As omnivores, bearded dragons are capable of eat an enormous vary of various vegatables and fruits. However are you able to embrace banana within the record of “protected meals” to your beardie?
Let’s begin with the simple reply: bearded dragons can eat banana completely safely.
Bananas typically make a welcome deal with to your bearded dragon, although ought to actually solely be fed carefully as they comprise excessive ranges of sugar.
One of the simplest ways to feed banana to your bearded dragon is to take a small part of the banana, peel it, then finely chop or crush the banana flesh. It might then be blended in with the opposite plant materials you’re giving to your bearded dragon.
By feeding banana to your bearded dragon on this method you’ll keep away from the chance of your pet choking on bigger items of banana.
You’ll additionally make it tougher to your beardie to “selectively feed” – selecting out solely the sweetest and tastiest morsels supplied, whereas ignoring components which could not be as thrilling however are far more healthy.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Banana On a regular basis?
Bananas are a preferred meals with bearded dragons, nonetheless they do have some weaknesses.
Bananas are excessive in sugar, which may result in your bearded dragon changing into obese in the event that they’re fed too commonly.
Equally importantly, bananas comprise little or no calcium, and have a poor calcium:phosphorus ratio. Feeding bananas too typically subsequently comes with some threat.
Bearded dragons shouldn’t eat banana on a regular basis. As a substitute, they need to be thought of an occasional deal with.
Rather than banana, you need to substitute all kinds of reptile-safe greens as the idea of their food regimen, with sugar-rich fruit making up solely a tiny proportion.
How Typically to Feed Banana To a Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons may be fed banana a couple of times every week, although they need to solely be given a small quantity every time.
Selection is crucial when feeding your bearded dragon. Your pet must be supplied a variety of meals every week. On this means you’ll reduce the chance of vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which may trigger well being issues.
As a very sugary meals bananas ought to solely be given to bearded dragons carefully, moderately than a daily every day a part of their food regimen.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Banana Peels?
It may be fairly a shock to search out out that bearded dragons love banana peels.
After all, this could truly be fairly helpful as most of us merely throw away our undesirable banana peels. This can assist to economize on feeding your beardie!
The one threat issue when feeding banana peel to your bearded dragon is that they aren’t simple to chunk by means of. They’re additionally fairly fibrous, so there’s a threat they may trigger blockages within the digestive system of your bearded dragon.
When you do determine to supply banana peel to your bearded dragon the most effective thought is to finely chop the peel into small “bite-sized” chunks. This may make it simple to your bearded dragon to swallow it, and cut back the possibilities of it getting caught within the intestine.
Vitamins Present in Banana
Bananas are an amazing meals in so some ways. In spite of everything, you’ve most likely seen skilled athletes tucking into them between video games to allow them to’t be all unhealthy, can they?
One main matter mentioned by reptile keepers is that of “oxalates”. Oxalic acid is a compound produced by vegetation that may trigger issues with calcium if consumed in excessive doses. It could forestall your bearded dragon from correctly absorbing calcium from their food regimen, and may trigger kidney stones. Fortuitously, banana is taken into account to have a “very low” degree of oxalates.
Bananas are excessive in fiber, which may assist a wholesome digestive tract. They’re additionally excessive in vitamin B6 and vitamin C. They comprise a comparatively great amount of manganese and potassium which each supply advantages for a robust skeleton.
They’re additionally low in lots of issues which can be greatest prevented. For instance bananas comprise little or no sodium. That is optimistic as an excessive amount of sodium can have an effect on water steadiness inside the physique, can result in dehydration and might also have an effect on blood stress.
Lastly, bananas are low in fats. Whereas that is in itself an excellent factor, as talked about earlier they’re additionally fairly excessive in sugar, so this profit could also be canceled out in case your bearded dragon is fairly inactive.
Causes To not Feed Banana to Your Beardie
Whereas the information on feeding bananas to bearded dragons is kind of optimistic, there are a number of points that you have to be conscious of. It’s these components that imply bananas most likely shouldn’t be fed to your bearded dragon every day, however as a substitute must be thought of a uncommon deal with to your pet.
Excessive Sugar Content material – The rationale why tennis gamers munch on bananas between video games is as a result of they’re full of sugar. This gives “immediate power” that retains the athlete firing on all cylinders.
Nonetheless this identical sweetness generally is a downside for extra sedentary creatures, similar to bearded dragons. An excessive amount of banana can result in your beardie placing on weight, which may end up in a spread of unlucky well being issues.
Low Calcium:Phosphorus Ratio – Bananas have a calcium:phosphorus ratio of round 0.3:1. It is very important admire this ratio could range considerably relying on the place the bananas have been grown. Nonetheless the actual fact stays that if the best ratio is 2:1 then the 0.3:1 supplied by bananas is de facto fairly poor.
There are two options to the problems talked about above. Firstly, attempt to solely feed your bearded dragon banana occasionally, and in small quantities every time. This could restrict the sugar consumption – assuming you don’t merely exchange the banana with one other equally-sugary fruit.
Secondly, contemplate buying a calcium complement to your bearded dragon. These are usually very low-cost to purchase and simple to make use of. You should utilize this complement when feeding your beardie to make sure they’re getting an appropriate quantity of calcium even when consuming a banana.
Tips on how to Feed Bananas to Your Bearded Dragon
Feeding banana to your bearded dragon is easy sufficient.
Whereas bearded dragons can eat banana peel, most keepers select to take away this as it’s extra fibrous and fewer digitable than the fruit itself.
Most meals are greatest chopped into small chunks earlier than feeding them to your bearded dragon however this isn’t crucial for bananas, as when ripe they’re extremely tender. They’re subsequently much less more likely to symbolize a choking risk to your beardie.
Both slice the banana into skinny slices, or mash it utilizing a fork. When you determine to mash the banana, some keepers additionally like so as to add a small quantity of water to create a tremendous banana “puree”.
As all the time, attempt to feed your beardie all kinds of meals, so contemplate combining the banana with different meals to make sure all kinds of nutritional vitamins and minerals are consumed at every meal.
As bananas rapidly turns within the heat surroundings of a bearded dragon vivarium it additionally is sensible to make use of a shallow meals bowl to avoid wasting getting mess on the cage ground. Lastly, be able to take away the banana a short time after feeding to forestall any bacterial build-up which may result in well being issues to your bearded dragon.
