Bearded dragons love to eat sweet white potassium-loaded bananas. Banana is a healthy diet for humans and animals alike. But,
- Can bearded dragons eat banana?
- Why can’t bearded dragons eat bananas as their main diet, all the time?
- How many bananas does a bearded dragon eat?
- How can I feed my bearded dragon banana?
- What Should I Look Out for When Feeding My Dragon Bananas?
Let’s find out the answers to these questions.
Can bearded dragons eat bananas?
The short answer is:
- Yes, Bearded Dragons can eat bananas only once or twice a month.
- No, Not as a daily meal.
What are the Benefits of Bananas for Bearded Dragons?
Bananas contain many essential vitamins and minerals and they are a nutrient-rich fruit. The recommended diet of bananas for a bearded dragon is a few bites or pieces, or maybe half a banana at a time, depending on the size and age of your lizard dragon. The key benefits of bananas are as under:
- Bananas have Vitamins A and C. These vitamins aid bearded dragon’s immune system, reproduction, vision, and growth.
- Bananas are Potassium-rich fruit. Potassium aids muscle function, lowers water retention and prevents kidney problems.
- Bananas have many Antioxidants. Antioxidants lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart problems.
- Bananas contain many important minerals including calcium, iron, and magnesium. They are good for bones and tissues.
So, bananas in controlled quantity are good for bearded dragon’s overall health. A little banana goes a long way.
Why Can’t Bearded Dragons Eat Bananas All the Time?
Calcium is very important for bearded dragons. Calcium-rich diet and calcium and vitamin D3 supplements are also given to bearded dragons when kept in captivity. In the wild bearded dragons get the necessary calcium from sun light as well as from their natural diet. Read “Bearded Dragons, Calcium, and Vitamin D3: Everything You Need to Know”. Depletion of calcium can cause weaker bones and tissues, or even Metabolic Bone Disease or MBD. Read “Metabolic Bone Disease 101: Keep Your Bearded Dragon Healthy”. So, calcium is very crucial for bearded dragon health and overall well-being. That is the reason, it is recommended to dust the calcium powder on the bearded dragon’s daily diet. Read, “How Do I Give My Bearded Dragon Calcium?”
Bananas also have calcium but the issue with bananas is that they also contain phosphorous. It is a property of phosphorous that they bind up with calcium and when a bearded dragon eats too much phosphorous, they can suffer from calcium deficiency which will lead to MBD and even the death of your pet. The safer calcium to-phosphorous ratio is 1:1 (Equal calcium and phosphorous) or 2:1. Whereas, in bananas, it is 1:3 (Phosphorous is too much). So, too many bananas can cause many health issues and if bananas are consumed regularly by bearded dragons, it can paralyze or kill your dragon.
Bearded Dragons can eat Bananas only in small doses (A few bites, or half a banana) once or twice a month.
Another serious reason why bearded dragons can’t eat too many bananas is that bananas contain a lot of sugar, especially when ripe. Too much sugar can cause obesity, diabetes, or even heart failure.
Fruits are sweet and a treat for bearded dragons. If you feed too much fruit to them, they will turn away from their veggies, which will lead to serious health issues. So, all fruit should be the smallest portion of your bearded dragon’s diet.
How Can Bearded Dragons Eat Bananas?
So, Bananas are safe as well as beneficial for bearded dragons. Logically the next question is, how to feed bananas to a bearded dragon? Peeled or unpeeled? Whole or sliced? What’s the best way to feed them?
Some recommended options are as under, you can use which your bearded dragon likes most:
- Sliced with peel. Your dragon actually enjoys eating bananas with peel on. They enjoy the peel as well as the fruit itself. Peel adds a little extra nutrition. So, you can make a healthy salad with veggies, peels of bananas, and banana fruit for your pet dragon. Peel is a little harder to chew and digest, so you need to slice it into little pieces. Remember to add peel if it is in good shape, not rotten. Or it will have bacteria that can cause health issues.
- Sliced without peel. If you can’t find bananas with peel in good shape or you prefer not to feed the peel, or if you are fruit is not organic or there are risks of pesticides that may be on the peel, then you can simply remove the peel of banana, make a little slice of fruit and place it into food bowl in your dragons tank.
- Unsliced without peel. You can place half of an unpeeled banana in your bearded dragon’s tank for a day or two. But this option is less recommended as there are chances that your dragon can swallow a bigger piece of banana which can cause choking or the banana can be left rotting in the tank.
- Human style. This is a fun option. You can peel the banana, hold it up to your bearded dragon, watch him eat it bite by bite, and enjoy the view.
What Should I Look Out for When Feeding My Dragon Bananas?
The main concern while feeding bananas to your dragon is any sign of MBD:
- Shaking limbs or tremors.
- Softening jaw and face bones.
- Weakness and fatigue.
- Stunted growth.
- Paralysis.
- Swollen rear legs.
Bananas are good for the overall health of your bearded dragon. Your dragon also loves to eat it. All you need is to limit the amount of bananas.
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