Can bearded dragons eat Honeysuckle, or will these flowers cause the reptiles to get sick?
Bearded dragons can generally eat honeysuckles. It’s an excellent advantage if you have this reptile as a pet since these plants are easy to grow in your yard.
However, be careful, as your pet could be allergic to certain plants, including honeysuckle flowers. These scaly pets also have specific dietary needs, like they need insects and meat.
It’s thus vital to know the best food options for your reptilian pet’s diet.
So, I researched the most important pointers for feeding bearded dragons. I scoured for inputs from reputable breeders and put the details you need in this article.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Honeysuckle Flowers?
Bearded dragons can eat honeysuckles and other edible flowers like lavenders, carnations, geraniums, and dandelions. However, your pet could be allergic to these flowers, so it’s better to consult with a vet to plan your scaly reptile’s diet.
Moreover, remember that beardies require a balanced diet. So, always feed them proper meals that include plants, insects, and meat, and don’t only serve them flowers.
How to Feed Flowers to Bearded Dragons?
Bearded dragons are omnivores, meaning they will eat almost anything they can consume, including different kinds of flowers. However, you must remember some points when feeding them flowers to avoid making them sick.
1. Select the Correct Flowers
Only select flowers that are safe for your pet to eat, like honeysuckle, lavender, and hibiscus. Avoid poisonous flowers like ivy, iris, buttercup, and some orchid species.
As a rule of thumb, you can feed your reptile with flowers that are also edible for humans.
2. Be Wary of Chemicals like Fertilizers and Pesticides
Some farmers use harmful chemicals to grow their plants, like artificial pesticides and fertilizers. These substances may upset your pet’s tummy and even cause poisoning that leads to death.
It’s thus better to only feed your scaly friends with naturally-grown flowers.
3. Only Serve in Moderation
Many flowers contain nutrients vital for these reptiles, like Vitamin C.
However, only serve flowers in moderation, as too much may upset your pet’s stomach. It’s enough to only garnish some petals on your scaly friend’s main dish.
Moreover, remember that beardies are omnivores, so you must also feed them other food items to meet their health requirements.
How to Prepare a Balanced Meal for Bearded Dragons?
As mentioned above, beardies require a balanced diet to maintain excellent health. So, remember to observe proper portioning depending on your scaly pet’s needs.
An adult dragon needs a smaller amount of protein but a lot of plant nutrients. It’s to keep their body healthy and avoid diseases as they grow older. Ideally, their meal must be 25% bugs and 75% plants.
On the other hand, hatchlings or young beardies have opposite meal requirements as they need more protein to grow. So, feed them 75% bugs and 25% plants.
How to Feed Plants to Bearded Dragons?
Aside from flowers, your scaly pet should also eat other nutritious plants. Remember these vital points when preparing their plant meals:
1. Prepare a Lot of Vegetables
Your scaly friend’s plant meals should comprise about 80% to 90% of vegetables, as veggies have high nutritional content.
Feed them green leafy veggies like bok choy, kale, and cabbage. You may also include other vegetables like carrots, squash, zucchini, and green beans.
However, avoid iceberg lettuce as it only contains a lot of water and may cause your pet to suffer from diarrhea.
2. Serve Small Amounts of Fruits and Flowers
Remember that fruits and flowers have lesser nutritional content than most veggies. Thus, they should only make around 20% of your scaly friend’s plant diet.
You may serve them in small amounts along with bugs and veggies. Also, when serving fruits, always peel and cut them into bite-size.
3. Serve Safe to Eat Plants
As mentioned above, chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides may poison your pet. So, only serve naturally-grown plants.
Moreover, avoid plants that may cause allergies or digestion problems. Common examples include citrus fruits, avocados, mushrooms, and wild plants.
How to Feed Bugs to Bearded Dragons?
Now, here are the points to remember when feeding bugs to your beardy:
1. Know the Best Bugs for Bearded Dragons’ Meals
Beardies can eat a wide range of insects. However, popular options are crickets, Dubia roaches, daddy-long-legs, and worms. These feeders contain vital nutrients that a dragon needs, like protein, fats, and water.
Select a bug that will serve as your pet’s primary food source, along with veggies. Then serve them other insects occasionally for variations.
2. Prefer Serving Live Insects
While you can feed dead prey to your dragon, living insects are better for them to hunt in their tank, and it will stimulate your scaly friend and boost their appetite.
3. Serve Bugs that are Safe to eat
Be wary of poisonous insects when preparing your reptile’s meals.
Avoid venomous insects like wasps, bees, and any glowing bugs.
Moreover, only choose bugs from reliable pet stores and avoid grabbing random insects from your backyard or the wild. It helps you avoid insects covered with harmful parasites that can infect your pet.
Do Bearded Dragons Need Supplements?
Beardies are prone to nutrition deficiencies; thus, they often suffer from ailments like a metabolic bone disease. That’s why it’s better to sprinkle powdered supplements on their meals to improve their health.
Common supplements they need are Vitamin B3, Calcium, and multivitamins.
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Summary
So, can bearded dragons eat Honeysuckle and other flowers?
Yes, they can. However, remember that beardies require a balanced diet, so prepare the best meal plan to fulfill their nutrient needs.
Moreover, only serve food items that are safe for your dragon to eat. Be wary of harmful chemicals and parasites that could make your pet sick.
And remember that each reptile has unique nutrient needs. For example, a young bearded dragon has different meal requirements than an adult one.
Always call a vet or a professional breeder for advice on planning your pet’s diet.
