About whether bearded dragons can eat chili peppers, there are many different perspectives. Many claim it’s a certain way to make your dragon ill, while others swear by it, and that it can help boost a bearded dragon’s immune system.
So, what’s the final word? You’ll find the answer to, “Can bearded dragons eat chilli peppers?” somewhat confusing. While chili peppers won’t hurt your bearded dragon, they also don’t offer much nutritional value, they may cause stomach problems in some beardies.
In our guide, you can find out can bearded dragons eat bell peppers besides chilis, and what essential nutrients they contain if any. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding about can you eat jalapenos raw, and whether they will cause digestive upset in your bearded dragons. (Read Can Guinea Pigs Eat Edamame)
Can Bearded Dragon Eat Bell Peppers?
Given that these fruits provide a wealth of nourishment, it is frequently asked if can bearded dragons eat red peppers. Chili peppers, which are a member of the capsicum family of vegetables and fruits, are another food that bearded dragons can eat.
Bell and cayenne pepper are other hot peppers in this group. Your bearded dragon’s immune system and digestion will benefit from jalapenos.
Jalapenos are hot and shouldn’t be regularly given to pets in excessive amounts. To give them a treat, finding yes, to can bearded dragons eat green pepper, green peppers are a better solution for your dragons, and you.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Jalapenos?
Yes, but not frequently or in large quantities. The capsaicin in jalapenos enables the tongue’s taste-stimulating nerve endings. If your bearded dragons eat too much and your dragon will have a fiery feeling.
The alkaloids in jalapenos impact digestion, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, and such large quantities of jalapenos will aggravate bearded dragons.
Are Jalapenos A Beneficial Snack From My Bearded Dragons?
There are some advantages of jalapenos for bearded dragons. Vitamin E and C can be found in it. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system and acts as an antioxidant to keep your bearded dragon healthy.
Bearded dragons can get their energy from jalapenos as well. Every time they eat them, bearded dragons experience an energy boost.
Jalapenos are a delicacy that bearded dragons occasionally like. But take care as it isn’t too healthy to feed your bearded dragon jalapenos too much and too often.
Downsides Of Feeding Jalapenos To Bearded Dragons
Risks come with feeding jalapenos, particularly if your bearded dragons can’t take hot food. Risks include serious digestive issues that result in stomach burns. One or two small pieces should be the maximum amount for a healthy dose.
As they become older, bearded dragons typically have finicky food. Do not feed your pet this pepper too often.
The nutritional content is inferior to that of other vegetables, like collard greens, beet greens, and other healthy greens, which offer your pet the necessary vitamins and minerals they need to help create red blood cells, and might off illness.
Unlike real insects, jalapenos or collard greens for example don’t have calcium or protein. Therefore, feed them small pieces of food every so often. (Read Guinea Pig Eat Watermelon)
How Often Do Bearded Dragons Enjoy Jalapeno Peppers
Even if you bearded dragons like jalapenos, they shouldn’t consume them every day. No snack, including jalapeno, should ever take the place of the vegetables and other smaller prey species and insects that bearded dragons enjoy, and make up the bulk of a bearded dragon’s diet.
Give your dragon small meals in very small pieces at regular intervals. The amount of pepper your pet eats should depend on how much it likes it. About once per month, you can feed jalapeno peppers without the leaves.
Anything more will result in digestive upset and runny poop in your bearded dragon.
Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Peppers?
Never feed young, bearded dragons jalapeno peppers. They require frequent live food that contains protein for growth and calcium for healthy bones. Avoid including peppers in their diet, yet include nutrient-dense vegetables, but don’t let them make up over 30% of their diet.
Regular live food like dubia roaches, crickets, and worms must be included in the other 70% of what they should eat.
How To Prepare Jalapenos For Bearded Dragon
Remove seeds and leaves from jalapenos before giving them to your bearded dragon. The major source of heat is provided by the seeds. Jalapenos’ peppery flavor is primarily concentrated in the seeds and ribs of the pepper leaves.
Before giving the jalapeno to your bearded dragon, boil it (whether it is ripe or not). This will make it pliable enough to eat.
Jalapenos vs. Green Bell Peppers & More
Because jalapenos are mild peppers with less capsaicin levels, you can feed them to your pet, although they contain more than a green pepper for instance.
Too much spice might upset your pet’s stomach, and some bearded dragons may even become allergic to it. So, if your bearded dragon can manage small chunks, stick to jalapeno or bell pepper rather than hot peppers.
Jalapenos are not a horrible idea, but if you gave them regularly instead of healthy vegetables, it would be. They are most effective as appetizers to keep your beardie full until a more nutritious and substantial meal or as snacks for quick bursts of energy.
