Can Bearded Dragons Eat Broccoli?
Bearded dragon owners want to feed their pets a balanced and healthy diet including insects, fruits, and veggies. But can your bearded dragon eat broccoli? Is it safe for your pet?
Before going into details about the potential concerns and benefits of broccoli for the bearded dragon, let’s briefly describe the main question. So, can bearded dragons eat broccoli?
Bearded dragons can eat broccoli as a part of their balanced diet. It should not be offered very often because it contains an average amount of oxalate that can bind the calcium and also stop it from being absorbed inside the body.
Can bearded dragons eat broccoli regularly?
Feeding bearded dragon broccoli every day is not recommended. So, just how often can you feed your bearded dragon broccoli? VCA-hospitals claim that it’s OK to feed this regularly, while Vet med says it should be fed rarely. We think it is safe to say that giving broccoli to a bearded dragon once every 2 to 4 weeks is enough. This is an estimate and our recommendations. If you are not sure then we suggest you go to your vet doctor who can better know the individual requirements of your bearded dragon.
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Benefits of broccoli for bearded dragons
There are some pros of feeding your pet broccoli, despite its risks. The vegetable possesses a ton of lizard-healthy minerals and vitamins they need to grow.
Potassium:
This mineral assists to regulate the dragon’s blood pressure can prevent kidney problems and helps in muscular functions.
Fiber:
This is very necessary to assist keep your pet’s gut health in check.
Manganese:
This can boost your pet’s metabolism and assist to combat inflammation.
Vitamins C and A :
These can assist to strengthen your pet’s immune system so it can stay healthy.
Vitamin K:
This vitamin K is helpful except when it comes to assisting bone health.
So, broccoli as a rare treat definitely gives some benefits to your bearded dragon. However, the owners should still consider the disadvantages.
Harms of broccoli for your bearded dragon:
Even with all the nutrients, broccoli is also harmful to your Bearded Dragon. Broccoli does not contain enough calcium but contains much phosphorus. The calcium-phosphorus ratio is not in the healthy range for bearded dragons.
Too much absorption of this above ratio can cause the deficiency of calcium in the bloodstream. This can deplete the dragon’s Calcium absorption as its body will take calcium from the bearded dragon’s bones instead of the item it eats.
When this occurs, your pet can develop MBD ( metabolic bone disease). If this is left untreated, this can lead to the death of a bearded dragon.
Oxalic acid is another harmful compound that is found in broccoli. It reacts with the calcium and stops it from being absorbed into the body. Huge amounts of oxalic acid may lead to bearded dragons developing kidney stones.
How to prepare broccoli for your Bearded Dragon?
We are living in an age where food items are full of dangerous pesticides. The fact is that these items can be harmful to bearded dragons too, so it is always suggested to buy the organic options when they are available, even if this costs a little more.
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It is also important to clean or wash broccoli because veggies and fruits can contain many bacteria that can make the bearded dragon ill. When feeding the broccoli to your pet, you can give it raw as it will supply the most amount of beneficial nutrients.
It is best to make the small pieces of broccoli heads as it will make it easier for your bearded dragon to consume.
Technically, this is safe for your pet dragons. However, it should be fed in the smallest amounts. And that is because broccoli has compounds that are harmful to your bearded dragon if consumed in large portions.
Let’s go to the pros and cons of feasting bearded dragon broccoli, finding how much is good for them to feed, and how it can safely be prepared.
Here are a few key tips to remember.
• It is good to give your bearded dragon organic, fresh broccoli. It should be fresh to prevent your pet from eating any rotten or spoiled food.
• Wash it thoroughly to remove the unnecessary compounds, such as preservatives and insecticides.
• Soak broccoli in the bowl filled with water before feasting. This will assist separate the insects and dirt that are not removed by standard washing. It will also assist to soften it.
• Cut the florets and leaves of broccoli into manageable, smaller pieces. Avoid feasting on your pet’s stem.
Can a baby bearded dragon eat broccoli?
Your baby bearded dragon can eat a little bit of raw broccoli, but we don’t recommend it due to several health risks.
There are more valuable food items that you can give to your baby bearded dragon. Collard greens, mustard greens, green beans are healthy options that are harmful to your little pet.
Other vegetables your bearded dragon can eat
some veggies that are safe for your bearded dragon to eat, you can give these vegetables instead of broccoli.
• Bell peppers
• Peeled cucumbers
• Cabbage
• Squash
• Squash
• Pumpkin
• Shredded carrots
• Butternut squash
• Sweet potatoes
Conclusion:
Avoid feeding your Bearded Dragon broccoli regularly. You should keep its broccoli feeding to a minimum. It will give them a quick nutrient boost. Just because the bearded dragon can eat broccoli does not mean that your pet should eat broccoli in a routine.
Sure, there can be many minerals and vitamins that will assist your bearded dragon to grow, but the risks of overfeeding are very high. Instead of serving your pet broccoli, choose any other vegetable, one that should be safe and have very fewer risks.
