ᐅ Can Bearded Dragons Eat Radicchio?

image of bearded dragon, radichio and a text saying: can bearded dragons eat radichio?

Facts About Feeding Radicchio To Bearded Dragons

Bearded dragon owners have concerns about nutritional food choices to make in their bearded dragons’ diets. One of these foods might be radicchio. Can bearded dragons eat radicchio?

The short answer is yes. Bearded dragons can eat radicchio, but it should be in the form of an occasional treat.

This article will discuss radicchio, its health benefits and risks, and other relevant information about radicchio and bearded dragons.

What Is Radicchio?

Radicchio is a part of the chicory family and is sometimes called Italian chicory. This most common variety of intensely flavored vegetables can easily pass as lettuce with its bright wine-colored leaves with bright white-colored veins. Regarding the taste, it is bitter and, some may say, a bit spicy

Nutritional Profile Of Radicchio

To fully understand its suitability for your bearded dragon, you must know precisely what it consists of.

The Nutritional Value Of 100G Radicchio

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	23 Kcal
Fat	0.25 g
Protein	1.43 g
Vitamin B6	0.057 mg
Vitamin C	8 mg
Vitamin E	2.26 mg
Vitamin K	255.2 ug
Calcium	19 mg
Phosphorus	40 mg
Potassium	302 mg
Sodium	22 mg
Zinc	0.62 mg

Now that you have seen the nutritional content of radicchio, it is essential to understand what this even means for your bearded dragon. Keep reading for more information about known health benefits and other related information.

Benefits Of Radicchio In A Bearded Dragon’s Diet

Antioxidants

Radicchio is a good source of antioxidants that strengthen a bearded dragon’s immune and digestive system.

Low In Fat

This is a plant-based food source and has a low-fat content as per the above table. This content regulates your bearded dragon’s weight.

Great Source Of Vitamin K, Copper, And Zinc

This leafy vegetable is a great source of vitamin K, zinc, and copper. Vitamin K aids with blood clotting and cell and tissue maintenance. It is essential for healing cuts and wounds.

Antiparasitic

The use of chicory extract acts as an antiparasitic, meaning it fends off parasites.

Risks Of Feeding Radicchio To Bearded Dragons

Laxative Effect

The chicory root has been known to have mild laxative effects and digestive side effects.

I have not seen any proven studies that suggest this is the same for bearded dragons, but itis worth knowing.

Low-Calorie Content

Radicchio has low-calorie content. This is s not necessarily bad if it provides other nutrients to compensate.

Disproportionate Calcium

There is disproportionate calcium to phosphorous ratio in radicchio, which means the phosphorous offsets the calcium. Phosphorus binds with calcium, preventing absorption into the bearded dragon’s bloodstream.

In the long term, diets high in phosphorous with insufficient calcium will lead to bone deterioration or metabolic bone disease (MBD).

MBD is a horrible yet sadly common disease that wears away a dragon’s skeletal structure and causes weakness, deformity, and paralysis. It can kill your dragon if left untreated.

Alert your vet immediately if you notice any signs of metabolic bone disease in your bearded dragon. These include:

Lack of appetite
Lethargy and weakness

Stress
Constipation
Receded lower jaw

Swollen limbs and jaw
Bumps along the spine or bones
Soft jaw, and facial bones

Bowed limbs and arched spine
Fractures and broken bones
Greenstick fractures (folded or bent bones)

Trembling and twitching limbs
Tremors and seizures
Paralysis or difficulty moving

Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Radicchio?

Baby bearded dragons are more vulnerable to nutrient deficiencies than adult dragons are due to their fast growth cycle. Therefore, baby bearded dragons need to get the best nutrition to grow healthy.

With that said, and because they consume more insects than adult beardies, we recommend you focus their limited vegetable intake on other food sources.

How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Radicchio?

Radicchio should be fed once a week only to a healthy bearded dragon. So you should not be providing bearded dragons with lots of radicchios even if they like it. Too much radicchio is harmful to many bearded dragons and can cause illness.

Preparing Radicchio For Your Bearded Dragon

If you do decide to serve your beardie radicchio, you should know how to do it.

Mixing with other food sources

The radicchio should only represent a small portion of any meal. Therefore, it needs to be mixed with other nutritional vegetables. Also, you may even serve it with feeder insects at the same time.

Preparing the radicchio

To make the radicchio more appetizing, you should chop it up into small pieces. To prevent bearded pets from choking, never serve them food pieces bigger than the distance between their eyes.

Serving the radicchio and monitor

Now that you have it all chopped up and mixed with other vegetables, you can serve it to your bearded dragon. As with any other food, it is essential to monitor how your bearded dragon responds to the radicchio. You must remove any leftover food from your bearded dragon’s enclosure.

In Summary

Although bearded dragons can eat radicchio, you must keep it as a treat rather than a staple food. Radicchio offers little nutritional benefits and poor calcium to phosphorus ratio. We recommend mixing the radicchio with other foods high in nutrients, such as collard greens.

Continually research food you wish to introduce into your bearded dragon’s diet. Food that seems the healthiest could have hidden risks. If you are unsure, please contact your vet for advice.

Continue to read our main article “What do Bearded Dragons Eat?” for all the ins and outs on general diet questions, and get a further detailed breakdown of other popular foods in the articles below:

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mustard Greens?