Things You'll Need
- Romaine lettuce
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Bowl
- Sink
- Towels
- Reptile feeding bowl
- Plastic bag
Instructions
Select fresh, crisp heads of romaine lettuce from the grocery store or farmer's market. Look for green leaves, free of slimy, dark, rotting patches or dry brown spots.
Peel off the outer leaves of the head. Cut the thick section of stem from the base of the lettuce, allowing the leaves to break apart from the head.
Fill a large bowl or the sink basin with room-temperature water. Swish the romaine lettuce leaves in the water using your hands. Rub away any bits of soil, sand or insects from the lettuce.
Lay the lettuce leaves on a towel. Pat the tops of the leaves with a dry towel to remove excess moisture. Turn the romaine lettuce leaves over and pat the backsides until dry.
Chop two or three romaine lettuce leaves into 1-inch size pieces. Place the lettuce in the reptile's feed bowl--ensure greens constitute 85 percent of the pet's diet. Bearded dragons cannot overeat romaine lettuce. Give them as much as they can finish in one eating session.
Supplement greens and fresh produce with 15 percent protein--such as mealworms, crickets, superworms or roaches--twice per week, according to the Long Island Herpetological Society.
Give the bearded dragon romaine lettuce in the morning. Allow the pet to bask under his heat lamp after mealtime for at least two hours to aid in digestion.