Bearded dragons can eat broccoli and a variety of food to meet their nutritional needs. Their diet requires small portions of plant matter, animal products, and insects to ensure they get all vital nutrients from whole foods rather than synthetic supplements.
In the rest of this article, I’ll discuss the type of vegetables you can feed your bearded dragon, the amount, and any other food they can eat.
Broccoli Is Safe for Bearded Dragons
Many bearded dragon owners are concerned about how to take care of their new pets, what they should feed them, and how much the bearded dragons should eat. The answer is that as long as you keep track of the quantity of food you give them, there’ll be no need to worry.
Bearded dragons are lizard species that originated in Australia. As omnivores, they eat both plants and animal-based foods, including insects. Bearded dragons can eat broccoli and other green vegetables, but you should only feed them the correct amounts of the vegetable.
Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. It’s suitable for you, and the vegetables will be a great addition to your beardies diet.
While broccoli is good for your bearded dragon, it shouldn’t be their main food because it doesn’t offer enough nutrients for their metabolism. Unfortunately, broccoli has acids and minerals that are potentially harmful.
So Does This Mean That Broccoli is Toxic?
Yes, broccoli is toxic. Broccoli contains high levels of calcium oxalate, which irritate when ingested by lizards or other reptiles. Over time, these crystals can build up in their digestive tract and cause severe illness.
The bottom line is that bearded dragons can eat broccoli in moderation.
Meanwhile, take note that a bearded dragon’s diet depends on its stage of development.
When it comes to feeding times, there are no rules. Go with what your vet advises. Generally, adult bearded dragons get food once in the morning and the babies twice a day.
Since bearded dragons can eat broccoli in moderation, let’s find out which parts of it are suitable for your pet lizard.
Parts of Broccoli That Are Safe To Feed to Bearded Dragons
The broccoli leaves, broccoli stalks, and broccoli stems are safe for a mature bearded dragon.
According to National Geographic, adult bearded dragon reptiles in the wild are not picky when it comes to food. Bearded dragons eat leaves, flowers, insects, and rodents. But domestic pets are a bit different.
Be sure to feed your bearded dragon only the parts of broccoli that are safe for it to eat.
Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Broccoli?
Baby bearded dragons shouldn’t eat broccoli. They need a diet rich in insects, not plants. Insects are a great source of protein, which is essential for their growth. Moreover, baby beardies can’t digest plant matter as well as adult dragons.
Broccoli with all those harmful acids and minerals is not worth the risk. Furthermore, feeding broccoli is dangerous because it’s hard to chew and could lead to choking.
So instead of broccoli, you can try feeding your baby bearded dragon some small insects, worms, and some of these other safe foods:
- Collard greens
- Mustard greens
- Yellow squash
- Acorn squash
- Butternut squash
Is Frozen Broccoli Better Than Cooked Broccoli?
It’s best if bearded dragons eat vegetables and a bit of raw broccoli. Frozen broccoli loses most of the nutrients it was supposed to give to the reptiles. Raw veggies contains more nutritional benefits than frozen ones.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Broccoli Sprouts?
Yes. Bearded dragons can eat broccoli sprouts in small amounts only because it contains high oxalates and goitrogens.
How Often Should I Feed My Bearded Dragon Broccoli?
Once a month. Because broccoli contains high amount of oxalate and goitrogens which can harm your bearded dragon. Therefore, limit the amount of broccoli given to your bearded dragon.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Broccoli Stalk?
Yes, but in small amounts as well.
Other Foods Adult Bearded Dragons Should Eat
Ideally, bearded dragons eat a mix of live insects and vegetables two to three times per week.
Be ready to feed your new pet crickets, wood roaches, bugs, moths, maggots, beetles, and worms, plus the following:
- Leafy vegetables
- Zucchini
- Kales
- Dandelions
- Lettuce
- Peas
- Carrots
In addition, you can consider using commercial pellets.
Nowadays, commercial pellets are easy to get. They’re fine to use as long as they don’t make up more than half of your beardie’s diet.
Supplements for Bearded Dragons
You can boost your bearded dragon’s nutrition by introducing supplements. These include:
- Multivitamin. Multivitamins help your bearded dragon get the nutrients for healthy growth and development. They also help support the immune system.
- Calcium. Calcium intake is essential for bone strength and health.
- D3. D3 is a major vitamin for helping your bearded dragon’s metabolism work properly. It can also help with appetite, digestion, and absorption of other vitamins.
Even if you decide to use commercial pellets, they shouldn’t constitute the biggest portion of your pet’s total food intake diet.
How To Keep Your Bearded Dragon Safe and Healthy
I’m sure you are so excited about your new bearded dragon. But don’t let the excitement get the better of you. This means you shouldn’t forget to take your new friend to the vet.
Consult Your Vet in Case of a New Purchase
When you bring home a new bearded dragon, it’s important to visit your vet. A new pet should be taken to your trusted veterinarian as soon as possible for an examination. The exam will determine whether your new pet has any health issues and how best to care for it. It’s also good to get your new pet’s vaccinations updated and check its weight.
Your vet will check your bearded dragon’s eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and skin to confirm they are healthy. The vet may need a blood sample from your dragon to test for diseases like Salmonella.
The vet will also advise you on how often you should feed your bearded dragon and what kind of food you should give.
You should urgently schedule an appointment for your pet if it has any of these symptoms:
- Loss of appetite or weight loss
- Sudden change in behavior, such as hiding more than usual, aggression toward humans or other animals, or aggression toward itself
- Difficulty breathing or wheezing
- Blood in urine or stool
- Frequent vomiting or diarrhea with no apparent cause
Heating To Keep Your Pet Warm
Keeping your pet bearded dragon warm is vital for its health and happiness.
Due to their cold-blooded nature, bearded dragons need to stay warm to survive. If they get too cold, they can lose the ability to regulate their body temperature and will die.
Because of this, it’s crucial to provide your dragon with a heat lamp or other source of heat in its enclosure.
Here’s how you can ensure that your pet is getting sufficient heat:
- Have a basking spot. This will allow your bearded dragon to sit out in the sun for some hours per day. Bearded dragons need UVB rays to synthesize vitamin D3, which helps with calcium absorption and keeps their bone health and strong. Calcium deficiency may lead to metabolic bone disease.
- Use a heat lamp. If your pet lives indoors, use a heat lamp to simulate the sun’s warmth—aim for a temperature of 90-95 °F (32.2-35 °C), depending on the species’ preference.
Conclusion
Bearded dragons are omnivorous reptiles. They eat insects, plants, and other small animals. Therefore they can eat plant matter, including broccoli and other veggies. While broccoli isn’t the best choice for bearded dragons, it’s still good to feed broccoli occasionally.
However, there are some precautions you need to take when feeding your bearded dragon broccoli. A lot of it will be harmful to your pet’s health, so give it in small portions. And remember, if your pet stops eating its regular diet of crickets and other insects, it’s time to start worrying about its health.
We hope we answered your question about can bearded dragons eat broccoli? and what you need to know when your bearded dragon eat broccoli
