Worms From the Yard

[DawnM]

Now that spring is in full swing, I have some questions. While cleaning up the patio and yard, I have found a lot of worms. I've fed a few to the beardie and she really likes them. We've had chickens for over 10 years and large aquarium fish even longer. Obviously we don't add any chemicals to our yard since the grass and weeds support a lot of our pets. To be honest, the weeds in our yard, like Miners Lettuce and Purple Deadnettle, are also eaten by humans.

The chickens and aquarium fish have eaten worms every year with no problems. I've had my female Flowerhorn 8 years and she wasn't young when I got her. My oldest chicken I've had for 11 years. If animals have been eating both weeds and worms in our yard for that long, its it safe to assume that worms from the yard are safe for my beardie?

I'm new to Bearded Dragons. I have a lot of experience with aquarium fish and poultry. I just want to know if I can use the same confidence with my Beardie. Thanks in advance.

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[PatsyB]

It's always been advised to not feed bugs from the yard because of the potential of parasites or chemicals. It's great you don't spray your yard but a bird or other animal could bring a bug in from another area that has been treated. There is just no way of knowing.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I agree you just don't know in my opinion just not worth the risk.

 

[DawnM]

You guys are so good at dashing my hopes. I checked on parasites that worms can have and you all win. Kinda gross. Thanks for your help.

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[PatsyB]

You guys are so good at dashing my hopes. I checked on parasites that worms can have and you all win. Kinda gross. Thanks for your help.

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I'm sorry It really sucks having this giant smorgasbord outside our doors and not being able to let our babies enjoy it.

 

[DawnM]

I still have a smorgasbord, its just plants. I'm a forager so I know the difference between weeds and "weeds". If I eat them out of my yard I'm confident enough to feed them to my animals. Unfortunately the animals that Bearded Dragons eat are more expensive than the plants they eat. Oh well.

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[Hdrydr31]

I still have a smorgasbord, its just plants. I'm a forager so I know the difference between weeds and "weeds". If I eat them out of my yard I'm confident enough to feed them to my animals. Unfortunately the animals that Bearded Dragons eat are more expensive than the plants they eat. Oh well.

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I would just refer to this link to make sure they are an item dragon's can eat as their chemical make up may or may not be good for them..
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html

 

[DawnM]

So I'm not only a forager but I have a degree in Archaeology/Biological Anthropology and have worked with grange biologists and cultural anthropologists. For the Pacific Northwest region, I'm well educated on a lot of native plants.

I love Oxalis. Its a native plant that looks a bit like clover. It has a lot of oxalic acid and tastes like green apple. The safe amount is 1 fistful per person per day. That's the persons fist. Obviously I have a bigger fist than my 5 year old. He couldn't eat one of my fistfuls per day because the oxalic acid would be too much. He has a smaller fist. Oxalis carries the same dangers it does to Bearded Dragons. It binds to calcium and causes issues with not only bones but any other biological process that involves calcium. A 1/8 piece of a single leaf would probably fit in a Beardies fist, leaving pretty much nothing for a Beardie to eat. Rhubarb is pretty comparable.

Native plants like Miners Lettuce and Duckweed are almost devoid of oxalic acid altogether. Both are highly nutritious.

Dandelions were brought to the New World as a food crop. Few plants have more nutrition. They are high in nutrients and pretty much devoid of negative problems. The list of illnesses they cure is basically everything.

Most Northwest berries are non poisonous. Most are full of sugar that isn't good for Beardies. Just the sugars in them can cause teeth issues. Blackberries are highly nutritious but high in sugar.

If anyone has questions about weeds I'd love to help. Nature gives us a bounty and most people pass it up. Few are poisonous unless poison is applied to them. Fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. are the main problem.

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[PatsyB]

I love dandelions now that I have bearded dragons. I live in a city though where there are no dandelions because everything is treated to kill them, which is so sad.

I have tried to grow them indoors with my AeroGarden a few times with no luck. Any tips on how to grow dandelion indoor?

 

[DawnM]

I'd love to help but I've never tried growing dandelions. I live near a university and I know the corners they don't care about where dandelions get huge. They also have Cherry Plum trees they neglect so it's a lot of free fruit for the humans.

As a bonus, they shut down their golf course years ago to build a bigger track and only mow from time to time. It's otherwise neglected. Its been almost a decade where I've scrounged free chicken feed from the golf course while also running my dogs. It helps me twice because its full of weeds and an unofficial, off leash dog park in the community.

I can't for the life of me grow dandelions in the yard. The chickens free range November through March and dandelions just don't survive. I'd love a yard full of dandelions. The little buggers grow where they're not wanted and disappear where they are wanted.

I'd pay attention to places where things seem unkempt. I know a lot of foragers will knock on doors and volunteer to clean up peoples yards. The motto is "the more I take, the less you rake". If you have a neighbor who doesn't seem to care about their yard and has obviously never put chemicals on their lawn, they probably don't care if you forage a bit.

Hiking trails are also a good place. Those invasive species dont really survive anywhere but trailsides where they actually get a good deal of sun. You won't find them further in a shaded forest. State, private, and national parks use human volunteers to remove invasive species. Herbicides don't discriminate between native and invasive plants and are almost never used.

I hope this helps. If not, Europe is big into growing dandelions as food. There may be gardening message boards from the UK that can help you. Americans, and I'm including myself, have a problem with bitter foods but they are more popular in other parts of the world. I'd start there. I just don't think it's necessary when there are so many places to find them free and easy. It also gives you an excuse to meet your neighbors and other community members.

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[DawnM]

Just another quick comment, I work in an elementary school and two of the boys today were talking about eating worms. I shared my new knowledge and scared them into giving up the habit. Its weird how life works out sometimes.

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