contraditory information = confusion

[Sunkiss]

Hi. I have difficulty getting my beardie to eat greens and so I have been looking for as many "allowed" options as possible. I have seen the nutritional list from the link pin-posted on this forum, other bearded dragon information sites, and the following two books: "The Bearded Dragon Manual" (cover is white with red trim), and the bearded dragon manual by Animal Planet (can't remember the exact name of book).
Specifically regarding Romaine lettuce and Spinach one says these are great to feed daily, one says no - they are bad.
Can you please clarify?

I am also struggling with a dehydrated beardie. She just will not eat her greens and I know that is where they get most of their water. She does not drink from the water bowl. At least once a day I offer her water via a dropper and dropping water on her nose above her mouth and sometimes she opens and licks but mostly it just runs down her chin/beard.

 

[Germ]

Periodic feedings of Romaine are OK, as it does contain a small amount of calcium, but like most greens with the word Lettuce in them, has very little other nutrition & is mostly moisture, therefore does not make a good staple food.

Spinach is high in Oxalates & Goitrogens, which can bind the use of the Calcium intake, making it an unsuitable food to be included into the diet. It is also High in Vit A, which in very high dosages can be detrimental to your BD's health.

 

[Sunkiss]

Thank you Germ.
Did you see the message I sent you yesterday regarding the respiratory infection?

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

@Sunkiss....Welcome to the wonderfully maddening world of reptiles, aka Contradiction Central..lol.
Unfortunately getting solid and correct info on how to properly care for not just beardies but most reptile species is a true hair pulling experience indeed!
Exactly as you have seen one site will totally contradict another and even one owner/ breeder/ enthusiast/"expert" will tell you one thing and the next something different.
Simple straight forward solutions become blackholes that you step off in a blink of an eye or should I say click of a mouse...lol
Ive spent a great deal of time researching proper care of reptiles and I know exactly your frustration.
I could sit here and quote all kinds of scientific terms and theories which would probably just confuse more than help so instead I will offer my own beliefs Ibased on my own experience and you can use them or not

First of all when you are looking at for instance all the different Good Food vs Bad Foods list I suggest instead of looking at the differences look for the consistencies in the various lists.
For instance across the board most will tell you that Collards,Mustard Greens,Turnip Greens Dandelion Greens,etc are okay as staple foods and if you read thru forums I would dare say that the majority of folks have success with at least one or a combo.of these as a staple diet.
These would be what I would stick with as a start and keep them as my base which is exactly what I do with my own reptile plant eaters
The rest of the lists I continue to look at the commonalities and choose new additions for variety on occasion but always stick with my base.
When I do add in something new I.usually add very little of the new and mix it throughly fine chopped into the staple base.
The reason I.do this is because I have found that adding a whole bunch of something new into my reptiles diet right off the bat almost always will result in having them go off feeding period.
If I add a tiny bit the first time and they eat it then the next time I might try a lil more but again work it in thoroughly. Its a process see?
My experience has told me that sudden changes even small ones will throw most reptiles off.
Here is a good example...have bought crickets from the same place for a long time which is a supplier close to my home.
One day was running late and was across town so popped into Petsmart and grabbed some crickets...crickets are crickets right? Apparently not according to our Mungi...he would have nothing to do with them and neither would our leopard gecko...of course our fire-bellies gobbled them right down but they would probly gobble shoe leather if it hopped or wiggled...lol
Went the next morning to my regular supplier and got some new crickets and no more issues. And this is not the first time I have seen this happen. i have bought greens from different sources and for some strange reason the only ones my critters dive into are the ones I buy at Meijers..go figure.

Point being stick with very basics and not to vary routine as much as possible and dont let the contradictions worry you so much.

As to the dehydration of you dragon I would try warm soaks and as long as she is eating her crickets then she is eating and she is getting at least a lil bit of moisture from those.
You might also try offering a little bit of fruit mashed up...I use a variety of fruits as treats and have rarely seen Mungi turn down a strawberry..lol..fruits offer a high water content..but still mix it in with you basics...might encourage her to eat more.
Also recheck your enclosure temps and set up..improper temps will throw reptiles off food in a heartbeat.
One last thing...sometimes beardies will go off greens for periods of time and young ones a lot of times will not touch greens period until they get older...I am not sure how long yours has been off greens but if only a few days I wouldnt be totally freaked yet...persistent patience is usually the key...but if it is a prolonged situation and she was eating fine before or stops eating totally for an extended period of time then perhaps see a vet to make sure there is nothing unseen going on.

Hope you find something here that helps ease your frustration

Edit- I see that Germ has helped you Excellent!! That is the beauty of this forum!



"That's just my opinion..I could be wrong...I was ONCE." Comedian/Social Commentarian Dennis Miller

 

[Sunkiss]

Thanks guys, y'all are very helpful.
Sunkiss is 1 year old as of August. She has been refusing greens for quite a while now, which is probably why she is dehydrated. I give her regular baths. I'm gonna try your advice I saw to someone else, which was to stop fussing with her so much and let her be. Vet visits, light changes, medications, etc - she probably needs some quite time.