Can Bearded Dragons Eat Celery?
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Can Bearded Dragons Eat Celery?
For your bearded dragon to enjoy the many benefits of celery, you need to buy fresh, organic celery. This is the best choice as celery that is not cooked will have fewer nutrients and lack essential vitamins and minerals. Make sure that the celery you buy is washed thoroughly before feeding it to your dragon. Even organic celery may have dirt and chemicals on it. However, it is still worth letting your beardie enjoy celery.
High in oxalates
Celery is good for bearded dragons because it is rich in water and fiber. It is also a good source of oxalates, which bind with calcium and cause kidney stones. Too much of either ingredient can lead to death or serious illness in bearded dragons. It is best to give your beardie smaller amounts of celery, mixed in with other vegetables such as carrots or cucumbers.
High in calcium
Celery is rich in calcium. However, it is also high in phosphorus, which inhibits calcium absorption. This can result in metabolic bone disease (MBD), which is painful, paralyzing, and sometimes fatal. If you feed your beardie celery, make sure you wash it well and remove the stalks and core. Once it is clean, cut the celery into bite-sized pieces and add it to their food bowl. You can also feed your beardie small pieces of celery to your pet during meals. To make the process easier, try buying organic celery; this way, you can ensure its safety from bad worms.
Not a good food choice for bearded dragons
One of the most common mistakes bearded dragon owners make when trying to provide healthy food for their pets is feeding them too much celery. Celery is primarily water, and bearded dragons need a combination of calcium and phosphorus. But celery also has high amounts of phosphorus, which prevents them from absorbing the calcium they need for their bones and teeth.
How to prepare
If you’re considering bringing a pet bearded dragon into your home, you may wonder how to prepare celery for your pet. The good news is that celery is a great choice for your bearded dragon’s diet. Celery is rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, as well as a high water content. Celery is a good addition to your bearded dragon’s diet because it is 95% water, which will help it rehydrate. Moreover, celery also contains a 1.6:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio, which is perfectly acceptable for a bearded dragon’s diet. Lastly, celery is a good source of vitamins and minerals for your pet, so long as you keep the portion size small and give your beardie a variety of foods.