Frisee is another name for curly endive. It is a narrow green leafy vegetable that has curly outer leaves. It is also known as chicory in the USA.
There is another type of endive known as escarole. It has a few different features. Unlike frisee, escarole has broad pale green leaves.
However, frisee is the common variety that is a member of vegetables that reptiles seem to love.
Can bearded dragons eat frisee?
Yes. Frisee is fine for bearded dragons. In fact, this type of endive should be part of your bearded dragon’s diet.
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Is Frisee Good for Bearded Dragons?
Endive is good for bearded dragons. Since frisee is a member of endive, it can be part of their daily diet.
But if you want to see whether or not frisee is good food for your beardies, below is a quick enumeration of its nutritional content.
Frisee contains;
- Low calories
- Plenty of fiber
- Inulin which helps reduce glucose level and cholesterol
- High Vitamin A and beta-carotene
- High folic acid and B-complex vitamins
- Low phosphorus and calcium
Since frisee contains little amount of phosphorus and calcium, it is good for bearded dragons.
Apart from frisee, there are other vegetables you can give to your beardies. There are plenty of options. You just to know what is best for your bearded dragons.
Related Article: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Kohlrabi?
Green Leafy Vegetables for Bearded Dragons
It is important to remember that bearded dragons have different vegetable needs. It depends mostly on their age.
Adult bearded dragons, for instance, tend to eat more greens than a baby and juvenile bearded dragons.
The reason is that young bearded dragons tend to eat more insects and worms as their protein source. This is because, at this point, their body is growing rapidly thus they need more protein than nutrients.
Older bearded dragons, on the other hand, tend to consume more green leafy vegetables. They need more nutrients from vegetables than those proteins from insects and worms.
If you have adult bearded dragons, you need to give them dark green leafy vegetables. These vegetables have different vitamins and minerals content.
What I like to do is to mix different greens to somehow come up with a balanced diet for my bearded dragons.
The following are some of the green leafy vegetables you can choose from for your bearded dragons too.
- Endive
- Radicchio
- Chicory
- Spring mix
- Carrot tops
- Mustard Greens
- Watercress
- Kale
- Dandelion Greens
- Escarole
- Swiss Chard
- Spinach
- Beet Greens
- Parsley
- Collard Greens
In giving green leafy vegetables for your beardies, always avoid those that contain a high amount of water.
Examples of these are romaine, iceberg, red, and green lettuces. If eaten in large amounts, bearded dragons may suffer from diarrhea and other potential digestive problems.
However, these vegetables are good if your bearded dragon is constipated. They can help improve the bowel movement of your beardie.
Click here to learn what food bearded dragons should eat if they are constipated.
However, bearded dragons have different greens preferences. Some only eat certain vegetables and reject others. This will be difficult for the owner to figure out what to feed.
What to Do if Bearded Dragons Are Picky
If you have a picky bearded dragon, it is a bit of a challenge on your part. Fortunately, there are ways you can do to somehow feed them successfully.
In this situation, I tend to mix a variety of leafy vegetables. If your beardie has a favorite bug or cricket, try to add it to the salad. This will help grab his/her attention.
Another trick is adding red fruits such as raspberries or strawberries on top of the salad. Red fruits also help grab your bearded dragons’ attention to their food. Hopefully, they motivate to eat the whole serving.
Apart from green leafy vegetables, bearded dragons should also have other foods such as squash and bell peppers. And don’t forget to include insects and fruits to their diets.
As mentioned, making a balanced bearded dragon diets means considering their age. If your beardie is young or juvenile, give him/her plenty of insects. He/she needs it for his/her rapid growth.
However, if your beardie is an adult, give him/her more vegetables. He/she needs those green leafy vegetables for his/her overall health.
If you have bearded dragon pellets, you can also add that to their salad. But I don’t recommend giving bearded dragon pellets as their staple food.
Related Article: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Celery? (Is It Safe)
Baby Bearded Dragon Diet
As mentioned, the age of the bearded dragons determines how much protein and nutrients they intake.
For baby bearded dragon, it is important that they get more protein-rich foods. Baby bearded dragons usually love mealworms, waxworms, and crickets.
Unlike adult bearded dragons that may only be fed once every two days, baby bearded dragons need to be fed once a day.
Younger beardies tend to eat more than their adult counterparts. This is because they are in their fast-growing phase.
Adult bearded dragons, on the other hand, don’t eat too much. When they do, they tend to choose green leafy vegetables than protein-rich insects.
Juvenile Bearded Dragon Diet
If you have a juvenile bearded dragon, the diet can be a little bit different. You can give half of the diet is a protein (insects) and the other half is fruits and vegetables.
The dietary combination like this allows your juvenile bearded dragon to have a balanced diet.
To get your beardies healthy, it is your job to figure out what should they eat. Although there is a countless resource online you can have, not all of those may apply to your bearded dragons.
This is the reason why some advice is contradicting. I believe that every bearded dragon is different. So it is your job to know what is best for your beardies.
