In short, yes bearded dragons can consume dandelions. In fact, it contains a lot of nutritious values. You can easily purchase it from any grocery store.
It has a subtle amount of vitamin A, B, C, E, K, folate, and folate. Dandelions are also high in calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium, all of which are vital nutrients.
Bearded dragon’s meals mostly consist of different fruit, vegetable, and protein-based sources. You need to mix and match for the most part.
Dandelions are one of those food sources that you can incorporate to give a new flavor to your beardie. So, you need to how, why, and when to feed it to your pet. In this article I will discuss can bearded dragons eat dandelions in detail.
Nutritious Value of Dandelions
Before knowing can bearded dragons eat dandelion, you need to first understand it’s nutritional value. It would help you to understand whether you should in fact add it to your pet reptile’s food bowl.
Calcium
Dandelion greens are among the calcium-dense foods available. You would be shocked to know that these greens include up to 187 mg of calcium per 100 grams. Broccoli, on the other hand, has just approximately 47 mg of calcium per 100 grams, but spinach has 99 mg.
The most important nutrient for bearded dragons, along with vitamin D3, is calcium. Without it, these reptiles are at risk of developing a variety of health problems, including metabolic bone disease.
Vitamins A & K
Dandelions are full of vitamins A and K. Vitamin A is good for bone and reproductive health, and vitamin K is good for wound healing and bone health.
Despite the advantages of vitamin, A, you must be cautious to avoid vitamin A toxicity. If your beardie is taking a multivitamin, you may want to cut back on the amount when giving dandelion greens to your dragon.
Beta Carotene and Antioxidants
Bearded dragons can absorb precisely the appropriate quantity of vitamin A thanks to beta carotene. As I have said even before, too much of vitamin A might be harmful. Whereas a lack of it can cause difficulties such as poor vision. Antioxidants are critical in the battle against cells that might harm the body.
The blossoms of the dandelion are delicate and delicious. However, don’t overfeed your reptile with flowers because they’re fairly full and don’t provide a complete meal.
Food researcher of the Agricultural University of China has found some of the good nutritious value of dandelions. They have come up with a chart containing nutrients, amount, and value.
Nutrients | Amount | Units |
Vitamin C | 35 | mg |
Vitamin K | 778.4 | µg |
Moisture | 85.6 | g |
Calcium | 187 | mg |
Phosphorous | 66 | mg |
Moisture | 85.6 | g |
Energy | 45 | kcal |
Fiber | 3.5 | g |
Folate | 27 | µg |
Beta-carotene | 5854 | µg |
Vitamin A | 508 | µg |
Sugar | 0.7 | g |
If you look at the table, you will see the complete scenario. The table speaks for itself. Dandelions, as you can see, are rich in both minerals and vitamins. They’re high in vitamins A, C, and K, as well as critical minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, salt, and potassium.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Dandelions (Detailed Discussion)
Now on to the main question. Can bearded dragons eat dandelions? Like I have already mentioned before, bearded dragons can almost eat all granaries and dandelions are one of them.
In most parts of the world, dandelions (Taraxacum Officinalis) are considered weeds. They are an annoyance in the backyard and those who like to do frequent gardening. Most people even think that they are useless things and won’t do any good for the pet.
But they provide rich nutrition for some animals and are a wonderful supply of honey for insects when they are consumed. When the flower is in blossom, they turn into bright yellow color. If you closely observe it you would see that it has long petals closely interconnected to it. It is pretty hard to miss.
Of course, when they mature and go to seed, they become instantly recognizable, earning the nickname “dandelion clock” from youngsters who pretend to calculate time by counting how many times they must blow to remove all of the seeds from the head.
Dandelions can be consumed by bearded dragons to and the good thing here is that they don’t contain any poisons or toxic. So, you may feed them dandelion without worrying. Dandelion greens are high in nutrients that are thought to be essential for bears. A bearded dragon’s diet includes a variety of foods such as greens, vegetables, fruits, and insects.
The presence of a few substances guarantees that the beardies receive a variety of nutrients, which are critical for their health. As a result, including dandelions in one’s diet can supply a significant amount of nutrients.
Can you feed Dandelion Green to your Beardie?
Yes, as part of a well-balanced diet, bearded dragons can consume dandelion greens. That is, bearded dragons can eat dandelion leaves every day, but they should be blended with other vegetables to create a proper balance and diversity.
Dandelions’ blossoms are also edible to bearded dragons. With 9.2% carbohydrate and nearly no fat, dandelion greens are a rich source of calcium. They do, however, have a lower water content than collard greens or spring greens.
One question comes to mind here in this instance, can bearded dragons eat wild dandelions?
Beardies can generally consume wild dandelions without any problem. as long as they haven’t been treated with pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides, You should also avoid harvesting dandelions in regions where there has been a lot of car exhaust pollution.
How many Times should I feed Dandelions to my Bearded Dragon?
Bearded dragons may consume dandelion greens on a regular basis; in fact, some individuals feed them on a daily basis. Obviously, it is important to realize what extent of dandelions can your pet reptile can infect eat. You also keep in mind that how regularly you feed the beardie so that any potential harm may stay away due to overeating.
