Bearded dragons have been seeing a huge spike in their popularity recently and they are currently the most commonly kept pet reptile in the world.
More people than ever are choosing to add a pet bearded dragon to their family right now and this has resulted in more and more questions being asked about keeping a pet bearded dragon.
The vast majority of the questions that we have seen people asking about their pet bearded dragon relate to food and a large number of people have been asking if bearded dragons can eat asparagus or not over the last few weeks.
Bearded dragons can eat asparagus and it is actually one of the best non-leafy green vegetables that you can feed your pet bearded dragon.
The issue is that asparagus can commonly be prepared incorrectly for a bearded dragon making it difficult for the animal to eat and to get the nutrients from the food.
This is why we decided to publish this article going over the various things that you have to factor in when you want to feed your bearded dragon asparagus and we hope that we will be able to help as many of our readers as possible!
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Asparagus?
Bearded dragons can eat asparagus and it is actually a great food option for the average bearded dragon due to its macronutrient profile as well as its vitamin and mineral content.
Many bearded dragons really enjoy eating asparagus too, especially when it is chopped into small chunks and steamed as it makes it much easier for your bearded dragon to eat the asparagus.
You have to remember that too much of a good thing end up being bad though so even though asparagus is a great food source for bearded dragons, it should still be used in moderation as a part of a healthy, balanced diet if possible.
To better understand how you can work asparagus into your pet bearded dragon’s diet, you first need to understand the macronutrient requirements of a bearded dragon as well as the bearded dragon food pyramid so we will take a quick look at them now.
Macronutrient Requirements Of Bearded Dragons!
The standard macronutrient ratio of 50% carbohydrates, 25% fat, and 25% protein is the default starting target for most healthy bearded dragons without existing health conditions.
That said, it is very difficult to hit these macronutrient requirements exactly so most people do use a 5% above/below adjustment margin.
In addition to this, some people who keep a pet bearded dragon reduce the fat intake of their pet considerably and in some situations, this can also be fine to do but just keep in mind, bearded dragons do need some fat in their diets!
Now, the macronutrient breakdown of asparagus actually changes slightly depending on a couple of factors but for the most part, it offers a ratio of 57% carbohydrates, 36% protein, and 7% fat.
Although the macronutrient profile of asparagus is off for bearded dragons, it should be used as a part of a well balanced diet so most people should be able to balance the macros for their bearded dragon with other foods.
This is where the bearded dragon food pyramid comes in and we will take a quick look at that now…
Bearded Dragon Food Pyramid!
The bearded dragon food pyramid is just a guide but it offers a quick and easy way to plan out your bearded dragon’s meals for the week.
As you can see, most bearded dragons need leafy greens every day and insects on most days. Vegetables like asparagus should usually be fed four times per week and fruit should be used for one treat meal once per week.
This allows you to use your asparagus in your bearded dragon’s diet with ease but we would usually only recommend that you use it once or twice per week and use other suitable vegetables on the other days.
Just because the food pyramid uses a daily breakdown, does not mean that you should only give your bearded dragon that food on that day either.
For example, fruit such as apples, grapes, and pineapples should be used on one day as one meal with the rest of the meals on that day being made up of other food groups.
We have also seen some people trying to switch their bearded dragon over to a vegetarian diet too. As we covered in our article going over if a bearded dragon can be a vegetarian, this is not a good idea and insects should be included in your bearded dragon’s diet if possible.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Asparagus?
Technically, bearded dragons should only be fed asparagus once or twice per day as a primary food source but over the last two or three years, alternate feeding methods for bearded dragons have become increasingly popular.
At the time of writing, there are two main feeding methods with one using asparagus once or twice per week and the other using asparagus every day but in much smaller amounts.
Both can work well and both are used by large numbers of bearded dragon keepers without issue and depending on your situation, one may be better for you over the other so let’s take a quick look at them now.
The Random Day Method!
The random day method of integrating vegetables into your pet bearded dragon’s diet is based on alternating the days that you give your bearded dragon vegetables.
As we explained earlier in the article, the majority of healthy, adult bearded dragons need vegetables around four times per week but most vegetables such as asparagus should not be used for more than two of these days.
This means that you will have to come up with a feeding plan similar to the one in the image below.
As you can see, you can usually integrate asparagus into your bearded dragon’s diet with ease in most situations while also keeping their vegetable intake varied too.
In the example above, you stick to the vegetables four times per week recommendation and use asparagus on a Monday and Thursday, carrots on a Wednesday, and cucumber on a Saturday.
You can tweak this system as required for your needs and schedule though but with most people living a very busy life, we really do think that the bearded dragon salad method covered next is the best option for most people.
The Bearded Dragon Salad Method!
The bearded dragon salad method is based around you making one large bearded dragon salad at the start of the week that contains all of the major food that your pet bearded dragon will eat that week.
