Celery is a versatile vegetable: tasty in soup or salad, and also a crunchy snack. But now that bearded dragons require a specific diet, is celery safe for them? Or, is this among the foods that should be strictly off your lizard friend’s menu?
Bearded dragons are omnivorous and can eat both insects and veggies, and celery is among the veggies they love eating. These veggies primarily consist of water and have breath-taking nutritional impacts, making it worth adding to your dragon’s dietary treats. However, you only need to feed it now and then, and not as a staple diet.
Why Bearded Dragons Should Eat Celery
1. Hydration
Celery mainly consists of water, and since it can be a challenge for your lizard friend to drink water from a bowl, celery can help with hydration.
2. Ideal Calcium-Phosphorus Ratio
Beardies require calcium and phosphorous for growth, development, and healthy bones. However, it’s essential to maintain the right calcium to phosphorous ratio. This is because excess phosphorous in some veggies can prevent calcium absorption into the dragon’s body.
For this reason, the bearded dragons must consume more calcium than phosphorous, a ratio that can be hard to achieve with other veggies. Fortunately, celery contains the ideal calcium-phosphorous ratio.
3. Vitamins and Minerals
Celery has vitamins and minerals such as Beta Carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K; however, in small amounts. These invaluable components will strengthen your beardies’ growth, reproduction system, vision, and immune system.
Since baby beardies eat more insects than plants, they use their Vitamin A pretty fast. Feeding them celery will help replace the depleted vitamin levels and promote their development.
4. Promote Heart Health and Reduce Inflammation
These crunchy veggies have antioxidants and flavonoid components that prevent inflammation and enhance the bearded dragon’s heart health.
5. Low in Sugar
One of the exciting benefits of celery is that it has low sugar content, which is good. Therefore, adding it to the menu will prevent your dragon from obesity and an upset digestive system.
Though often overlooked by owners, your lizard pet can develop tooth and gum problems. And since their teeth are deep in their jaw bone rather than sockets, their toothache can affect their jaw as well.
- You may also be interested in: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Oranges? What You Need to Know
How Bearded Dragons Should Eat Celery
Serve Raw
Serve raw celery instead of cooking because heat can remove the little nutrients in the vegetable. All you need to do is wash and chop into tiny pieces. Plus, beardies enjoy the crunchy feel in raw celery.
Break into Small Pieces
Cut your veggie into small chewable pieces. The reason is that bearded dragons have tiny throats, teeth, and mouths, and can choke on large-sized foods.
Occasional
Although celery contains vital nutrients, it does not offer them in high enough quantities. Therefore, only feed celery once in a while as a treat food or snack. Instead, provide them with other highly nutritious foods they can use for growth.
Mix with Other Vegetables
You can serve only celery or mix it with other foods. Or, you can dust in supplements too.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Celery Every Day?
As healthy as it looks, celery isn’t perfect. You shouldn’t make it a daily staple food for your bearded dragon because it is high in oxalates.
If oxalates combine with calcium, they could make your lizard friend have kidney stones. It is advised your pet eats celery once a week or month and in small portions.
Which Veggies Can Bearded Dragons Eat with Celery?
Check out some of the vegetables you can mix with celery to make that crunchy, healthy, and tasty celery salad for your beardie.
Conclusion
Celery is safe and healthy to include in your beardies’ menu as long as it’s in small amounts and occasional. And ensure that you serve it raw and in tiny pieces. Your pet will not only benefit from its nutritional value but will enjoy the crunchy texture while eating.
This veggie is especially vital if your dragon is obese and struggles with over-eating. However, since it does not contain enough nutrients, find your lizard friend other foods with far better nutritional value than celery.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay
