No, bearded dragons should not eat apple skin (peel) because it's tough, hard to digest, poses a choking risk, and can harbor pesticides. Always peel apples before feeding them to your beardie, removing the core and seeds as well, and offer only small, infrequent pieces as a treat due to high sugar content.
Apple peel contains pesticides and tough fibers that can cause digestive irritation or impaction in Bearded Dragons. Symptoms include lethargy, lack of appetite, or abnormal stools. Always remove peels and cut fruit into small, manageable pieces. Provide a balanced diet with leafy greens and insects.
Remove Seeds and Peel: Never offer your bearded dragon a whole orange or even a slice. Any seeds and peel need to be removed before feeding the orange to your pet. The seeds are a choking hazard and the peel is tough to digest.
well...well its ok definitely as they are omnivorous and can eat both plant and meat including their skin (occasionally) as if it got old and growing new one.
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.
This article provides a quick and easy guide to the most common signs that your bearded dragon may be sick.
Being a diurnal species, bearded dragons need a day and night cycle. According to data on sunrise and sunset times in bearded dragons' natural habitat in Australia, a cycle of 14 hours/day during summer and 10 hours/day during winter (with gradual adjustments in-between) is appropriate.
Amphibians and reptiles can carry Salmonella germs and still appear healthy and clean. Salmonella germs are shed in their droppings and can easily contaminate their bodies and anything in areas where these animals live.
Caused by low levels of Calcium and Vitamin D3, it's by far the most common cause of illness in 'beardies'. Symptoms can be hard to spot, but can include muscle twitching, swollen legs and fragile bones, which can eventually lead to permanent deformities in the limbs, jaw, spine or tail.
There actually isn't one way that's better than another; it all depends on what works best for you and your beardie. Here are some options to try: Sliced with peel. You may be surprised to hear that dragons actually enjoy eating the banana peel as well as the fruit, and it adds a little extra nutrition to the treat.
Since bearded dragons are omnivores, providing them with a diverse diet is recommended. Live insects like mealworms, kingworms, and crickets, greens such as parsley and kale, and vegetables like peppers and sweet potatoes are all acceptable options. It's also acceptable to feed them a limited amount of fruit.
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.
Bearded dragons can't chew the peel, and it can cause gut impaction (blocked digestive tract) if they swallow pieces of it. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds to prevent choking or impaction.
Other fruits and veggies such as oranges, tomatoes, lemons, limes and pineapples are very acidic and could cause issues with the dragon's digestive tract. Some great foods to feed your bearded dragon every day include mustard, collard and dandelion greens, alfalfa, arugula and squash.
Give your dragon a nice warm bath, followed by cuddles in a soft towel. Simply pause as much noise as possible to give your dragon some quiet time. Try turning off the lights until your dragon is more calm (of course you wouldn't want to leave the tank like this for too long so your dragon doesn't get too cold).
Signs of a healthy beardie include clear eyes, active behavior, and a healthy appetite. Watch for warning signs such as: Lethargy. Loss of appetite.
Generally, veterinarians recommend that you lightly sprinkle a “phosphorus-free” calcium powder (calcium gluconate, lactate, or carbonate) on their food, daily. Additionally, you can lightly sprinkle food with a calcium powder containing vitamin D3, two to three times per week.
Your dragon needs UVB to produce vitamin D which allows them to metabolize calcium just like us. Screen tops block 50% of the UVB while glass and plastic block 100% of the UVB. Additionally the available UVB is reduced by 50% for every inch that you move away from the bulb.
Common Clinical Signs Include:
Unlike many reptiles, bearded dragons can recognize their human caregivers and may even come when called or perch on your shoulder for some bonding time!
As tempting as it is to give our pets a lil' smooch when we see them, it's probably not a great idea if that pet happens to be a bearded dragon. That's because there's currently a multistate Salmonella outbreak in the US and it's been linked back to the otherwise lovely lizards.
Do - The best amount of time to handle a bearded dragon is to limit the time outside of their habitat to 10-minute increments and leave plenty of time in between handlings. This might not always be possible should they need to go to the vet or something similar.
Keep the lamp away from the ground, combustible bedding (like straw and blankets), and the newborn livestock at a minimum distance of 20”. Never lay a heat lamp on a flammable surface. Plug your heat lamp into an Arc Fault Interrupter breaker which will trip if the fixture sparks.
If their terrarium is too cold, bearded dragons may attempt to regulate their body temperature by flattening out in order to absorb as much heat as possible. If you notice your dragon pancaking a lot in his tank, this is likely the cause.