Sporty Snacks for Scaly Sidekicks

I'm a desert girl at heart, and so is my mom. She loves snakes, especially the big bull snakes that like to sun themselves in the middle of the road. While the hot asphalt is great for warming their bellies, and the lack of shade means they get plenty of sun, it also puts them at risk for being squashed by a car. My mom would always stop the car and get out to move the snakes she saw in the road, handling them with gentle, friendly confidence.

My brother was more into turtles and tortoises, including the giant African Spurred Tortoise he got as a gift for his ninth birthday and who now lives in our backyard, munching on grass and digging holes and napping to her heart's delight. At around 150 pounds, she's big enough to drag the lawn furniture around, so she sometimes gets up to a bit of redecorating.

As for me, my reptilian love was always for lizards. I adored the little horned lizards we'd catch out in the desert, with their round bellies and calm demeanors. I knew how to sit still enough to watch the darting, sharp-clawed fence lizards battle for the perfect little cave under a particular rock without startling them away.

Now, I have a lizard pal of my very own - a rescue bearded dragon named Blaise. He's a constant companion, hanging out in his hammock next to my writing station and chilling out on my lap while I watch TV. So of course he'll be with me on game day, perched on my shoulder or napping on the sofa. He understands about as much about football as I do, which is to say, exactly nothing. Like him, I'm just here for the snacks.

The cool thing about bearded dragons is that they're omnivores - they eat both plants and protein-rich living prey. That makes them pretty engaging pets, since coming up with their daily plates is a bit more involved than just pouring a bowl of kibble. Blaise is our little compost bin, eating a lot of the scraps left over from our meal prep, and just like any other creature, he has his own preferences and favorite foods.

Since Super Bowl Sunday is as much about pigging out as it is about tossing the pigskin, it's a fun opportunity to whip up some extra treats to share with my spiky buddy. Here are some recipes sure to please any beardie, whether or not they're a sports fan!

Super Bowl Salads

Greens should make up around 80% of an adult bearded dragon's diet, so Blaise eats plenty of veggies. It's best for a bearded dragon to mostly eat a "staple green" - either collard greens, mustard greens, or dandelion greens, with extra treats mixed in. Squash is also a great staple for bearded dragons.

Some treats Blaise especially likes are apples, red bell peppers, blueberries, and strawberries. Fruits are special treats for bearded dragons, and if they eat too much, they can get sick to their little stomachs. It can be hard to say no to Blaise's cute little face when he wants just a few more blueberries, but I have to be strong for both of our sakes!

Game Day Salad:

• 3 strawberries, rinsed and chopped (you can leave the green tops on!)
• 4 blueberries, rinsed
• 1 leaf of collard greens, rinsed and shredded
• 4 cubes of butternut squash, diced
• 2 leaves of dandelion greens, rinsed and shredded

Combine on a small plate or stone and present to your beardie at least two hours after their heat lamps turn on in the morning and at least two hours before their heat lamps turn off.

Team Colors

Blaise can definitely see color, and sometimes he'll even try to eat things that look like his favorite green foods but aren't actually edible. He also knows the shiny metal of his feeding tongs, which usually deliver his favorite treats like wiggling worms, so he'll enthusiastically munch anything that comes on silver metal.

You may have heard from a human nutritionist that the more colorful a plate is, the healthier it is. The same is true for a bearded dragon! Not only does a bright mix of colors look enticing to a hungry lizard, it also ensures a variety of nutrients.

Multi-Hued Munchies:

• 2 strips of red or orange bell pepper, rinsed and chopped
• 1 leaf of mustard greens, rinsed and shredded
• 4 blueberries, rinsed
• 1 slice of apple, rinsed and diced
• 4 snap peas, rinsed and chopped

Toss to ensure a good variety of colors, then present to your beardie at feeding time. Watch to see what ingredients your lizard goes for first!

Gridiron Gobbles

But greens and fruits aren't everything Blaise loves to eat! As an omnivore, he gets his protein from living prey. Superworms and calcium worms are his staple feeder insects, but he also likes dubia roaches, waxworms, and hornworms as treats.

In the wild, bearded dragons hunt down their prey. In captivity, they can be a bit more lazy about it. Blaise likes to be spoiled by having his worms mixed in with his salads or handed to him with his feeding tongs, but he's not above chasing down an especially wiggly worm.

Sometimes, when it's time to give Blaise a big, protein-packed meal of multiple bugs, I take him out of his tank and scatter some bugs and other treats around in a large shallow tub. This lets him run around, find sneaky bugs that might be hiding, and otherwise get some enrichment.

Hydration & Vitamins

Since I'm responsible for making sure Blaise gets everything he needs for a healthy and balanced diet, I also have to include vitamins and extra hydration in his food. Bearded dragons aren't great about drinking from a water bowl, so the best way to get more water into him is to mist his food with a spray bottle full of clean water.

Calcium and other nutrients are also very important for a healthy bearded dragon, so I dust his food on certain days with a special powder made for reptiles like him. He doesn't really like this vitamin powder, so I only use a little bit and make sure it's tossed in with treats he definitely will enjoy.

Blaise's Delicious & Nutritious Bowl Day Bowl:

• 3 sprigs of parsley, rinsed
• 1 strawberry, rinsed and chopped
• 2 blueberries, rinsed
• 2 leaves of dandelion greens, rinsed and shredded
• 4 superworms
• 1 waxworm or hornworm

Toss veggies in bowl. Hide worms underneath greens and veggies. Mist entire bowl with a spray bottle. Sprinkle vitamin powder on top and toss lightly again.

Have a great game day, and make sure your bearded dragon gets to enjoy the halftime show! For more information about bearded dragon diets, check out this resource.