It is only natural for bearded dragon owners to research their pets’ food – what they can and cannot eat. Our pet beardies are like family members, and we want to provide the best for them. Beardies are omnivores, so I wonder, can bearded dragons eat grass? How much should I feed them? Is this the best food for dragons?
Many animals consume grass as part of their food source in the wild. Even in captivity, we, as pet owners, strive to provide them with food like their diet in their natural habitat. Here, I will provide you with the necessary information about feeding grass to our beardies.
Do Bearded Dragons Eat Grass?
The habitat of beardies in the wild could be unforgiving. They would eat anything available in front of them, grass included, if the opportunity presents itself. So, yes, dragons will eat grass if it is in front of them.
However, let us keep in mind that they live in arid areas, so there is no abundance of grass. Beardies mainly feed on insects. We should be asking if the grass is the best food for our pet lizard.
The Diet of a Young Bearded Dragon
Dubia roaches are a common food choice for beardies because of their high protein content. Young beardies need a high protein diet requirement because they need it to grow. Insects are also more delicious and palatable for them.
Youngsters always have a different diet compared to adults. The same is true for young beardies. As babies, their diet is mainly insects, around 80% and the remaining 20% is made up of plant matter.
Their consumption of grass at a young age is mainly accidental. It could be that juveniles are hunting for insects who happen to be lying on top of the grass. They would also eat the grass in the process, but what they want to eat is the insect. You may also check other articles to learn more about the bearded dragon diet.
What Adult Bearded Dragons Eat: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grass?
Adult dragons eat fewer insects compared to younger ones. Please resist the urge to feed them more because it will make them overweight, which is not good for their health. Instead, feed them more vegetables of around 80% of their diet and 20% protein from insects. A multivitamin supplement is a good addition at this stage of their life.
By this time, can bearded dragons eat grass?
You might have seen your pet eat grass when you took it out onto the lawn to bask under the sun. Do not worry. Munching on some grass during playtime will not harm our dragon. However, please do not feed them with grass as part of their diet because there are more nutritious food choices like calcium powder with vitamin D.
Grass growing in residential areas has a different composition to grass in the wild. Lawn grass generally does not contain minerals and vitamins present in wild grass. The latter has more nutrients because of the rich soil environment it thrives in.
A little grass won’t hurt your Beardie but…
Yes, eating a little bit of grass during playtime will not harm them. However, please consider the situation of your lawn as there are circumstances that might be dangerous to our dragons. It would help to be mindful of the following:
- Chemically sprayed grass and plants
Do not put the dragon into your lawn if it has been sprayed with chemicals. Instead, buy a basking lamp for its dose of sunshine to avoid possible problems.
- Fireflies or lightning bugs
These insects provide amazing illumination at nighttime. It is lovely to see them around trees, lighting them up like little lights that flicker on and off. New beardie owners might be tempted to catch some fireflies to feed their pets.
Please resist any urge to do this. Fireflies are highly toxic to dragons! You may feed them with mealworms instead, as it is guaranteed safe for our reptile pet.
It is hard to spot them on your lawn during the daytime. If you live in a place with fireflies, do not put your beardie out on the lawn as it may accidentally eat one.
- Lettuce
Think twice before letting your bearded dragon out in the yard if you have lettuce. You might be wondering why because bearded dragons eat lettuce. This plant has a high water content that makes it refreshing to the palate of our beloved pet.
The high-water content of lettuce is the same reason we should see that our beardies do not eat this in our yard. It has very poor nutritional content and may cause diarrhea to our dragon.
Why We Should Not Feed Beardies with Grass
It has been established that eating grass will not kill out beardies, but this does not mean that we should feed them. There are many leaves and greens for beardies that we could provide instead of grass.
Herbivores like cows have a differently designed digestive tract with specific functions to break down grass fibers. The grass is very difficult to digest for dragons because their digestive system is not designed to break it down.
Remember, beardies may eat grass accidentally, but we should not feed it to them intentionally. Not even as a snack. As mentioned above, it is hard to digest, so even a small amount of grass will be hard for our pet’s digestive system. Snacking on grass will make it hard for them to digest the nutritious food they are supposed to eat based on bearded dragons’ best diet and food guide.
Conclusion
Can bearded dragons eat grass? Yes, they can, but it does not mean they should. The small amount that they may accidentally consume during playtime on the lawn will not harm them.
However, I strongly discourage feeding them with grass as part of their diet. The grass is low in nutritional value needed by our beardies. You may read more about the beardie diet guide to help you learn the best food for your pet.
