Choosing to welcome a bearded dragon into your home comes with a lot of responsibility. You are responsible for providing a comfortable and natural habitat where your dragon can thrive while ensuring you feed them a healthy diet.
Diet for bearded dragons can be tricky as you need to feed them a mixture of green veg and insects.
What does a bearded dragon eat? Do you know what your dragon can and cannot eat? We have broken down some of the most common foods below, so you can identify if they are safe or not when preparing your dragon’s meal for the day.
Further Reading:
- Reason Your Bearded Dragon Is Not Eating
- How To Keep Your Bearded Dragon Hydrated
Can Bearded Dragon Eat Grapes? YES
Grapes can be eaten daily, as long as they are well cleaned before being cut into bite sized pieces and added to your dragon’s greens. Dragons can eat the leaves and grapes of the grape plant.
Can Bearded Dragon EatBananas? Occasionally
Banana can be eaten raw by your beardie, but it’s not a food you want to feed on a regular basis. Too many bananas and your dragon can get sick. Use banana in bite sized pieces when you haven’t stocked up on your dragon food.
Can Bearded Dragon EatApples? YES
Apples can be eaten regularly by bearded dragons. It’s important that the apple is peeled before being cut into small bite sized pieces, which should be easy for your dragon to eat.
Can Bearded Dragon Eat Strawberries?Occasionally
Bearded dragons can eat strawberries but on occasion. Feeding once a month or once every two months is best. When feeding strawberries, ensure you remove the top and cut the berry into small bite sized pieces for your dragon to enjoy.
Can Bearded Dragon EatCarrots? YES
Dragons love carrots, though remember they are rich in Vitamin A. Too much Vitamin A and your dragon could experience a Vitamin A toxicity.
Take note of their diet to ensure there isn’t too much Vitamin A rich foods when feeding carrots. Carrots should be fed raw and cut into small bite size pieces, making it easier and more enjoyable for your dragon to eat.
Can Bearded Dragon EatSpinach?Occasionally
Once a month is about as safe as you are going to get when it comes to feeding your bearded dragon spinach. Spinach is high in oxalates. If you are going to feed spinach, keep it to once a month or once every two months. If you can, avoiding it all together is a better choice in the long run.
Can Bearded Dragon EatBlueberries? YES
Blueberries can be fed to your bearded dragon with confidence, as long as you take the time to wash them thoroughly. Frozen and unwashed berries both have pesticides on them which could be harmful to your dragon, good washing and blueberries can be a welcome food source moving forward.
Can Bearded Dragon EatBroccoli?Occasionally
Your bearded dragon can eat broccoli and safely in moderation. Too much broccoli can result in your beardie getting sick. Raw broccoli cut into small pieces can be fed to your dragon now and then. The perfect choice when running out of greens until you get to the shop.
Can Bearded Dragon EatKale? YES
Kale is completely safe to feed to your dragon. Ensure any kale is fresh and washed thoroughly to ensure you remove any pesticides and make it one hundred percent safe for your bearded dragon to enjoy.
Can Bearded Dragon EatRaspberries?Occasionally
Bearded dragons love raspberries, but it is recommended that you only feed occasionally as this is not considered the best fruit for dragons, being rich in oxalates. Rare feedings are enjoyed and safe.
Can Bearded Dragon EatZucchini?Occasionally
A bearded dragon can eat zucchini, but it’s not something you want to feed regularly. Zucchini is very rich in phosphorus and therefore it should only be added to their diet once every few weeks.
Can Bearded Dragon EatLettuce?Occasionally
Lettuce isn’t poisonous to dragons, so they can eat it. The problem is that lettuce is pure water and therefore it has no nutritional values to benefit your beardie. Use lettuce when you have no other greens, but never make it part of their regular food.
Can Bearded Dragon EatMango? YES
Mango is completely safe and delicious for your bearded dragon to enjoy. Cut the mango into small bite size pieces, no wider than the dragon’s eyes to ensure it is safe and easy to your dragon to eat.
Can Bearded Dragon EatKiwi?Occasionally
Bearded dragons love kiwi, but it should only be fed as a treat and not part of their regular food. Kiwi is rich in Vitamin C but has high oxalic acid, which binds calcium.
This is the last thing you want to happen to your dragon. Once every two or three months is safe when feeding kiwi to your reptilian pet.
Can Bearded Dragon EatChicken? NO
Cooked chicken is not the best food to be feeding your bearded dragon. Extensive research hasn’t been conducted on the impact of cooked chicken and your beardie, which is why you should avoid feeding cooked chicken for now. Always best to be safe when it comes to your dragon’s health.