Moreover, you need to also inspect, the contents of the dandelions you provide to your dragon must be careful. Because these greens are high in vitamin A, eating too much of them might induce hypervitaminosis A. As a result, you should be cautious about the number of dandelions in your lizard’s diet, especially if you’re giving it a vitamin A pill.
A handful of dandelions should be enough to feed one bearded dragon at a time. So, how many dandelions can beard dragons eat? This is a question we need to know to explore here. Well, if you look at it like this, bearded dragons should only consume one dandelion every day. Overeating will cause some unwanted malfunction.
How to Feed Dandelions to your Bearded Dragon
Dandelions are one of the favorite foods of your beardie. All you have to do is get them, wash the edibles and serve. No extra torment to preparing. Knowing how to prepare your bearded dragon’s food in the simplest and quickest method possible will save you time and money while also making it more pleasurable for your beardie to consume.
For your beardie, here’s a quick instruction to preparing and presenting dandelion greens…
Purchasing Dandelion Greens – Purchasing dandelion greens from a shop is highly recommended.
You may even cultivate your own in a controlled setting to guarantee pesticides and herbicides aren’t used.
Give Them a Wash — Before adding dandelion greens or any other plant-based food to your beardie’s salad dish, give it a thorough wash.
Uncooked– Dandelion greens are already soft and chewy, so they don’t need to be cooked. The nutrients will be preserved if you feed them uncooked.
No need to chop — Although cut dandelion greens don’t need to be chopped, it’s frequently more convenient to chop them up with other greens to produce a salad mix.
Time to Serve — That’s all there is to it; all you have to do now is toss in some more high-quality greens to the salad dish, and your bearded dragons will be getting their daily dose of calcium-rich, nutritious greens and veggies.
Can baby bearded dragons eat dandelions?
Now that you know can bearded dragons eat dandelions you must be dying to find out whether baby beardie gets the same privileges?
Dandelion greens are a fantastic addition to a plant-based diet for newborn bearded dragons.
A baby beardie will typically develop to 90 percent of its full size in the first 12 months of its life. They will require a lot of high-quality protein and, of course, calcium to sustain this growth.
Dandelion greens are a great source of calcium for newborn bearded dragons, and as a parent, you should try to include these foods in their diet on a regular basis.
This concludes the answer to your question can baby bearded dragon ear dandelions.
FAQ
Can Bearded dragons eat dandelions from outside?
That is to say, it only is possible only if the region where it’s grown has been treated with fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides will you have a problem.
While chemicals are one thing to be aware of, pollution is another something to look out for. You’ll want to avoid wild dandelions that are growing near highways or where there is a lot of car activity.
Additionally, if there are industries nearby, it is advisable not to choose them. The pollutants they release into the sky will ultimately settle on the dandelions that bloom in the fields.
What flowers are toxic to bearded dragons?
Tulip
Yew
Poppy
Privet
Poison ivy
Poison oak
Poison sumac
Ragwort
Red maple
Rhododendron
Rosary pea
Sage
Daphne
Death camas
Delphinium
Dieffenbachia
Eggplant fruits and leaves
Elderberry leaves, stem, bark, and roots
Elephant’s ears
Euonymus bark, filet, and leaves
European plant
Four o’clock
pennyroyal
Four o’clock
Heliotrope
Henbane
Holly
Horse chestnut
Horse nettle
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Iris
Boston, English, and other Ivy
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Jerusalem cherry
Juniper
Lantana
Larkspur
Laurel
Lily-of-the-valley
Lobella
Locoweed
What plants are toxic to bearded dragons?
Lupine
Marijuana
milkweed
Mistletoe
Mock orange
Moonseed
Monkshood
Morning glory
Mushrooms
Narcissus
Oak
Oleander
Peach
Peony
Periwinkle
Peyote
Philodendron Poison hemlock
Poison ivy
Poison oak
Poison sumac
Poinsettia
Poppy
Pokeweed
Potato berries, tubers, leaves, and sprout
Pathos
Primrose
Privet
Ragwort
Red maple
Rhododendron
Rosary pea
Sage
Shamrock plant
Skunk cabbage
Snowdrop
Sorrel
Spurges
Star of Bethlehem
Sweet pea
Tobacco
Tomato stem and leaves
Tulip
Virginia creeper
Vetches
Water hemlock
Waxberry
Wisteria Yew
What kind of weeds can bearded dragons eat?
Dandelion
Catsear
Dead nettle
Plantain
Can bearded dragons eat scrambled eggs?
Can bearded dragons eat grass?
Conclusion
So, to summarize, can bearded dragons eat dandelions? Yes, they can. You can feed it to your pet reptile every day. Aside from the risk of vitamin A poisoning from feeding too many dandelions, these greens have no known drawbacks.
Bearded dragons benefit from dandelions because they contain a lot of moisture, vitamin A, C, and K, calcium, and other critical minerals. Make careful to feed raw dandelions at all times. You must make sure you restrict the quantity. Dandelions are the favorite food of your bearded dragon. Don’t overfeed it just because they are liking it.