Can Bearded Dragons Eat Bell Peppers? What Need You Know?

It might be difficult to determine whether or not to include a bell pepper in a salad for your bearded dragon. To what extent, if any, bell peppers are digestible by bearded dragons.

Fortunately, we have chosen to compile the insights of some of the most well-respected reptile veterinarians and nutrition specialists in the field and provide them in a single, easy-to-reference piece.

Is it true that bearded dragons like bell peppers? Bell peppers are safe for bearded dragons to consume in little amounts. While bell peppers are rich in certain elements that bearded dragons need, they are deficient in others, particularly calcium. This implies they should be included in a varied diet among other leafy greens.

Bell Peppers | Nutritional Data

Beardie owners should carefully consider the ingredients of the food they provide their pets.

Humans and bearded dragons have somewhat different dietary requirements.

Bearded dragons have a considerably greater calcium need than humans do.

Learn to read the nutritional profile of meals so you can tell which ones are really healthy for your bearded dragon and which ones are just pretending to be so.

This is some information on the nutritional value of bell peppers. The information comes from the USDA in the United States.

Nutritional Information Of Bell Peppers Per 100g

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Bell Peppers? (A Closer Look)

In the very beginning of this article, we established that bell peppers are a healthy food option for bearded dragons.

Bell peppers are often included as a healthy option for bearded dragons by many veterinarians and nutritionists.

Bell peppers are recommended as a supplementary food source for your bearded dragon by a reputable source like Vetmed.

Although Vetmed doesn’t specify, we assume that bell peppers’ lack of availability of basic nutrients like calcium is to blame for their placement on the optional rather than required list.

Let’s go in and examine the benefits and drawbacks of feeding bell peppers to your bearded dragon, as well as why certain veggies aren’t as highly suggested as others.

High In Vitamins & Minerals

Let’s have a positive beginning, shall we? Bell peppers, or sweet peppers as they are often called, are a fantastic source of nutrients for your bearded dragon.

Bell peppers are a rich source of vitamin A, however they don’t provide quite as much as carrots.

According to Healthline, bell peppers are rich in the bone-supportive vitamins B6, C, E, and K1.

In general, your bearded dragon will benefit from the vitamins found in bell or sweet peppers.

Low In Vital Calcium

The low calcium content of bell peppers is, as we noted previously, one of the few things that prevents them from being a main meal for bearded dragons.

There is just 7mg of calcium per 100g, as seen in the data we provided previously in the essay.

It’s simple to understand why other greens and vegetables are preferred on a daily basis when compared to a modest green like kale, which provides 254mg of calcium per 100g.

Maintaining strong bones in your bearded dragon requires a diet rich in calcium-rich foods.

The failure to do so may lead to a variety of underlying problems, including MBD.

According to Vetstream, the most common cause of MBD in reptiles is insufficient calcium and/or vitamin D3 in the diet.

This doesn’t imply you shouldn’t give your bearded dragon any bell peppers, but rather that you should provide more of the salad’s core greens and only a few as a garnish.

Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Bell Peppers?

Bearded dragon hatchlings may consume bell peppers, sometimes known as sweet peppers.

But, this does not give you license to stuff your infant bearded dragon with them.

The diet you provide your bearded dragon is very crucial while they are less than 18 months to 2 years old.

This is due to the fact that their bodies still need a lot of nutrients at this stage in their development.

This article with accompanying infographics outlines how quickly you may anticipate your newborn bearded dragon to grow and what might impede their development.

Since calcium is so important for your dragon’s long-term development and bone health, you should focus on feeding it foods that contain far more of this mineral than bell peppers.

Remember, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give your newborn bearded dragon bell peppers; the vitamins they provide are still appreciated; it simply means you should strike a healthy balance and not construct a salad bowl out of peppers alone.

How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Bell Peppers?

The majority of veterinarians and food experts classify vegetables and greens into four broad groups.

Standard categorization looks like this…

• Maintain a steady diet
• Do not skip meals
• Feed seldom or never.

Most vet and reptile nutrition sources include bell peppers as a “feed frequently” or “secondary” food item.

You should not worry about giving your bearded dragon bell peppers on a regular basis.

The food of your bearded dragon should consist mostly of vegetables, and VCA-Hospitals, a reputable resource, recommends bell peppers as one of 21 such veggies.

They don’t specify how often a week you should serve bell peppers, but we think it’s OK to serve them once a week along with other nutritious greens and vegetables.

Keep in mind that bell peppers are best when combined with other nutrient-dense greens and vegetables to provide your dragons with the most complete spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and health advantages.

How Should Bearded Dragons Eat Bell Peppers?

Bearded dragons may safely consume bell peppers and sweet peppers, but only if you follow certain preparation steps.

Always serve them in bite-sized pieces. There are two advantages to this.

The first advantage is that your bearded dragon will have an easier time munching on the smaller pieces, and the second is that your beardie will likely choose other leafy greens at the same time if the pieces are tiny enough.

Make sure the salad is served in a dish that is manageable for your dragon.

Beardies may be picky eaters, so it’s important to make it easy for them to reach to the bottom of the salad bowl.

Go no farther than this article for a selection of our favorite, reasonably priced bowls, suitable for anything from salads to live feeders.

Raw peppers are more healthy and much less of a nuisance to add to the bowl than cooked peppers.

Peppers and other greens that go into the tank should always be washed before being added.

Many people and storage facilities handle greens and vegetables before they reach our tables, so who knows what kind of germs and filth they may have picked up along the way.

It’s crucial to keep them healthy by washing them regularly.

Lastly, wherever possible, we advise replacing the conventional selection with the organic one.

We feel it’s important to provide your bearded dragon with pesticide-free alternatives wherever feasible, and the cost is justified since most standard selections will include some degree of pesticides.

5 Greens Bearded Dragons Can Eat With Bell Peppers

You want to know what other vegetables and greens you may offer them besides bell peppers, right? Do you need suggestions for other items to serve with them?

This is the part of the article where you may choose your own adventure.

We consulted the specialists at Vetmed to find some substitutes for bell peppers for you to try.

Instead of listing the standard greens and vegetables that everyone is familiar with, we’ve chosen to highlight four alternatives.

This list is based on a recent post from Vetmeds on the proper and inappropriate diet for bearded dragons.

We’ve narrowed it down to these particular foods:

• Beans with greens
• Squash, butternut
• Turnip with Sweet Potato

We have included bell peppers in the same chart so you can see how they stack up against each other nutritionally.

Please note that the goal of this list is to provide you with more resources for the care and feeding of your bearded dragons.