Bearded dragons are rather particular about their diet. Some foods are safe for these lizards to eat, while others can harm them in a variety of ways. One food that many beardie owners have questions about is celery.
In general, it is safe to let your bearded dragon eat celery. Celery should be raw but finely diced before feeding it to a bearded dragon. Due to celery’s lack of nutritional value, celery should only be fed as an occasional snack, however.
In the rest of this article, you’ll find out exactly how to prepare celery and other veggies for your bearded dragon to eat at home.
How to Prepare Celery for a Bearded Dragon
For a while, many people thought that celery didn’t have enough nutrition to make it worth eating. However, recent studies have shown that it’s packed with hydration and vitamins – both of which make it an excellent choice for bearded dragons.
It still shouldn’t make up the bulk of the vegetables you feed your bearded dragon, however.
If you decide to feed celery to your bearded dragon, you need to make sure that the pieces are small enough to eat. They have small mouths and throats, which means that they can easily choke on food that’s too big.
To prepare the celery properly, take a raw stalk of celery, chop off both ends, and dice it into small cubes for your bearded dragon.
An occasional meal consisting of only celery can be great for bearded dragons. However, it should also be used in combination with other foods for an incredibly healthy diet.
You should note that celery should always be raw when fed to a bearded dragon. Cooking it can remove some or all of the nutritional value. Since they have small stomachs, there’s no room for empty foods that don’t serve a purpose. On top of that, many bearded dragons enjoy the crunchy consistency of celery in its raw form.
What Other Fruit and Veggies Can Bearded Dragons Eat?
Surprisingly enough, there are quite a few other foods that bearded dragons can eat. They always need nutritionally-packed diets, but there aren’t as many limitations as you might think. As long as you properly prepare all of the food that you feed your pet, you shouldn’t have a problem seeing them enjoy it.
Here’s a list of fruits and veggies that bearded dragons love to eat:
- Green beans are a great food for bearded dragons. They can consume the beans as well as the leaves of the plant. Make sure that you properly wash green beans before you feed them.
- Parsley is an excellent occasional treat for your bearded dragon. Make sure you don’t do this daily, as too much parsley isn’t good for them. However, you can wash and chop parsley down to size for a delicious meal every now and then.
- Spinach is another questionable, yet sometimes an okay source of vegetables for your reptile. However, you shouldn’t overfeed spinach. It has a lot of calcium that’s great in small quantities but can be harmful if they consume too much of it.
- Another food that bearded dragons can eat is cilantro. All you have to do is wash and chop this tiny herb to feed it to them whenever you’d like. Since cilantro is a bit of an acquired taste, some dragons enjoy it while others don’t.
- Broccoli is a decent vegetable that bearded dragons can eat on occasion. Much like most other veggies, this should be fed sparingly. Combined with crickets and other food, broccoli can be a great choice.
- Grapes are an excellent choice for bearded dragons because they’re already bite-sized. You can also cut them in half if your dragon is still small or young. They can even eat the grape leaves as well!
- Blueberries are juicy and delicious, and bearded dragons love them. You need to wash blueberries, whether they’re fresh or frozen. You don’t need to chop or dice blueberries before feeding them to your pet.
- Bananas are questionable when it comes to feeding them to a bearded dragon. They can eat them in small increments, but too much will make them feel sick. If you decide to feed bananas to your bearded dragon, make sure that you only feed small pieces to it.
- Apples are a perfect treat for many bearded dragon pets. All you have to do is peel the fruit, chop it into bite-sized pieces, and feed them one at a time. If your lizard is on the smaller side, you should only give them a few bites per serving.
- Peaches are also a good choice for hungry bearded dragons. All you need to do is wash, peel, and dice the peach to prepare it for your pet.
Don’t Give These Fruits & Veggies to Your Bearded Dragon
Although there are many nutritious options to feed a bearded dragon, there are also many that you must avoid. For example, oranges, mushrooms, and lettuce either lack nutrition or are directly harmful to their bodies. Many other citrus fruits are also a no-go for bearded dragons due to the strong acidity levels.
Here are a few more foods that your beardie shouldn’t eat:
- Mealworms are sometimes okay to eat, but their shells can present a digestion challenge.
- Most spiders are fine for consumption as long as they’re not toxic. Make sure that you check if the species is dangerous before feeding it to your bearded dragon.
- Avoid feeding your bearded dragon any bugs that you’ve caught in the wild. They’re not clean, which means that they could be harboring parasites and other dangerous problems. All the food that you give to your pet should be from a store.
Summary
Bearded dragons should have plenty of food available to them, as they need a variety of food to make sure that all of their nutritional needs are met.
Using a few fruits, vegetables, and other food around the house, you can easily feed them a delicious meal or a snack any time they need it.
Celery is an especially ideal snack for bearded dragons. They enjoy the taste, texture, hydration, and nutrition. The high fiber content found in celery is perfect for keeping your bearded dragon feeling full for a long time. During times of over-eating and obesity, celery can work wonders!
Keep in mind that it’s only a portion of the full diet that your pet needs. Protein from bugs is another crucial factor that’ll help them grow and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Here’s the main takeaway: as long as you cut the celery into bite-sized pieces, you can let your bearded dragon chomp away without worry.
