Can Bearded Dragons Eat Banana?

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Can bearded dragons eat banana

Absolutely, Bearded Dragons can eat bananas, and you should include it in their diet as a tasty treat once or twice after every 30 days.

Banana also provides potential health benefits to bearded dragons; however, you should be wary of the amount and number of times you feed your beardy with bananas.

In this article, we will focus on and support why you should feed and the downsides of feeding your beardy with bananas in details.

 

How Your Beardy will benefit from Eating Banana

 

Banana is an excellent source of Vitamin A, B1, B6, and C, minerals like Potassium, Calcium, Sodium, and Phosphorus, Fiber, Sugar, carbohydrates, protein, and 78% water [1] .

The advantages of these nutrients in bananas make it a good and healthy treat to offer to feed your Beardy. From these nutrients, your beardy will benefit through the following ways:

 

It prevents cell degeneration and boosts immunity

 

Free radicals the body are harmful in the body because they damage cells, causing faster degeneration of your beardy body cells. Since banana is packed with vitamins, it has anti-oxidants vital in preventing cell damage caused by free radicals.

In addition, the antioxidants help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart problems for your bearded dragon.

This further helps to maintain your bearded dragon’s immune system against diseases which is essential while baby and in juvenile growth stage {3-9 months}.

 

Strengthens the Bones and Muscle Tissues

 

Since it is packed with essential minerals like Potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium, your beardy bones and muscle tissues will be stronger.

This is because these minerals improve the absorption of the nutrient and regulate fluid balance in the body, thereby improves muscle functioning, nerve signaling and promoting the growth and development of bones.

See also  Can Bearded Dragons Eat Crackers?

 

It maintains healthy eye vision and reproductive system

 

Besides boosting immunity, Vitamin A helps maintain good vision and overall eye health in bearded dragons.

Vitamin A also promotes the average growth of embryos for female beardie during pregnancy and promotes a healthy reproduction system in both males and females.

 

Prevents Constipation

 

The banana peel is made of fibers that help prevent constipation and bloating because it enhances the smooth movement of the bowel in the lower digestive system.

Therefore, while feeding your beardy with banana peels to provide fiber, and also contains a high amount of magnesium and Vitamin B6 and B12. Vitamin B-6 helps the body to metabolize fats and proteins, thus assisting in weight loss. 

 

What are the dangers downsides of feeding your Beady with Banana?

 

Like in humans, too much consumption of something in the body is unhealthy, which also applies to the bearded dragon.

Banana contains a high amount of sugar and Phosphorus ratio to Calcium which is 3:1. Therefore you should watch out for the amount you feed bearded dragons with bananas because too much sugar and phosphorus can lead to severe health problems. They include:

 

Metabolic Bone Disease and Calcium Deficiency

 

According to a recent post from Pet-MD, MBD is one of the common and severe health problems in young bearded dragons up to the age of two.

This health condition is brought by calcium deficiency which is brought by too much phosphorus in the body.

Excessive phosphorus in the body prevents absorption of Calcium in the body, thereby leading to calcium deficiency. Hence, your beardy bones will lose density and eventually becoming weak, soft, and deformed.

 

Bananas contain around four times more phosphorus than calcium. VetMed recommends that when feeding your Beardie with bananas, you should complement with a calcium supplement diet at a ratio of 2:1 to balance and avoid overfeeding it with bananas.

 

Obesity and Dental Health problems

 

Banana is relatively high in both calories and sugar, which is unhealthy for consumption. When too many calories and sugar accumulates in the body is reserved as fats in the body.

See also  Can Bearded Dragons Eat Frogs? (Risks!)

When fats are reserved in the body, it leads to obesity and other severe health problems like blood pressure due to organ failure.

Nevertheless, bearded dragons also develop dental problems from consuming too much sugar leading to tooth decay.

 

How to Feed your Beardy with Bananas

 

Do you know how to feed your bearded dragon with bananas? Bearded dragons have a small stomach which means they should not be overfed beyond the average limit.

In addition, as mentioned above, banana has a high relative phosphorus ratio than calcium, making it unhealthy.

Therefore we recommend you offer banana to baby and juvenile beardies as a treat or a salad topper in smaller portions. Do it once or twice because its nutrients value is essential for their growth and development.

Once a month is okay for adults because they are fully grown, and too much banana can lead to obesity and organ failure.

 

If this is your first time feeding your beardie with bananas, know that you can offer them either with peels or without.

Some beardies are fussy, meaning they may not like vegetables; therefore, you can complement banana with vegetables to trick them into eating the vegetables.

 

Practical steps in giving banana to your beardie

Before feeding your beardie with banana, it is crucial to carry out the following procedures: 

  • Ensure you purchase organic bananas because they are free from pesticides and herbicides. Non-organic banana contains high levels of pesticide and pesticides making them highly toxic. Thus, we recommend you go for an organic banana if you serve your beardy with peels.

 

  •  Always offer them a banana that is neither too ripe nor too green because the riper the banana, the high the sugar concentration, which is not good. Serving it while unripe can result in stomach discomfort.

 

  •  If you will serve your beardy with an unpeeled banana, ensure you inspect if the peel is intact with no holes or slits and molds on it. In other words, you should feed your beardy with a healthy banana without molds, germs, and bacteria.

 

  •   Wash the banana with clean water to remove the dirty chemical on the peels and germs.

 

  •  Despite being soft, it would help slice the banana into appropriate sizes by cutting them into thin rounds, then into smaller pieces, be it with peels or without, for them to have an easy time eating them. This prevents them from getting choked while eating.
See also  Can Bearded Dragons Eat Iceberg Lettuce?

 

  •  Place the banana in a feeding bowl that is shallow mixed with vegetables. Never feed them more than they can eat in one feeding.

 

  •   When they are full, remove the leftovers from the tank. Indeed bananas go bad very fast, attracting harmful bugs and other insects in the tank.

 

Related Questions to the Subject

 

  1. Is dried or frozen banana healthy to feed your Beardy?

 

Frozen and dried bananas are cheap but don’t feed them to your bearded dragon.

This is because frozen banana is very hard, which predisposes your beardy to choke hazards.

In contrast, dried banana is unhealthy because it contains too much sugar.

 

  1. Can bearded dragons eat banana leaves?

 

Yes, it is safe to feed your beardy with banana leaves because it contains vitamin B6. This helps to metabolize fats and protein. It also plays a role in regulating weight, promotes good immune and nervous system function, and aids brain development. 

 

  1. What are the signs and symptoms of MBD

 

Below are the signs that will help you know that your beardie is suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease:

  • Swollen and soft jaws, rear limbs, and other facial bones.
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Inability to walk or paralysis and unable to stand.
  • Fatigue, weakness, and sometimes seizures.
  • Poor growth.
  • Limbs shake or tremors while walking or standing.
  • Hiding in the tank more than usual.

 

Summary

Banana is a nutritious fruit that provides many health benefits to your beardy. This is why it should not miss in your beardie’s diet.

However, be cautious about the number of times you serve your beardie with a banana.

Indeed too much bananas may have some side effects on your beardie’s health. Watch out for sign signs and symptoms of MBD.

We have also covered the question about bearded dragons eating iceberg lettuce.

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