Mint is one of the greens you can easily grow in your garden. If you have a bearded dragon at home, you might wonder whether or not he/she can eat mint leaves.
So, can bearded dragons eat mint leaves?
Taking the nutritional value into consideration, mint leaves are high in water and nothing else is an issue. Therefore, bearded dragons can eat mint leaves on an occasional basis.
Although mint leaves do not contain harmful substances, you should not feed them to your beardies as a staple food. As mentioned mint leaves are high in water content. They can only be fed occasionally.
Table of Contents
What Nutritional Values Can Bearded Dragons Get from Eating Mint Leaves?
When feeding bearded dragons with greens, there are things you need to consider first. The most important thing is the nutritional value that beardies can get from eating green.
Specifically, pay attention to the amount of acid, calcium, phosphorus, water, protein, fat, sugar, and fiber content. These minerals and nutrients will potentially have an adverse effect on the bearded dragons’ health.
And the most important thing you need to pay attention to when considering greens for bearded dragons is the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. The ideal ratio is 2:1. I don’t feed my bearded dragons with greens that have a disproportionate ratio for calcium to phosphorus.
Nutritional Facts of Mint Leaves
In this section, let’s look at the level of vitamins and minerals content of mint leaves. The table below provides a clue whether or not mint leaves are good for bearded dragons.
| Content | % Daily Value* |
| Total Fat | 0 g 0% |
| Saturated fat | 0 g 0% |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg 0% |
| Sodium | 1 mg 0% |
| Potassium | 18 mg 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0.5 g 0% |
| Dietary fiber | 0.3 g 1% |
| Protein | 0.1 g 0% |
| Fiber | 6.80% |
| Vitamin A | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 0% |
| Iron | 1% |
| Vitamin D | 0% |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0% |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0% |
| Magnesium | 0% |
| Water | 86% |
As you can see, mint leaves have high water content making it not so good for bearded dragons. If you want, you can feed mint to your beardies on an occasional basis though.
Aside from mint leaves, there are many other greens that are safe for bearded dragons. However, just be sure that you get the safe greens.
Although beardies can eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, this does not mean that they can eat all greens you give to them.
In fact, there are fruits and veggies that are harmful to bearded dragons. If you are a beginner, this should concern you.
Fortunately, this post is created to help you figure out what your beardy can and can’t eat. That said, I have made a list of safe foods for bearded dragons.
Without further ado, let’s dive in to the list below.
Safe Foods for Bearded Dragons
The list is primarily divided into different categories according to the food type. I hope it will help you find the best food for your reptile pet.
Salad
If you are making a salad for your beardy, you might be wondering what are the safe greens you can give to him/her. Below are some of the safe greens you can offer.
- Chicory
- Endives
- Lollo Bionda
- Lollo Rosso
- Radicchio
- Romaine lettuce
- Arugula
- Lamb’s lettuce (for occasional consumption)
Important reminder: I do not recommend feeding your bearded dragon with iceberg lettuce and cabbage lettuce.
Vegetables
There are a number of vegetables you can give to your beardies. Below are some of them.
- Radish green
- Pumpkin
- Carrots
- Zucchini
For an occasional basis, you can give your bearded dragons some of the following:
- Broccoli
- Chinese cabbage
- Cucumber
- Kohlrabi leaves
- Fennel leaves
- Chard
- Okra
- Bell
- Peppers
- Leek
- Brussels sprout
- Beetroot
- Celery leaves
- Tomato
- Starfruit
Important reminder: Do not feed your bearded dragon with spinach and radish.
Spices and Herbs
Bearded dragons can eat herbs on an occasional basis. You can give treat them with the following herbs.
- Basil
- Savory
- Dill
- Catnip
- Cress
- Lovage
- Marjoram
- Oregano
- Lucerne
- Lemon balm
- Thyme
- Chives
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Peppermint
Important reminder: Do not feed your beardy with parsley.
Plants Available in Your Backyard
There are some common plants you can give to your bearded dragons.
- Rose petals
- Rose leaves
- Hibiscus flowers
- Hibiscus leaves
- Pansy flowers
Plants in the Wild
There are a variety of plants in the wild that bearded dragons can eat. however, I have a little caveat when feeding any of the following plants.
Before feeding these plants, make sure that they are clean and free from any chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides.
The danger when picking plants in the wild is that you are not really sure if they are safe. If they are clean, you can give the following:
- Bindweed
- Maple leaves
- Borage
- Grape leaves
- Chickweed
- Daisy
- Rosehip flowers
- Hazel leaves
- Shepherd’s purse
- Chamomile
- Clover
- Cornflower blossoms
- Dandelion
- Mallow
- Evening primrose
- Petunia flowers
- Purslane
- Marigold
- Plantain
- Violet
Fruits
Aside from greens, bearded dragons can also eat fruits. This is to provide them with a balanced diet. Although most fruits are not so good for beardies, they can have fruits for an occasional basis.
Extra caution should be exercised when feeding your beardies with fruits. This is because most fruits are rich in water that can potentially cause diarrhea in bearded dragons.
Here are some of the fruits you can offer to your beardies:
- Apple
- Mango
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Pear Papaya
Important reminder: Do not give your beardies banana and kiwi.
Live Foods
As mentioned, bearded dragons in captivity need to eat food that emulates their diet in the wild. This means that aside from green salad, they should also have live insects and other small animals such as worms and roaches
There are safe insects and worms they can have. But obviously, there are insects that could harm beardies.
Below are some of the safe live foods you can offer to your reptile:
- Crickets
- Locusts
- Cockroaches
On an occasional basis
- Mealworms (for adult bearded dragons)
- Zophobas
- Wax moth larvae
Important reminder: Do not feed your bearded dragons with rats or mice.
Things to Remember When Choosing Foods for Bearded Dragons
Choosing safe and healthy foods for bearded dragons involves considering many things. Especially when you are offering fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and veggies are known to have high water content. And as you might already know, watery foods could potentially cause digestive issues such as diarrhea in bearded dragons.
The safest practice is to always check the nutritional content of fruits and vegetables before feeding them to bearded dragons. This step is crucial for the entire health of your beardies.
For the best practice, minimize fruits. Although beardies love these foods, they are risky to bearded dragons when ingested in large amounts.
Aside from watery fruits, you should also avoid fruits that are high in acid and sugar content. Those fruits could negatively affect your beardies’ overall health.
Spices and herbs should also be regulated. Although I included some in this post, herbs and spices are not totally healthy for beardies. So don’t overdo it.
Final Thoughts on Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mint
Mint leaves are not poisonous to bearded dragons. However, as indicated in the nutritional fact table, you can see that mint leaves are rich in water. This is something that is not so good for bearded dragons.
But on an occasional basis, beardies can eat mint leaves. As long as you keep it in minimal amounts, your beardy will be fine.
I hope I have given you important tips that could help your bearded dragons too.
If you want to learn more about bearded dragons, don’t forget to visit my guide page.
