Can bearded dragons eat it?

Yes, every day. Collard greens are one of the best staple greens, with 232 mg of calcium to just 25 mg of phosphorus per 100 g, and UC Davis lists collards among the dark greens that should make up most of the salad.

Yes, every day. Turnip greens are a good staple green, with 190 mg of calcium to 42 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Yes, as part of a mixed salad. Mustard greens are a suitable staple, but their ratio of 115 mg calcium to 58 mg phosphorus is lower than collards, so mix them with other greens.

Yes. Dandelion leaves are a good staple green with 187 mg of calcium per 100 g; feed them only from plants that have not been sprayed with weedkiller or grown beside roads.

Yes. UC Davis lists endive and escarole among the dark leafy greens that can form most of the daily salad; endive has 52 mg of calcium to 28 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Yes. Watercress is on UC Davis’s list of greens for the daily salad, with 120 mg of calcium to 60 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Yes. UC Davis includes grape leaves with the dark leafy greens for the daily salad; use leaves from vines that have not been sprayed.

Yes. VCA lists alfalfa among the leafy plant foods that can form the base of the plant diet.

Yes, in rotation. VCA lists bok choy among suitable vegetables and it has 105 mg of calcium to 37 mg of phosphorus per 100 g, but as a cabbage-family green it is best mixed with others rather than fed alone.

Yes, in rotation rather than every day. Kale is high in calcium (254 mg to 55 mg of phosphorus per 100 g), but UC Davis advises feeding it sparingly and it is one of the brassicas whose glucosinolates are tracked in USDA’s review, so keep it as one green among several.

Occasionally. UC Davis lists cabbage among foods to feed sparingly, it contains glucosinolates (USDA review), and with 40 mg of calcium per 100 g it adds far less than dark greens.

Occasionally. Parsley has a good ratio of 138 mg calcium to 58 mg phosphorus, but UC Davis and NC State list it among goitrogen-rich foods to feed sparingly.

Yes, as one green among several. VCA lists cilantro as a suitable vegetable; its ratio of 67 mg calcium to 48 mg phosphorus is lower than the best staple greens.

Yes, in small amounts. Romaine is safe and UC Davis lists it for herbivorous reptiles, but with 33 mg of calcium to 30 mg of phosphorus per 100 g it is far less nutritious than collard or turnip greens.

Only rarely. Spinach is one of the highest-oxalate foods (a 2023 review reports 330–2,350 mg per 100 g), and oxalate binds calcium so the dragon cannot absorb it, whatever the ratio looks like on paper.

Only rarely. Swiss chard is high in oxalates, which bind calcium and stop it being absorbed (VCA, UC Davis), and its ratio is barely above 1 : 1.

Only rarely. VCA groups beet greens with spinach and Swiss chard as oxalate-rich greens to use sparingly.

Rarely. Iceberg lettuce is not harmful in a small amount, but it is about 96% water with only 18 mg of calcium per 100 g, so it adds little and should never replace dark greens.

Yes, as part of the vegetable portion. Serve it grated or finely chopped; butternut squash has 48 mg of calcium to 33 mg of phosphorus per 100 g, and UC Davis lists it among good mixed vegetables.

Yes. UC Davis lists acorn squash among the mixed vegetables to add to the salad; serve it grated or finely chopped.

Yes, occasionally. UC Davis includes pumpkin in the mixed vegetables, but it has about twice as much phosphorus as calcium, so keep portions small.

Yes, occasionally and cooked. VCA lists cooked sweet potato as an occasional vegetable; raw sweet potato has 30 mg of calcium to 47 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Yes, grated and in small amounts. Carrots are fine as an occasional vegetable alongside greens, with roughly equal calcium and phosphorus (33 mg and 35 mg per 100 g).

Yes, finely chopped and in small amounts. UC Davis lists bell peppers among mixed vegetables, but red bell pepper has only 7 mg of calcium per 100 g, so it adds variety rather than calcium.

Yes, chopped, as an occasional vegetable. UC Davis and VCA both list green beans; they have about equal calcium and phosphorus (37 mg and 38 mg per 100 g).

Yes, occasionally. VCA lists okra among occasional vegetables, and it has a little more calcium (82 mg) than phosphorus (61 mg) per 100 g.

Yes, occasionally and chopped small. VCA lists asparagus among occasional vegetables, but it has more than twice as much phosphorus as calcium.

Yes, occasionally, with every spine removed. VCA lists cactus among occasional vegetables, and cooked nopales have 164 mg of calcium to 16 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Yes, but rarely and in small amounts. Peas appear on UC Davis’s vegetable list, but with 108 mg of phosphorus to 25 mg of calcium per 100 g they pull the diet’s ratio down.

Only rarely. UC Davis and NC State list broccoli among goitrogen-rich foods to feed sparingly, and it has more phosphorus (66 mg) than calcium (47 mg) per 100 g.

Rarely. UC Davis groups zucchini with low-nutrition vegetables to feed sparingly; it has 16 mg of calcium to 38 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Rarely. Cucumber is mostly water, and UC Davis lists it among low-nutrition vegetables to offer only sparingly.

Rarely. UC Davis lists radishes among low-nutrition vegetables to feed sparingly.

Rarely, if at all. Corn appears on VCA’s occasional list, but sweet corn has just 2 mg of calcium to 89 mg of phosphorus per 100 g, one of the worst ratios on this page, and UC Davis counts it as low-nutrition.

