Most people know that bearded dragons are omnivorous and love to eat plants, fruits, and veggies. However, most owners are probably not aware of the fact that lima beans (AKA bean pods or ladyfingers) also happen to be safe for bearded dragons.
Indeed, this delicious leguminous plant is also consumed by humans on a regular basis. Read on to learn more about whether your bearded dragon can eat Lima beans or not.
Lima Beans For Bearded Dragons
Lima beans are legumes that happen to be safe for bearded dragons. Other legumes like soybeans, peanuts, and green beans are toxic for this type of lizard. The best time to feed your bearded dragon Lima beans is during their breeding season.
This is because the nutrients found in beans can help male dragons produce more sperm. Some people also choose to feed their dragons Lima beans as a calcium source.
However, these veggie can’t replace a proper calcium diet. Moreover, you should only feed your lizards Lima beans during their growing stages. This is because beans also contain high levels of phytic acid.
Phytic acid interferes with the absorption of calcium and other vitamins in the body.
How to feed Lima beans to your bearded dragon
– Choose the right Lima beans – Lima beans come in three different colors: green, yellow, and purple. While all three types of beans are safe to feed your bearded dragon, green ones are the most nutritious.
– Soak the beans – You can make the beans easier to digest by soaking them in warm water for about 2 hours.
– Feed the beans as a treat – You can feed the beans to your dragon as a treat every now and then. You can also add the beans to your lizard’s regular diet.
– Avoid feeding the beans to young dragons – Young dragons can’t consume Lima beans.
These legumes are extremely high in phytic acid.
– Don’t feed Lima beans to pregnant dragons – Limas are also a high-phytic-acid food. Make sure to avoid feeding your pregnant dragons these veggies.
– Choose organic Lima beans – To make sure you’re feeding your bearded dragons a healthy diet, you should choose organic Lima beans.
What beans can bearded dragons eat?
Besides Lima beans, other beans that bearded dragons can eat include soybeans, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, and navy beans.
Other types of beans that your bearded dragons can’t eat include green beans, red beans, and fava beans. You should avoid feeding your bearded dragons fava beans.
This is because these legumes contain high levels of cyanide. While cyanide is toxic for humans, it’s lethal for bearded dragons.
In Summary
It’s easy to see why bearded dragons are such popular pets. These fascinating lizards are extremely personable, very easy to care for, and love to eat. Bearded dragons are omnivorous and can eat both plants and meat.
They can eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and also some different types of meat. They are very opportunistic eaters and will eat whatever they can get their claws on.
If you’re interested in getting a bearded dragon as a pet, be sure to research their dietary requirements beforehand. Bearded dragons are great pets for the right owner. They are sociable, easy to care for, and love to eat!
My name is Brad and I am the main editor of BeardieZilla.com.
The only goal of this site is quite simply to be able to help you. To help you by the means of my experiment, of the relation which I maintain with my bearded dragon as well as some of my knowledge about beardies.
I hope that you will find answers to some of your most pressing questions here.
Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the blog!
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