As a bearded dragon owner, I’m sure you want your pet to be healthy and happy. One way to make this sure is to give them healthy food. Since bearded dragons are omnivores, you should give them veggies and bugs to eat. The latter has protein, and the former helps bearded dragons in growing.
Now, there are bearded dragons that loathe eating veggies. If your bearded dragon is one of those, you should either mix some bugs in their veggies or make a veggie shake. But can you add green beans to the mix? In other words, can your bearded dragon eat green beans? Because veggies are good for bearded dragons. So, that means green beans are safe for bearded dragons to eat? Well, yes. Bearded dragons can eat green beans. In fact, green beans are one of the best and most healthy veggies that a bearded dragon should eat.
What are the Benefits of Green Beans for Bearded Dragons?
We totally get it. It’s really hard to compel bearded dragons to eat veggies. But there are many benefits of veggies. If you give them green beans then that would be alright as well. Because green beans have the following benefits:
1. Good for Health
Green beans have a lot of fiber in them. They are especially rich in soluble fiber. This helps in reducing the amount of LDL in bearded dragons. Result? Better gut health of bearded dragons.
2. Best for Gut Health
Some of the nutrients in green beans help improve the gut health of bearded dragons. Further, if your bearded dragon is showing signs of digestive disorders, then at this point you can also give them green beans. Moreover, green beans have iron and vitamin B. Bearded dragons need both for growth.
3. Prevent Anemia
Iron is important for bearded dragons. It ensures that red blood cells have transported oxygen to all the cells in the bearded dragon’s body. If the amount of iron is low in a bearded dragon’s body, then they can experience fatigue and weakness. Green beans have the right amount of iron. If you give green beans to bearded dragons, then there’s a chance that they won’t face any iron-related deficiencies.
4. Strengthen Bones
Green beans have both vitamin K and calcium in abundance which also help in strengthening bones and reducing fractures in bearded dragons.
5. Lower Cancer
Due to the fact that green beans have chlorophyll, the growth of tumors can be slowed down. So, if you are hesitant about giving green beans to bearded dragons, then don’t. Know that green beans are good for bearded dragons.
How Often Bearded Dragons Should Eat Green Beans?
Green beans have so many nutrients. A lot of diseases can be prevented if bearded dragons eat green beans. So, how many times should you give green beans to a bearded dragon? Well, you can give green beans to bearded dragons a few times every week. But don’t overdo this. Otherwise, instead of becoming healthy, bearded dragons will become sick.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Green Beans Every Day?
No. Bearded dragons should never eat green beans every day. This is because it has oxalate. If they eat veggies every day, then they can get metabolic bone disease. In this disease their bones become fragile and they have difficulty standing up. Sure, this disease is treatable but why give them food that can cause them disease? In fact, to be on the safe side, don’t give green beans to bearded dragons every day.
What are the Benefits of Green Beans for Bearded Dragons?
Green beans are a good veggie for bearded dragons. This is because it has the following benefits:
- Low Calcium to Phosphorus: Bearded dragons need more calcium than phosphorus. Sure, it’s not bad to give them some amount of phosphorus, but calcium is more important for bearded dragons. It helps in strengthening the bones of bearded dragons. There are many fruits including dragon fruit, and nectarines that are bad for bearded dragons because they have more calcium than phosphorus. But the best thing is that green beans have a lot of calcium but not much phosphorus.
- High Amount of Water: Bearded dragons can become dehydrated really quickly. That’s because they can’t identify standing water as water. You need to either give them water yourself or add some bugs in the water that would catch beardies’ attention. The best thing is that green beans have a lot of water. Raw green beans are 90% water. So, if you give your bearded dragon green beans, then there’s a chance that they won’t get dehydrated.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Frozen Green Beans?
There’s no reason you shouldn’t give frozen green beans to bearded dragons. That’s because they have so many nutrients. But beware. Some green beans have added preservatives and salt that have no benefit for bearded dragons. In fact, bearded dragons will become sick if they eat them. So, before giving frozen food including green beans, ensure that salt and preservatives aren’t added. Moreover, thaw green beans so that pesticides are removed.
How to Give Green Beans to Bearded Dragons?
If you are giving fresh green beans to bearded dragons, then you should do the following steps:
- Wash green beans with non-chlorinated water. Bearded dragons can’t consume chlorine, so you need to make sure that the water is non-chlorinated.
- Cut green beans into small pieces. The size of the green beans shouldn’t be larger than the distance present between their two eyes. Small pieces of green beans ensure that bearded dragons don’t become impacted.
- If your bearded dragon loves eating yellow squash, and nectarines then you can also add these in small amounts.
But, if you are giving frozen green beans to bearded dragons then make sure to do the following.
- Defrost green beans. Bearded dragons shouldn’t eat frozen green beans. This is because they hate frozen items.
- Cut green beans into small pieces using a knife. Bearded dragons shouldn’t eat large pieces of green beans. Otherwise, they can experience impaction-related issues.
- Thaw green beans. This will remove preservatives and salt.
What Vegetables Are Toxic to Bearded Dragons?
Bearded dragons are omnivores. This means that they should eat both bugs and veggies. But that doesn’t mean that bearded dragons can eat every veggie. There are some veggies that no matter what happens you should never give to bearded dragons. Those veggies are:
Can Bearded Dragons Survive on Just Greens?
No. Bearded dragons should eat both veggies and bugs. This is because they are omnivores. They need to eat both veggies and bugs to thrive. In case you only give veggies to bearded dragons then sure they will get many nutrients including vitamins A, B, C, and K. They will also get iron, calcium, and phosphorus in their bodies.
In fact, there are some veggies that also have protein. But the problem is all these veggies don’t have sufficient protein. Bearded dragons need to eat a lot of proteins if they want to grow up fine. Bugs have a lot of proteins. Bearded dragons must eat both veggies and proteins.
What Greens Can Bearded Dragons Eat Daily?
Bearded dragons are omnivores. This means that you can give them both veggies and bugs. But there are many veggies and bugs that bearded dragons shouldn’t eat. Fortunately, there are many veggies that bearded dragons can consume every day. Some of the veggies that bearded dragons can consume every day include:
- Cactus pad
- Collard greens
- Dandelion leaves
- Endive
- Mustard greens
- Turnip greens
The reason you can give these veggies every day is because all of them have more calcium than phosphorus. Since bearded dragons need more calcium, they should prefer eating these veggies.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat All Greens?
No. Bearded dragons shouldn’t eat every green. That’s because some veggies have nutrients that aren’t good for bearded dragons. Nutrients that aren’t good for bearded dragons are:
- Oxalate
- Vitamin C
- Phosphorus
Conclusion
Bearded dragons can eat green beans. That’s because it has calcium, iron, vitamins, and folate. Bearded dragons need all of these to ensure they live a long life with you. In fact, there are some bearded dragons that love eating green beans. But despite this, bearded dragon owners should realize that green beans can’t be given to dragons every day. This is because they have oxalate that causes metabolic bone disease in bearded dragons.
