Can Bearded Dragons Eat Broccoli

Below is the reptile nutrition label for broccoli. The core data came from the USDA, but we have focused on the main areas of interest for reptiles.

Broccoli Health Concerns

Not surprisingly, broccoli has little health concerns. In fact, there's just one area of concern.

Each meal fed to your bearded dragon should have 1.5-2x more calcium than phosphorus. This is because phosphorus blocks calcium from being absorbed so a higher amount of calcium is needed. Broccoli has slightly more phosphorus than calcium. This means you will need to provide additional calcium with each serving of broccoli to provide your beardie with the calcium needed for a balanced diet. Serving broccoli with foods high in calcium (like Kale) is all that is necessary.

Broccoli is easy to feed to both adult and baby bearded dragons. It does contain slightly more phosphorus than calcium, so you should limit feeding broccoli to no more than 2-3 times per week. Be sure to serve broccoli alongside other foods which are high in calcium to provide your beardie with the correct balance of minerals.

Broccoli Preparation

Broccoli is an easy vegetable to prepare. We've outlined the main steps below:

Fruits and vegetables can contain pesticides and other chemicals used in preservation, so it's a good idea to wash the broccoli before serving it to your beardie. If the broccoli is frozen, washing it is not necessary unless it was not washed before freezing.

Don't feed the stem or stalks to your beardie, so remove them from the broccoli before serving. All that should remain is the broccoli head or florets.

Bearded dragons can choke on pieces of food that are too large to swallow whole. A good rule to follow is to cut each piece of broccoli so it is no larger than the distance between your beardies eyes. It's probably easiest to chop the broccoli into small bite size pieces.

Bearded dragon's prefer their broccoli raw, so there's no need to cook it. If your broccoli is frozen, make sure it is completely thawed and at room temperature before serving.