Unfortunately, no, bearded dragons should not eat popcorn. Popcorn is very dangerous for your dragon. Popcorn can cause stomach problems, tooth damage, tooth decay and obesity.
Impaction is the most common problem with bearded dragons eating popcorn. They could eat a kernel that expands in their stomach and really damage their digestive system.
You should never feed your dragon any sort of human food like popcorn because they are not part of their natural diet in the wild. If you want to provide some extra snacks for your bearded dragon, there are plenty of options that are healthy and appropriate for them! Keep in mind that all fruit should be given sparingly since it can lead to diarrhea if fed too often or in large amounts.
Advantages of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Popcorn
Actually, there are no advantages of feeding your bearded dragon popcorn. It has absolutely no nutritional value for them! Popcorn is just fat and carbs with virtually no protein or vitamins at all.
Bearded Dragon Safe Foods List
- Apples – make sure you remove the seeds
- Papaya
- Squash / Zucchini / Pumpkin (cooked)
- Peas (frozen…no salt added) – cooked or raw
- Banana – small slices
- Asparagus – cooked or raw spears cut into 1-inch pieces
Small amounts of other fruit are fine too but only occasionally as a treat.
Can Bearded Dragons Consume These Foods?
Disadvantages of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Popcorn
There are many disadvantages of feeding your bearded dragon popcorn. First and foremost, it will make them sick and give them several health problems. Popcorn is not healthy for your bearded dragon at all because it has absolutely zero nutrition that they need.
Bearded dragons should also never eat corn kernels or popcorn that you pop yourself either! There’s a chance that the unpopped kernels could expand inside your bearded dragons’ stomach and cause damage to their digestive tract.
Especially stay away from movie theater popcorn and microwave popcorn as it’s loaded with salt, butter and all types of preservatives and chemicals that might harm your bearded dragon.
Bearded Dragon Treats List
There are many healthy treats that you can feed your bearded dragon instead of popcorn. You can try any or all of the following:
- Crickets (alive and well-fed) – these make a great boredom buster and wiggly treat for your bearded dragon! Just be sure not to raise his/her cannibalistic urges by offering too many crickets in one day.
- Mealworms (alive and well-fed) – similar to crickets, mealworms are great fun but should only be used as an occasional treat since they’re very high in fat. Bearded dragons love chasing down mealworms and having them crawl on their heads or limbs!
Final Thoughts on
Please note that you should never feed your bearded dragon popcorn under any circumstances. If you want to give them a treat, try one of the options above or consult with an expert about healthier snacks for your pet.
Feeding a bearded dragon popcorn is a very bad idea! It’s completely unhealthy and will lead to many serious health problems down the road for them if they ingest it…the main one would be impaction which can cause death. Impaction is when food items get stuck in their digestive system and causes blockage, discomfort, bloating, etc.
There are so many other healthy treats out there for your beardie so stay away from human foods like this all together – it’s just not safe!