Can Bearded Dragon EatPinky Mouse? YES
Pinky mice are completely safe for your dragon to eat, but they should only be fed to adult bearded dragons.
Remember that a pinky mouse is an optional extra, as bearded dragons can live a healthy life eating bugs, greens and worms. They don’t need the pinky mouse, but if you want to feed it occasionally, it is one hundred percent safe.
Can Bearded Dragon EatPumpkin?Occasionally
Pumpkin can be fed to your dragon on occasion. Raw pumpkin without the seeds can be a great diet when you have a constipated dragon.
Don’t feed too much, as it will have the opposite effect and can result in diarrhea in your bearded dragon. Squash is a safer option and a more staple food source moving forward.
Can Bearded Dragon EatAsparagus?Occasionally
Asparagus is acidic and contains disproportionate phosphorus and calcium ratios. While your dragon can eat asparagus raw, it should only be fed to them on occasion due to the high acidity levels.
Can Bearded Dragon Eat Boiled Eggs?Occasionally
Bearded dragons can eat smaller quantities of eggs on an occasional basis. Eggs should not be seen as a staple food.
You can feed your beardie boiled egg once every two weeks or once a week for a small egg, such as a quail egg. You can feed your bearded a whole quail egg, due to the size.
Therefore, bear in mind when feeding a chicken egg to only feed half. Never mix the egg with milk or use any seasonings.
Can Bearded Dragon Eat Bok Choy? YES
Bok Choy is brimming with Vitamin A and is a wonderful addition to the greens you feed your dragon. Bok Choy is known as Chinese cabbage and should be torn into small bite size pieces when fed to your beardie.
Can Bearded Dragon EatCauliflower? NO
Cauliflower contains a very high-water content with a good phosphorus and calcium ratio. A little taste of cauliflower now and then is safe, but cauliflower is not to be fed as regular greens.
Can Bearded Dragon EatCelery? YES
Celery is a great raw green to feed your dragon. Dragons can eat the leaves and stalks of the celery safely. Ensure you chop it finely and small before feeding to your dragon.
Can Bearded Dragon EatCucumber? YES
Cucumber can be fed to your dragon safely. Ensure you remove the peel. Remember cucumber has a very high-water content and poor nutritional values, which means, while safe to feed to your beardie, it should not be one of the main food sources.
Can Bearded Dragon EatDandelions? YES
Dandelions are a great source of food for bearded dragons. This can be fed daily if preferred and will help to keep your dragon healthy.
Can Bearded Dragon EatEggplant? NO
Eggplant is very acidic and therefore is not the best green to be fed to your bearded dragon. If you are chopping up some eggplant for your own meal, by all means give your dragon a little taste, but never feed eggplant regularly as part of their everyday food.
Can Bearded Dragon EatHibiscus? YES
Hibiscus plants are an excellent source of nutrition for your dragon and can be added to their food on a daily basis. Dragons can eat the leaves and flowers and it adds some color to their food bowl.
Can Bearded Dragon EatMushrooms? NO
Mushrooms can be very toxic for your bearded dragon and can result in death. So please never feed this to your dragon under any circ*mstances.
Can Bearded Dragon Eat Parsley?Occasionally
Dragons can eat parsley on an occasional basis. Any parsley should be fresh and washed well before being fed to your reptile pet.
Can Bearded Dragon EatPeanut Butter? NO
Bearded dragons cannot eat peanut butter as it is too high in protein added sugars and fats. Rather than taking a chance, avoid peanut butter completely to ensure your dragon remains healthy.
Can Bearded Dragon EatYoghurt? NO
Dairy is not a safe option for bearded dragons as they struggle to digest it. Many dragon owners will give their dragons yoghurt because of the good bacteria and probiotics yoghurt provides. It is not recommended to feed your dragon any dairy at any time.
Can Bearded Dragon EatTomatoes? NO
While a bearded dragon can eat tomatoes and live to tell the tale, you would be best removing this from their food list. Tomatoes are highly acidic and can be damaging to your dragon’s digestive system.
Conclusion
As a bearded dragon owner, you want to ensure you provide your dragon with what it needs to remain healthy. This includes a natural habitat, where your dragon can bask in the sun and hide when it feels exposed and it requires you feeding your dragon a healthy and well-balanced diet.
Your dragon is going to need a good selection of foods with insects and worms, along with greens. Choosing the right greens can be daunting, some will give your dragon all the nutrients it needs, while others can prove harmful if given too often.
Apples, blueberries, bok choy, carrots, celery, dandelion, grapes and more are all safe food options that offer a great nutritional value to help your dragon grow up to be strong and healthy.
Greens should be made available, cut into easy to manage pieces. All fruits and vegetables need to be thoroughly washed before being fed to your dragon.