You then keep the bearded dragon salad refrigerated in a suitable container and then take food from it to give to your bearded dragon at meal times as required.
If we stick to the asparagus twice per day, carrot once per day, and cucumber once per day example from above, you would use the exact same amount of asparagus, carrot, and cucumber but mix it into the leafy greens and insects too.
This lets you spread out the asparagus, carrots, and cucumber throughout the week to offer the foods on every day and then most people will give their per bearded dragon a one off fruit treat once per week too that is not in their salad mix.
We have our ultimate guide on bearded dragon salads that goes into much more detail as well as our cheat sheet on what we feel is the best bearded dragon salad recipe below but you can switch carrot or cucumber out for asparagus if you wish.
Alternatives To Asparagus For Bearded Dragons!
Thankfully, there are a huge number of alternative vegetables that are suitable for your pet bearded dragon that you are able to use as an alternative to asparagus.
This allows you to use asparagus in your bearded dragon’s diet once or twice per week and then use one other vegetables from the list below for the other portions of vegetables.
- Acorn squash
- Artichoke Heart
- Bell peppers
- Butternut squash
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Parsnip
- Pumpkin
- Spaghetti squash
- Yams
- Yellow squash
- Zucchini
We have seen some people try to switch out non-leafy green vegetables for leafy green vegetables and this can work in some situations but we do usually recommend that you try to keep them as two separate food sources if possible.
Still, if you do want to switch the asparagus out for a leafy green vegetable then here are some suitable options:-
- Celery leaves
- Cabbage
- Watercress
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Dandelion leaves
- Mustard greens
- Turnip greens
- Cactus pad
- Bok choy
You will notice that spinach is not included in the list above but many people still use it in their bearded dragon’s diet but it should be avoided if possible and we go into more detail in our article on feeding bearded dragons spinach.
Is Asparagus Toxic To Bearded Dragons?
Asparagus is not toxic to bearded dragons and the majority of health bearded dragons should be able to eat a moderate amount of asparagus without issue.
As we touched on earlier in the article, the macronutrient breakdown of asparagus fits with the requirements of a bearded dragon much better than so many other foods out there making it a solid option.
Just keep in mind that too much asparagus can be problematic due to it being difficult to balance your bearded dragons macronutrient requirements as well as top up the other vitamins and minerals that you pet requires.
Thankfully, this is easy to avoid and sticking to giving your pet beardie asparagus once or twice per week as a part of a meal should be enough to prevent any problems with this.
Do Bearded Dragons Like To Eat Asparagus?
Most bearded dragons tend to enjoy eating asparagus when it is prepaired correctly but you have to keep in mind, one of the most common problems that we see with feeding asparagus to bearded dragons is incorrect preperation.
In most cases, steaming the asparagus and then chopping it into small chunks is the best option and most bearded dragons will wolf it down when it is prepaired like this.
As with all food types, the preferences of your pet bearded dragon will come into play though so some bearded dragons may not enjoy eating asparagus even when it is prepaired in this way.
Due to the various health benefits of asparagus, some people will try to trick their bearded dragon into eating it by masking its taste with other foods.
As we covered in our article on feeding bearded dragons cilantro, you can usually use some chopped cilantro to help encourage your pet bearded dragon to eat asparagus if your beardie doesnt like the taste of it.
Just be sure to limit the amount of cilantro that you use as it should only be used in moderation but this is a quick and easy tip that you may be able to use to your advantage.
How To Prepare Asparagus For Bearded Dragons!
In our opinion, the best way to prepare asparagus for a bearded dragon is to steam it and then dice it into small chunks.
This makes it much easier for your bearded dragon to eat the asparagus as well as digest it too.
One potential downside of using asparagus for bearded dragons when cooked in other ways is that the skin of the asparagus may toughen up and make it more difficult for your bearded dragon to chew and swallow.
If the asparagus is not chewed correctly then there is a small risk of it causing impaction but this is usually avoided completley if you just steam the asparagus and then dice it up into small pieces.
What Are The Benefits Of Feeding A Bearded Dragon Asparagus?
There are a number of benefits of feeding your pet bearded dragon asparagus with the main one being that you can use it as often as twice per week without having to worry about it causing issues with your bearded dragons macronutrient ratio.
The Calcium, Iron, and Potassium content of asparagus is also helpful to a bearded dragon too and it has a number of other vitamins and minerals in trace amounts within it.
You also have the fact that most bearded dragons really enjoy eating asparagus too so it can be a quick, easy, and cheap way to get calories into your pet too.
As we mentioned earlier in the article though, in our opinion, the best way to feed your bearded dragon is to use the bearded dragon salad method and asparagus fits in well with almost all recipies you can come up with due to its relativley balanced macronutrient profile.