Green bell pepper has a lower heat level, a high water content, and is packed with vitamins and nutrients. (Read Can I Eat Raw Corn On The Cob)
Bell Pepper Nutrition
Before letting bearded dragons eat peppers, it is good to know the levels of nutrition on offer, and the vitamins and nutrients that will get. While bearded dragons can eat lots of things, calcium is among the most important for a bearded dragon to remain healthy.
- Protein
- Total lipid
- Carbohydrate
- Fiber
- Sugars
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
- Sodium
- Vitamin C, D, B6, A, K, and Vitamin E
- Iron
As you can see here, bell pepper or even hot peppers are lacking calcium. They are safe, yet offer little nutritional value to bearded dragons. Antioxidants help prevent inflammation, improve immune system function, help digestion, or fix damaged cells.
Different Bell Peppers
You’ll find three types of bell peppers — green, yellow, and red pepper.
Yellow and red peppers are the ripe ones and recommend to give a beardie as they have more Vitamin C among others to help with blood clotting and improve overall health. Green peppers are fine for your bearded dragon, yet they lack nutrients.
Why Beardies Can’t Eat Peppers Every Day?
There are a few valid arguments against feeding peppers to your bearded dragon on a regular basis.
Poor Source Of Calcium
Bell peppers don’t contain a lot of calcium, yet you may wonder why calcium is important. Calcium is essential for proper muscle and bone growth and metabolism. Your bearded dragon may experience hypocalcemia when calcium levels are low, but the metabolic bone disease is a significant risk (MBD).
When the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is too low and there is not enough vitamin D3, MBD develops. For proper calcium absorption, vitamin D3 is essential. Calcium stores quickly run out if D3 levels are low and there is too much phosphorus as calcium prevents proper usage.
When bearded dragons eat peppers, they don’t gain much so there is no need to give your beardie bell peppers too often.
High Vitamin A Levels
Bell peppers contain a lot of vitamin A which they need for eyesight, reproduction, and general growth. To ensure beardies don’t suffer vitamin deficiencies, many owners use vitamin supplements.
However, too much vitamin A can lead to lethargy, weight loss, and edema, which you can find when peppers are fed along with them taking supplements. (Read Can Deer Eat Tomatoes)
Too Much Water
90% or so of a bell pepper is water, and while it maintains hydration, drinking too much water can make your beardie sick. Many pet owners overlook this when their pet gets diarrhea, as they don’t link healthy vegetables to this.
Although they are in good health, maintain the ideal ratio, which is 10 to 30 ml of water per kilo per day, to keep a beardie from becoming over-hydrated.
How To Serve Peppers To A Bearded Dragon?
Remove the seeds and slice the peppers into small cubes so your beardie can eat them easily.
Second, we recommend making peppers with other vegetables to make a vegetable salad. Bearded dragons and reptiles don’t have many taste buds, therefore is no need to cook.
Cooking peppers destroys vitamins, making them less healthy for the beardie’s diet. Always carefully wash peppers, as they’ve been through many hands on the way to your bearded dragon.
Conclusion: Feeding A Bearded Dragon Peppers
We recommend red bell peppers specifically, as they are fully ripe and have the maximum nutritional content if you intend to feed your dragon peppers. It’s not advisable to give your beardie peppers every day for several reasons. There are other factors to consider, including insufficient calcium intake, a lot of vitamin A, and a lot of water.
Give your beardie a handful of those peppers to nibble on now that you have all the knowledge you require. Humans like the compound found called capsaicin, which is present in hot peppers.
Due to the rapid growth of their odor and taste senses, animals like cats and dogs are supposed to be adversely affected by capsaicin. Bell peppers are safe to eat but have very little nutritional value. You must feed calcium to your bearded dragon.
Green, yellow, and red bell peppers are the three main varieties. Peppers, despite their common name, are primarily composed of water, making them a fantastic way to keep your bearded dragons hydrated.
Consuming too many peppers might cause hypervitaminosis A, where the body lacks sufficient vitamin A. Lethargy, weight loss, and edema may result from this. Additionally, drinking too much water can make your beard prone to diarrhea.
Bearded dragons don’t have taste buds, therefore there’s no need to expose them to a wide variety of foods because they can’t tell one thing from another.
It is okay to feed a bearded dragon small pieces of jalapenos every few months, excluding the leaves. Feed them too regularly because doing so can cause gastrointestinal issues. Bell pepper can be used as a regular vegetable and is considerably more adaptable in their diet.
