You will have to make sure you prepare it small enough that it doesn't get stuck in their digestive tract. (3/10)
Broccoli - You should only feed broccoli to them about once a month. Do not make it a staple in their diet. (3/10)
Sweet Corn - Do not feed a BD sweet corn! It has absolutely no nutrients and can kill your BD. (7/10)
Eggplant - No No No... No eggplant! It's terrible for them! And it tastes horrible! But seriously, it will kill them. (9/10)
Any Type of Onion - Don't feed your BD any onions!!! They aren't good for your BD at all!!! (9/10)
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Post by BeardedDragonDude on Nov 10, 2020 8:06:58 GMT -5
Fruits: --------- Apples - BDs can safely eat apples. Remember to peel the skin off though, it will get stuck in their digestive tract. Apples are one of the few fruits that you can feed your BD weekly! (1/10)
Papaya - A great fruit to feed your BD because it is full of fiber. To prepare the papaya peel it, remove the seeds, and finely shred or chop the fruit. (1/10)
Pineapple - It is very beneficial for BDs, although you will only want to feed them pineapple once or twice a month. (1/10)
Raspberries - A great treat for BDs! But inly feed in small increments once or twice a month. (1/10)
Blackberries - Another great treat! But do remember to feed sparingly and chop up into small pieces. (1/10)
Blueberries - BDs love blueberries! In fact, you can even give them a few blueberries a week! Remember to chop up into small pieces. (1/10)
Strawberries - A great treat for BDs! Feed sparingly. Chop up into small bits and pieces. (1/10)
Pears - They can eat pears. Chop up into small pieces and feed once or twice every 2 months. (1/10)
Grapes - Feed as an occasional treat. Make sure to chop up into small pieces. (1/10)
Watermelon - Feed rarely. Watermelon isn't very high in nutrients so it is pretty useless to feed your BD. They do like it as an occasional treat though. (2/10)
Tomatoes - Feed very sparingly. They are very acidic and can hurt your BD if given in large amounts. Chop up into small pieces. (3/10)
Bananas - Feed VERY sparingly. They are a good source of calcium, but can only be fed to your BD in small increments once a month. (4/10)
Dragonfruit - You would think since it has "Dragon" in it's name it would be safe for your BD to eat, right? Wrong. Dragonfruit is too acidic for BDs to eat. Do not feed it to them. (7/10)
Passion Fruit - Passion Fruit is also too acidic for BDs. They also have a very high phosphorous ratio. Do not feed it to them at all. (7/10)
Oranges - Oranges are VERY dangerous for BDs. They have a VERY high acidity count. Do not feed it to them. (8/10)
Avocados - These are highly toxic for BDs. Avocados will kill your BD. (10/10)
Bugs/Insects: ----------------- Crickets - The most common insect feeding source for BDs. They are not the best thing to feed your BD out there, but won't harm your BD unless you give them too much. Remember to remove all crickets from the cage if your BD doesn't eat them all. If you don't they can hurt your BD by biting it. (1/10)
Dubia Roaches - Easily the best bug to feed your BD. They are super delicious to BDs and are full of nutrients. (1/10)
Hornworms - Hornworms are great feeders for your BD and many other reptiles. They are also full of water, which makes them a good way to give your BD water if they won't drink. Feed to any BD that likes BIG BUGS. (1/10)
Silkworms - These are incredibly high in protein. Great for your BD. (1/10)
Phoenix Worms - These are a great worm to give as a staple bug to BDs. They are high in calcium, protein, and phosphorous. They don't need to be gut-loaded. (1/10)
Turkistan Roaches - These are another great feeder for your BD. They can be gut-loaded and will eat just about anything. (1/10)
Discoid Roaches - These are also great feeders for your BD. They are highly nutritious. (1/10)
Mealworms - These are one of those complicated answers. I feed them every once in a while. They are great to have on hand if you need them, but shouldn't be a staple in their food. (3/10)
Nightcrawlers - No! These can give your BD VERY bad parasites and can kill your BD. Don't feed them Nightcrawlers. (10/10)
Lightning Bugs - Incredibly dangerous for your BD. Your BD will die if they eat a Lightning Bug/Firefly. (Dead/10)
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Post by bandit on Nov 10, 2020 8:18:31 GMT -5
Good guide, I found this helpful.
