Bearded dragons are some of the most popular pet lizards. They are omnivorous reptiles, meaning they eat both meat and plants. Generally, they prefer vegetables, but if you give them a high protein diet, they get used to eating more meat.
Bearded dragons can eat mustard greens, a good source of nutrients necessary to thrive. These vegetables are a source of Vitamin C, calcium, dietary fiber, and proteins. They also have a high water content that keeps your pet well hydrated.
It is critical to provide your bearded dragon with the proper diet if you want it to grow without any health issues. Take a look at the nutrients in mustard greens and the different foods that constitute a proper diet for a bearded dragon.
Nutrients in Mustard Greens
One of the reasons why you should feed your bearded dragon with mustard greens is that they are rich in water, dietary fiber, and vitamins and minerals such as:
Vitamin C
Calcium
Protein
Let us look at these nutrients and dietary requirements and their benefits to bearded dragons.
Vitamin C
Mustard greens contain about 70 mg of Vitamin C for every 100 grams. Bearded dragons must have a sufficient supply of Vitamin C to ensure they fight infections.
Common infections in bearded dragons include:
Infectious stomatitis
Respiratory infections
Parasites
Adenovirus infection
Protein
Mustard greens contain about 2.86 grams of protein per 100-gram portion. Bearded dragons require protein to build their muscle mass. A low protein diet can lead to chronic protein deficiency, which causes general wasting of the body and increases vulnerability to infections.
Calcium
Mustard greens are rich in calcium, with 115 mg per 100-gram portion. Calcium is critical for bearded dragons to develop strong bones, especially when they are young because that is when they grow the most.
A calcium deficiency in your bearded dragon causes metabolic bone disease (MBD). This disease makes the dragon’s bones extraordinarily soft and fragile, breaking easily. It could also cause foot deformities.
Dietary Fibre
Every 100 grams of mustard greens contains 3.2 grams of dietary fiber. It improves digestion by helping food pass through the digestive tract faster to avoid constipation.
Constipation occurs when the final stage of digestion slows down, causing fecal matter accumulation. Your bearded dragon could become uncomfortable and strained when trying to defecate or even suffer from cloacal prolapse.
Water
Mustard greens have a high water content at 90.7 grams for every 100 grams. Water helps keep the dragon hydrated. Lack of water could cause dehydration resulting in severe health problems or even death in extreme cases.
Health complications arising from dehydration include:
Constipation
Gout
Kidney disease
Shedding problems
Feeding Your Bearded Dragon a Proper Diet
Bearded dragons are omnivorous and enjoy eating a variety of healthy foods. They eat both live food and plants and vegetables. Commercial diets are available in the form of pellets, but you should supplement them with natural supplements.
It is critical to note that any food item your bearded dragon eats should be smaller than the space between its eyes. Anything more substantial could cause life-threatening impaction and hind leg paralysis.
Let us look at each type of food in more detail.
Live Food
Bearded dragons love non-flying insects such as:
Crickets
Giant mealworms
Mealworms
Waxworms
Superworms
Juvenile Madagascar hissing cockroaches
Locusts
Calci worms
Sometimes, more giant bearded dragons also delight in savoring small live lizards. The lizards are a source of vitamins and minerals and nutrients like calcium, not readily available in insects and vegetables.
Younger dragons eat much more than older dragons, and their diet consists mainly of insects and little plant matter. The live prey should be adequate to protect the young beardies from stunted growth, malnutrition, or death from starvation. As they grow, live food should decrease, and plant matter increase.
During feeding, feed your pet with as many insects as it can consume within ten minutes. Pay attention to the size of the insects because your bearded dragon could die from trying to eat prey that is too large. After feeding, do not leave live insects in the dragon’s cage because frightened prey could injure your dragon.
Greens
Your beardie needs fresh greens daily. Remember to spray the leaves with water to keep them fresh longer and hydrate your bearded dragon.
Types of greens that you can feed your bearded dragon include:
Mustard greens
Collard greens
Bok choy
Dandelion greens
Escarole
Calendula
Turnip greens
Plantain leaves
Clover blossoms
Hibiscus flowers
Rose petals
Garden cress
Chop the greens into appropriate sizes. Also, ensure the leaves are free of herbicides and pesticides.
If the food you are giving includes any lettuce, avoid the food. Lettuce is composed mainly of water and has little to no nutritional value. Also, kale and spinach prevent calcium absorption, so you should avoid the two.
Vegetables and Fruits
Your bearded dragon’s diet should also include vegetables such as:
All varieties of squash (yellow, butternut, acorn, spaghetti)
Parsnips
Green beans
Snow peas
Sweet potato
You can add some carrots as a treat, but not as the main meal due to high levels of Vitamin A. Avoid any food rich in Vitamin A because dragons do not absorb it well. Feeding your bearded dragon with more Vitamin A than it can handle will cause Vitamin A toxicity, a deadly condition.
You can cook squashes beforehand, but it is not necessary.
Use different fruits without pits or seeds, but avoid citrus fruits such as grapefruit and oranges. Also, keep sugary fruits at a minimum. Fruits you can add as treats include:
Bananas
Apricots
Apples
Grapes
Cantaloupe
Figs
Berries
Grapes
Mangoes
Peaches
Papayas
Pears
Tomatoes
Water
Bearded dragons need fresh water daily, but younger ones require more because the insects they eat provide very little moisture. They often do not drink from the water bowl since they get most of their hydration from their diet. Sometimes, they are more willing to drink the water in their bath.
Still, you should provide a sizeable, shallow bowl of clean, fresh water should the dragon need it. You must also replace the water daily or immediately if it is soiled.
Sometimes, having water inside the enclosure throughout the day increases humidity and the risk of lung illness. If you reside in an area deficient in moisture, run the air conditioning regularly, a dish of water will help raise humidity levels in your dragon’s enclosure. Always keep humidity levels above 25%.
Feeding Plan for a Bearded Dragon
The nutrition requirements and amount of food a bearded dragon eats depend on the age.
Baby dragons and juveniles below six months should feed up to four times a day, with the most significant portion in the morning because they are active during the day. They need more live foods, so give them around 80% live food and 20% greens. You increase the greens and reduce the amount of live food as the dragons grow.
Baby beardies should eat appropriately sized crickets. Offer as many crickets as your dragon will consume within five to ten minutes. When your dragon stops eating, do not offer more. Young bearded dragons can eat between 20 – 60 crickets a day.
Adult bearded dragons should feed two times a day, preferably in the morning, to give them time to digest the food in the daytime. Older dragons require around 60% greens and 40% live food. It is also prudent to weigh your bearded dragon regularly.
Keep live food in large, well-ventilated containers. Hydrate them well and feed them safe vegetables for their well-being and for them to pass on the nutrients to your bearded dragon. Offer them an appropriately formulated gut-loading diet rich in vitamins and minerals between 24-48 hours before feeding them to your dragon.
Conclusion
You can feed your bearded dragon on mustard greens regularly. These green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C, calcium, and water. Be sure to mix with other vegetables and live foods to form a balanced diet.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