Rarely, if at all. VCA lists mushrooms among occasional vegetables, but white mushrooms have 3 mg of calcium to 86 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Yes, as an occasional treat. Strawberries are high in sugar and low in calcium, with 4.9 g of sugar and more phosphorus (24 mg) than calcium (16 mg) per 100 g, so offer a small piece now and then. Full answer →

Yes, as an occasional treat. Raspberries have 25 mg of calcium to 29 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Yes, as an occasional treat. Blackberries are among the better berries, with slightly more calcium (29 mg) than phosphorus (22 mg) and under 5 g of sugar per 100 g.

Yes, as a treat. Papaya is one of the better fruits for calcium balance (20 mg calcium to 10 mg phosphorus per 100 g), but it is still sugary.

Yes, as an occasional treat. UC Davis lists cantaloupe among treat fruits; it has 7.9 g of sugar and more phosphorus than calcium per 100 g.

Yes, as an occasional treat without the seeds. VCA lists melon among treat fruits; watermelon is mostly water and sugar, with 7 mg of calcium per 100 g.

Yes, as an occasional treat. VCA lists kiwi among treat fruits, and it has equal calcium and phosphorus (34 mg each per 100 g).

Yes, as an occasional treat with the pit removed. UC Davis and VCA list apricots among treat fruits; they have 13 mg of calcium to 23 mg of phosphorus per 100 g.

Rarely. A few blueberries make a treat, but at nearly 10 g of sugar per 100 g and twice as much phosphorus as calcium they should stay rare.

Yes, but rarely. Apple is on the treat lists from UC Davis and VCA, but with 10.4 g of sugar per 100 g and almost twice as much phosphorus as calcium, offer only a small piece with no seeds.

Rarely. Banana is listed as a treat fruit (UC Davis, VCA), but it has 12.2 g of sugar and more than four times as much phosphorus as calcium per 100 g.

Rarely, cut into small pieces. Grapes are on the treat lists from UC Davis and VCA, but they have 15.5 g of sugar per 100 g, more than any other fresh fruit here except figs.

Rarely. Mango is listed as a treat fruit (UC Davis, VCA), but at 13.7 g of sugar per 100 g it should be a small, infrequent piece.

Rarely. Pears are on the treat lists from UC Davis and VCA; with 9.8 g of sugar per 100 g, offer a small seedless piece only now and then.

Rarely, with the pit removed. Peaches are listed as a treat fruit, but they have more than three times as much phosphorus as calcium.

Rarely, with the pit removed. UC Davis lists plums among treat fruits; they have 9.9 g of sugar and little calcium per 100 g.

Rarely. Fresh figs have a good calcium ratio (35 mg to 14 mg of phosphorus per 100 g), but at 16.3 g of sugar per 100 g they are among the sweetest fruits here.

Rarely. UC Davis and NC State list oranges among treat fruits, and oranges have more calcium than phosphorus, but they are sugary, so a small piece on rare occasions is the limit.

Rarely. Tomato is on the treat lists from UC Davis and VCA, but it has more than twice as much phosphorus as calcium.

Rarely, if at all. VCA lists star fruit among treat fruits, but a 2023 food-chemistry review names it as one of the few high-oxalate fruits, so other fruits are better choices.

Yes. Dubia roaches are a standard staple feeder for bearded dragons of all ages; size them to the dragon, gut-load them and dust them with calcium.

Yes. Gut-loaded, calcium-dusted crickets are a staple feeder (VCA, UC Davis); remove any that are not eaten so they do not bother the dragon.

Yes. VCA lists silkworms as a suitable feeder, and they add variety to a cricket or roach diet.

Yes. VCA lists hornworms as a suitable feeder; buy them as feeders rather than collecting them from garden plants.

Yes, as one feeder among several. UC Davis and VCA both list mealworms; use them alongside crickets or roaches rather than as the only insect.

Only as an occasional extra. VCA notes superworms are high in fat and can cause obesity, and a 2022 study measured about 65 mg of calcium to 651 mg of phosphorus per 100 g of superworm larval meal.

Rarely, as a treat. VCA says waxworms are high in fat and should be fed sparingly, not daily.

Rarely, and only for large adults. VCA allows pinkie or fuzzy mice occasionally for larger dragons, and UC Davis says no more than once a week for dragons over four months old.

Yes. UC Davis lists dandelion greens and flowers among the core salad foods; pick them only where no weedkiller is used.

Yes, occasionally. Both UC Davis and VCA list hibiscus flowers; use only blooms that have never been sprayed.

Yes, occasionally. UC Davis lists rose petals and VCA lists roses; florist roses are usually treated, so use only home-grown, unsprayed flowers.

Yes, occasionally. VCA lists nasturtiums among flowers bearded dragons can eat, if they are free of chemicals.

Yes, occasionally. UC Davis lists pansies and violets among flowers to offer sparingly.

Yes, occasionally. Both UC Davis and VCA list geranium flowers, provided they have not been sprayed.

No, never. Fireflies contain lucibufagins, toxins that act on the heart; the University of Illinois veterinary college warns that eating even one can kill a bearded dragon, and VCA says they are toxic to lizards.

No. Avocado contains persin, which the Merck Veterinary Manual links to heart damage in many birds and mammals; reptiles have not been studied, so there is no reason to risk it, and it has four times more phosphorus than calcium.

No. Rhubarb is one of the highest-oxalate foods known (about 1,235 mg per 100 g in a 2023 review), and oxalate locks up calcium, so its high calcium figure is misleading.

No. Onions and garlic contain sulfur compounds that damage red blood cells in many animals (Merck Veterinary Manual); there is no reptile safety data and they offer nothing a dragon needs.

No. Every part of pothos contains calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth and gut (NC State Extension), so keep it out of reach and out of the enclosure.

No. Do not feed wild plants or flowers unless you are sure what they are and that they have not been treated with pesticide.