No, bearded dragons should not eat spicy foods like hot peppers because the capsaicin can cause significant digestive upset and irritation, even if they don't "taste" it like humans do, potentially leading to serious health issues. Stick to mild, safe vegetables like bell peppers (remove seeds/membranes), leafy greens, and squash, as spicy items aren't beneficial and can harm their sensitive systems.
Basically, if your bearded dragon eats too many jalapenos, it could upset their stomach, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, and pain. For this reason, you might decide to leave jalapenos off your beardie's menu altogether and opt for non-spicy peppers instead, like bell peppers, to be on the safe side.
Avoid feeding these toxic items to your reptile:
Avocado, Eggplant, Rhubarb, Rosemary, or Sage. Azalea, Buttercup, Daffodil, Lilly of the Valley, Marijuana, or Tulip.
Basil, parsley, mint, cilantro, chicory, lemongrass, rosemary and fennel are all safe for bearded dragons, but should only be offered occasionally as a treat. Only offer fresh herbs, not dried herbs.
Alisha Renae Yes, bearded dragons can eat green bell peppers in small portions, once or twice a month. Bell peppers are generally safe for bearded dragons, and green and yellow peppers are healthier than red peppers.
The most common causes of death in bearded dragons often stem from improper husbandry, leading to conditions like Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) (due to lack of UVB/Calcium), severe parasitic infections (like nematodes), or Atadenovirus (ADV), a highly contagious and often fatal virus causing liver/gut issues. Other frequent culprits include impaction from eating prey that's too large, respiratory infections, and systemic organ failure, with inflammatory diseases being a top category in pathology studies.
Here are a few fun things to offer your beardie as a treat, according to VCA Animal Hospitals:
As they grow, bearded dragons will start to eat more salads and vegetables. Juvenile bearded dragons should be offered food such as salads, vegetables and live prey items in combination daily. Adults can eat a diet of 70–80% salad greens, 20–30% vegetables, and 2–5% fruit every day.
Experts Agree: This Is The Healthiest Vegetable In The World
Let's find out: Can bearded dragons eat bananas? The short answer: yes, they can, but only once or twice a month.
Takeaway: Cheese and all dairy is bad for bearded dragons. Their digestive systems are not built to handle lactose. Provide calcium-rich greens and dust feeder insects with calcium powder as part of a healthy diet.
Carrots are safe for bearded dragons in small quantities, but they should only be occasional treats. Carrots provide vitamins and fiber, but if your beardie eats too many of them, it can cause unhealthy weight gain.
Key Takeaways. Healthy adult bearded dragons can go up to seven to 10 days without food, but this isn't ideal. Juvenile dragons need to eat regularly, skipping meals for more than a few days can be dangerous to their health.
How to Calm a Stressed Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons can safely eat scrambled eggs.
They can also eat hard boiled eggs. Just remember these pointers: Adult bearded dragons should eat no more than half an egg at a time, max. If you're scrambling the egg, don't mix any additional ingredients with it.
However, the lack of environmental complexity can lead to signs of boredom and stress. These signs may include lethargy, a decrease in appetite, repetitive behaviors such as glass surfing (where the dragon repeatedly tries to climb the walls of its enclosure), and increased aggression.
You can get sick from touching your bearded dragon or anything in its environment and then touching your mouth or food and swallowing Salmonella germs. Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after touching or feeding your bearded dragon and after touching or cleaning the area where it lives and roams.
Play with Your Bearded Dragon Outside the Habitat
Just like us, beardies get bored! So be sure to take your beardie out of his tank several times a week for playtime. Playtime indoors could include chasing a ball or playing with fun cat toys, like a feather wand.
Each bearded dragon is unique but generally sociable and tolerant of humans. Some may be fine with other beardies in captivity, but many prefer to be alone. Beardies love their owners. They'll recognize you, look in your eyes, beg for food, and sometimes want to be held.
What Do Bearded Dragons Eat?
Baby dragons should be fed twice daily, with the greens chopped up small. Juveniles and adults should be fed once daily. Older bearded dragons (larger than 30cm) need about 40 percent livefood and 60 percent greens. Feed in the morning so that the dragon can digest its food during the day.
Play Ball: Many beardies like balls, such as those you may get for a cat, a hamster, or a small dog. Don't give them anything small enough that they could choke on. Stuffed Animals: Bearded dragons sometimes enjoy snuggling up with plushies. (Did we mention how cute these guys are?)
Best Greens Bearded Dragons Can Eat: Daily Staples
This is a rare behavior for bearded dragons, but alarming nonetheless. Usually a dragon will only bite for two reasons: Hunger. If your dragon bites you or attempts to bite you, your dragon could be hungry (especially if it's a more playful biting or nibbling).