Also congrats on becoming a Moderator!
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Post by BeardedDragonDude on Nov 10, 2020 8:37:23 GMT -5
Good guide, I found this helpful. Also congrats on becoming a Moderator! Thanks! I come across people that don't know what to feed their BD all day long, so I decided to make a guide on what to feed them. That way if somebody asks me what to feed them, I'll just redirect them here. Do you by chance have the ability to "Sticky" this thread to the top of the "Dietary" sub-forum? I think if you had it stuck there people would be able to find it easier. Thanks. BDD
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Post by bandit on Nov 10, 2020 10:16:17 GMT -5
Good guide, I found this helpful. Also congrats on becoming a Moderator! Thanks! I come across people that don't know what to feed their BD all day long, so I decided to make a guide on what to feed them. That way if somebody asks me what to feed them, I'll just redirect them here. Do you by chance have the ability to "Sticky" this thread to the top of the "Dietary" sub-forum? I think if you had it stuck there people would be able to find it easier. Thanks. BDD I'm sort of new to reptile keeping, though I know my way around the ropes. I struggled with feeding too as it is hard to find good feeders around here, so I have to work with what i've got but I set up a pretty good diet for my Zeus.
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Post by BeardedDragonDude on Nov 10, 2020 10:18:11 GMT -5
Thanks! I come across people that don't know what to feed their BD all day long, so I decided to make a guide on what to feed them. That way if somebody asks me what to feed them, I'll just redirect them here. Do you by chance have the ability to "Sticky" this thread to the top of the "Dietary" sub-forum? I think if you had it stuck there people would be able to find it easier. Thanks. BDD I'm sort of new to reptile keeping, though I know my way around the ropes. I struggled with feeding too as it is hard to find good feeders around here, so I have to work with what i've got but I set up a pretty good diet for my Zeus. Once you get the hang of it it isn't that hard. I messed up on feeding for about a year and then I fixed it. I just don't want other people to make the same mistake I did. BDD
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Post by dextersmom on Dec 7, 2020 15:16:58 GMT -5
Nice! This is perfect and a set up to reference when planning out salad purchases. Question: Dex is very good about eating his veges now and I see that some of his favorites are high in calcium . . . Should I still give Dex a calcium supplement daily? Am I over amping him on calcium?
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Post by BeardedDragonDude on Dec 7, 2020 15:19:11 GMT -5
Nice! This is perfect and a set up to reference when planning out salad purchases. Question: Dex is very good about eating his veges now and I see that some of his favorites are high in calcium . . . Should I still give Dex a calcium supplement daily? Am I over amping him on calcium? You could, or you could just limit his intake of that food. Either one. Thanks, BDD
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Post by dextersmom on Dec 7, 2020 15:22:26 GMT -5
Good idea. Thanks, BDD! Ok, I'm going to print out the above listings. Definitely helps in establishing his salads. Can better mix and match to ensure he's getting the best mix.
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Post by BeardedDragonDude on Dec 7, 2020 15:23:50 GMT -5
Make sure you don't limit his intake too much though. I've seen some people get worried about their BD and stop feeding them a certain food, and accidentally end up feeding them less. Thanks, BDD
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Post by dextersmom on Dec 7, 2020 15:28:37 GMT -5
Yikes, ok will do. Looks like I won't have to adjust too much. Doing fairly well on mixing his salads, I'm glad to see. Thinking I need to only adjust a few of the ones I tend to put together.
He's not a calcium supplement fan so any that I can give him via his veges is great info!
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Post by BeardedDragonDude on Dec 7, 2020 15:31:02 GMT -5
That's great! Thanks, BDD
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