Bearded dragons can eat a variety of greens. But if you are a new bearded dragon owner, you need to be careful. This is because not all greens are safe and healthy for beardies.
So, can bearded dragons eat arugula?
Bearded dragons can eat arugula on an occasional basis. This is because arugula has high water content which could potentially cause diarrhea when fed regularly. Furthermore, it is better to feed bearded dragons young arugula to help them consume it without having a problem.
However, arugula contains a high level of calcium something that beardies need to develop healthier and stronger bones.
Aside from this, arugula contains many constituents that may or may not be healthy for beardies. The table below shows what your beardies can potentially get from eating arugula.
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Table of Contents
Nutritional Facts of Arugula
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
| Name | Amount | Unit |
| Energy | 25 | kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 3.6 | g |
| Sugars | 2 | g |
| Protein | 2.6 | g |
| Vitamin A | 2373 | IU |
| Vitamin C | 15 | mg |
| Vitamin K | 108.6 | μg |
| Calcium | 160 | mg |
| Phosphorus | 52 | mg |
| Potassium | 369 | mg |
| Water | 91.7 | g |
As you can see from the table, arugula has a very high vitamin A content. While this vitamin is essential for beardies’ overall health, too much of it is not good. In fact, it can cause toxicity.
A quick tip is that if your bearded dragons are regularly consuming foods high in vitamin A, do not give them vitamin A supplement. This is because too much of this can cause vitamin A toxicity.
Arugula is also a good source of vitamin C. As we all know, vitamin C is essential for bearded dragons to develop a healthier immune system.
In addition, arugula is also a very good source of calcium. As you can see from the table, the calcium content is higher than the phosphorus. The ratio is 3:1 higher than the ideal minimum requirement of 2:1.
Lastly, arugula has high water content. This is the main reason why arugula is not recommended staple diet for bearded dragons.
We all know that beardies’ digestive systems do not like watery foods. When ingested in large amounts, foods like this can cause serious digestive issues like diarrhea.
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Can Bearded Dragons Eat Arugula (A Deeper Look)
Personally, I don’t feed my beardies arugula. This is not because arugula is toxic to bearded dragons but because this green is too watery for reptiles to take.
But this does not mean that your beardies cannot eat arugula. I know many bearded dragon owners who feed arugula to their beardies on an occasional basis and don’t have problems with their dragons. You can do the same.
The only thing you need to remember is that this food can cause digestive issues in bearded dragons when ingested in large amounts. Other than that, arugula has some essential vitamins and minerals that are healthy for beardies.
My tip is that, whenever you feed your bearded dragon arugula, mix it with other healthier greens or fruits. This will help them gain a balanced and healthy diet.
Second, make sure to chop the arugula finely. This is because sometimes bearded dragons find this green difficult to digest.
If you are mixing it with other greens and fruits, make sure that all the components of the salad are also chopped in small bite-sizes.
Bearded dragons are not a very good chewer. They don’t chew their food thoroughly before swallowing. So giving them large chunks of foods could potentially cause them choking and or impaction.
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Things to Remember when Feeding Greens and Fruits to Bearded Dragons
As mentioned, beardies are prone to choking if consumed large chunks of foods. So chopping the greens will keep your beardies safe from any potential health issues.
But how will you know whether the size of food is right for your reptile? The most common practice when it comes to making sure that beardies won’t choke is by taking into account the mouth size of the reptile. You can easily see if the food can be easily eaten by your reptile.
The other technique is considering the distance between the two eyes of the dragons. The distance between their eyes can be the best indicator of the size of the food they can take without having problems. Never feed the baby or juvenile beardie with big chunks of foods bigger than the space between their eyes.
When choosing fruits, always see to it that you pick the less watery ones. Most fruits contain high water content making them unfit to beardies.
Also, make sure that you chop the fruits into small bite-size pieces. This will not only help keep your beardies safe from the digestive issues but also prevent them from choosing their favorite part of the salad.
This is important, especially when dealing with a picky bearded dragon. Picky beardies will just pick what they want from the salad and leave the other components.
Chopping all the greens and fruits into small pieces will make it difficult for them to pick their favorite foods.
Also, I suggest that you mix three to four types of greens and vegetables. This will make the salad more colorful and more enticing for beardies to eat.
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Final Thoughts on Can Bearded Dragons Eat Arugula
Bearded dragons can eat arugula on an occasional basis. This is due to its high water content. Watery foods should not be fed to beardies on a regular basis to prevent the reptiles from suffering digestive issues like diarrhea.
I recommend choosing young arugula to help your reptile consume it easily. Also, when feeding this green to your bearded dragon, it is better to mix it with other healthier greens and fruits.
The most important thing to remember is the fact that bearded dragons are prone to health issues when fed with unhealthy foods. So before feeding them any food, make sure that you check the nutritional facts first. This is to keep your pet healthy and safe.
I hope you get something from this post. Thank you very much for reading.
