beardies-food

[roadkill5000]

i have been reading lately about diets for beardies and in most of them it says they can eat flowers but dosnt specify what types :? ,anyway does anybody no what sort of flowers beardies can eat :?: ,would marigolds be alright as i grow them :?:

 

[Nicole]

I may have heard that Marigolds poisonous?
I think people often plant them with their herbs to keep insects away?

Can anyone confirm or deny? I don't know for sure, just something I might have heard...

 

[snakehunter]

My beardeds love dandelions ( those yellow daisy type flowers that pop up in your lawn (make sure you collect them from a pesticide-free area)
And also be sure that you dont accidently give them foreweed which alsoo has yellow flowers but it grows more as a minature bush, whilst dandys have a flower at the end of a long stalk from a clump of leaves at ground level
Ive also heard that they will eat rose petals

 

[snakehunter]

should have said fireweed not foreweed

 

[africancichlidau]

Yup Dandelions are safe and beardies love 'em! A word of warning though, be very careful what you use because some flowers are highly toxic to them, Oxalis is an example of the poisonous varieties. Perhaps Stretch can help you with this one, she knows heaps about beardies. Come to think of it I think her husband has one too.

 

[Pinkie]

At dragontank.com they have a caresheet specifying which flowers/plants are good for beardies and which are not. Probably a good idea to check it out!

 

[roadkill5000]

ok thanks for the help guys and stretch i await your input on this subject :wink:
could i pick up some dandelions from a nursery or something :?:
the thing with marigolds is i heard that humans and other animals could eat them and i have alot of them.

 

[dan_lizard]

I think Nicole may be right about Marigold's. I will have a search on the internet and see what I find out for you.

I found that my beardy loved spinach! And my Central Netted goes absolutely crazy over lettuce. He launches himself at it before I've even put it into the Viv.... Crazy bugger!

 

[dan_lizard]

Some quick ideas from Melissa Kaplin's site for you...

"Plant matter includes a variety of shredded or torn vegetables and fruits such as green beans, orange-fleshed squash, carrots, escarole, parsley, mustard, dandelion and collard greens, raspberries, mango, and cantaloupe."

I'll keep looking for you.

 

[dan_lizard]

Harmful plants... (From Melissa Kaplin site as well)

"BOUGAINVILLEA glabra 1.

CAPSICUM spp. Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Bell Peppers. Leaves contain solamin and atropine.

CHRYSANTHEMUM. These are the plants from which the pesticide pyrethrin is extracted.

CRASSULA ARGENTEA Jade Plant. Mildly toxic; dermatitis from sap1.

JADE PLANT Crassula argentea. Mildly toxic; dermatitis from sap1.

RUBBER PLANT Ficus elastica. Dermatitis from sap1.

FICUS ELASTICA Rubber plant. Dermatitis from sap1."


I wonder what else is out there...... :?

 

[dan_lizard]

ok, I found something on Marigold's.....

"MARSH MARIGOLD (Caltha palustris); entire plant, gastrointestinal tract affected by the toxin protoanemonin; plant also causes dermatitis."

Now this is an American site, so we may not have this particular version, but I don't think I would risk the chance.

 

[roadkill5000]

hi dan thanks for the info my guys love there lettuce aswell as grapes,mangoe and tomatoe but i read that flower pettles should be included in there diet.

 

[dan_lizard]

No prob buddy...

Have a look at http://www.anapsid.org/resources/edible.html

There is a list there of edible plants for herps. As I said before, it is an American site, but there should be a lot on there that we also have here.

The main thing you need to think about is pesticides. Be very careful of them when buying plants for food....

 

[roadkill5000]

thanks again dan i have a some of those flowers and plants in my garden

 

[africancichlidau]

As Dan said garden chemicals in any form are a big no no so if your flowers etc have been treated with any pesticides or garden chemicals, weedkiller etc DO NOT feed 'em to ya beardies!

 

[roadkill5000]

i never use pesticides as there are alot of beutiful native animals around and do not want to hurt them.

 

[africancichlidau]

Good on you rk, same here buddy

 

[hey_im_sam]

might be a bit late to be useful, so sorry! but i work at a nursery, and marigold's are definately poisonous! i'm not 100% sure of the toxin or symptoms, and though our marigolds aren't exactly the same as the 'marsh marigolds' listed there, what that says sounds right.

be careful about any plant you're not sure of, a lot of common species are poisonous... foxgolves for instance have a nasty habit of causing heart palpitations, and can get pretty severe..

 

[roadkill5000]

any info is usefull sam and if im not sure of a plant i guess your the one to ask :wink:
thankyou everyone for you info 8)

 

[stretch]

Sorry I am late on this subject!!! Most of what I write will already have been covered!

Dandelions are eaten all the time by a variety of lizards, they love em! Specifically the flowers and leaves

Marigolds should be avoided at all costs.

Keep the plants toxin free!

You can use natural products if you are wanting to grow your own dandelions, but always check the labels. Even natural products can end up being harmful.

Do be careful with lettuce. Some beardies get rather runny poops and can get dehydrated.

Give hibiscus a go too!