Bearded dragons eat various kinds of greens, other than insects. The vegetable part of their diet should be consisting of up to 90% greens and 10% fruit. By now it has been known that dark green leafy vegetables are good for bearded dragons as light green vegetables with more fiber and fewer nutrients cannot give them proper nutrition.
Also there can be some of the colorful vegetables like orange, red or yellow vegetables.
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Can Bearded Dragons Eat Broccoli?
Broccoli is listed under the veggies that are favored and is good for bearded dragons. You can feed Broccoli vegetable and even the leaves or stalks can also be fed to bearded dragon.
How to Feed Broccoli to your bearded dragon?
There are certain ways you can feed it to the bearded dragon.
Making a salad
feeding different vegetables at a platter of salad is a good idea. You can cut and make cubes of different vegetables like carrot, green collard, dandelion greens, peas and beans along with broccoli. This way your dragon will consume useful greens and it will also have a balanced diet.
Feed them raw
do not try to feed bearded dragons with any vegetables in boiled way. When you make the dragon eat broccoli, cut it into small pieces so it does not choke them. But if you think that the green pieces are too hard to digest for the dragon then trust the digestive system of the dragon. They are wild in nature and can easily digest any fruit or vegetable in raw format.
Things to keep in mind while feeding Broccoli?
Broccoli is otherwise quite nutritious and for human the consumption does not need to be restricted. This is not the same with the system of bearded dragons.
Suppressing thyroid function is one of the effect broccoli has, so when you feed the dragon with the shredded stalks and green parts, it can cause hormonal imbalance in bearded dragon. The vegetables can be fed but with moderation.
The reason broccoli disturbs the thyroid function is, it contains oxalate. Hypocalcemia is one ailment that can be caused after consumption of food containing oxalate.
For bearded dragons, too much oxalate is rather disturbing and they should eat vegetables that are low on oxalate. Carrot tops, turnip tops and watercress can be fed to them regularly.
Also you can give it dandelion greens and mustard greens. Make them a salad of any three vegetables mentioned here and arrange some flowers to top to dish. It will look alluring and the bearded dragon will be tempted to the dish.
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Conclusion
High percentage of nutritious element is needed for keeping the bearded dragon healthy. Broccoli contains good amount of nutrition. Other than the greens mentioned here, bearded dragon would suffice its nutrition intake from various kinds of insects. Leafy vegetables offered to them are enough to provide the minerals and necessary energy. Rest they can manage with the non-vegetarian food.