Can bearded dragons eat red peppers? Owning a pet Bearded Dragon can be an awesome experience, choosing its diet is one of the most fun parts. But with it comes a lot of responsibility, after all you do not want to make your bearded dragon sick!
So with that in mind this guide is going to be looking at if it is safe to feed your bearded dragon red peppers. Lots of people will have them at home and they are super tasty but can your beardie also enjoy them? You may also want to know what other things bearded dragons can or can’t eat.
Can bearded dragons eat red peppers?
I want to start by giving you the straight up answer first, no fluff. Then if you have time to stick around I will go through some of the reasons why, or why not to feed your beardie red pepper.
So, can a Bearded Dragon eat red peppers? It is fine to feed your Bearded Dragon red peppers as an occasional treat, they contain vital nutrients such as Antioxidants, vitamins A, C, B6 and E which will keep your bearded dragon healthy. However they are high in water content which can lead to diarrhoea in high doses.
So to keep it short and simple, you can feed your bearded dragon red peppers (bell peppers). Just make it an occasional treat and not an everyday kind of thing.
Now I want to take a deeper look into the benefits and negatives of feeding your bearded dragon red peppers.
Can bearded dragons eat red peppers?
The benefits and negatives of feeding your Bearded Dragon red peppers.
As promised I an going to go over some of the benefits of feeding your bearded dragon bell peppers as well as some of the reasons why you should restrict it to an occasional treat. So can bearded dragons eat red peppers?
The benefits
Here are some of the amazing benefits of including a bit of red pepper in your bearded dragons diet.
Antioxidants-
Antioxidants are a wonderful thing a d are though to even slow down the ageing process. Along with this they are known to keep the immune system fighting fit, reduce the risk of inflammation also help the body digest its food.
Vitamin B6-
This vitamin is vital in the production of new red blood cells. Your bearded dragon’s red blood cells are what keep it oxygenated and alive.
Vitamins A and C-
These vitamins have great benefits to health. The benefits of a diet with vitamins A and C include support for healthy vision and also helping the immune system fighting off any issues.
Other benefits-
Along with the main 4 above there are several other benefits to your beardie eating red bell peppers. These include Folate, Potassium and Vitamim K1.
The negatives
As with everything in life there are negatives that follow the benefits and feeding red bell peppers to your bearded dragon is no exception to that rule.
So here are some of the negatives to a red pepper diet.
Over hydration
It is well known that regularly feeding your bearded dragon foods that are to high in water content can cause it to be over hydrated. This is bad because it can cause your bearded dragons poop to turn to diarrhoea. Red peppers contain a crazy amount of water at 92% of its make up.
Low calcium content
Bearded dragons like many other lizards require calcium rich foods in order to survive. Many types of vegetables contain high amounts of calcium but unfortunately red bell peppers are not one of them. In actual fact the amount of calcium in a red bell pepper is negligible and this is why they cannot be used as a staple food in your beardies diet.
High Phosphorus to calcium ratio
We have already talked a out bell peppers being low in calcium but another problem is that they contain lots of Phosphorus. They actually have twice as much Phosphorus as they do calcium which is a bad ratio.
To much Phosphorus in your bearded dragons diet can cause metabolic bone disease which is a major concern and is most certainly life threatening.
If the ratio of Phosphorus to calcium is too high it can bind to the calcium and stop your bearded dragon from being able to absorb it at all.
You can easily overcome the risks of metabolic bone disease by dusting your bearded dragons live food with a mixture of vitamin d3 and calcium supplement.
Are red bell peppers better than green, orange or yellow peppers for your bearded dragon?
Can bearded dragons eat red peppers, which is better? It is almost certainly a better option to feed your bearded dragon red peppers over green or yellow bell peppers. To know why we need to look at the life cycle of a Pepper.
In the beginning stages of its growth a bell pepper starts off green then over time as it ripens it will change color until it is finally red. Now it is full ripened and with this comes the stage where it is at its most nutritious and packing the most vitamins and minerals.
So always choose a red bell pepper as a tasty treat for your bearded dragon.
How to feed your bearded dragon red peppers.
Feeding your bearded dragon a red bell pepper is easy however there are a couple of steps to follow.
- If at all possible try to get organically grown peppers, this will reduce the chances of your bearded dragon ingesting and fertilisers.
- Remove the top and bottom of the pepper and make sure to remove the piff and seeds from with the pepper
- Slice the pepper into long straps and then cut into small squares around 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch.
Final thoughts on feeding bearded dragons red peppers.
Can bearded dragons eat red peppers? In my experience it is ok to feed your bearded dragon reppers and also all other color bell peppers.
However it should be fed in moderation and small amounts. Feeding your bearded dragon red pepper once or twice a month as a tasty treat with give it all of the benefits without having to worry about the negatives.
I hope this guide has helped you and of you would like to know more about what your bearded dragons diet should be like have
