You know that green vegetables are very good for the beardie’s health.
Various reptile experts and veterinarians suggest feeding green veggies as they are highly enriched in nutrients and beneficial for young and adult bearded dragon’s health both.
But do green peas count in that list? Is it a good choice to offer green peas to your pet lizards? Can a bearded dragon eat peas?
A good owner always feeds a healthy diet to his pet lizard. Upon receiving so many requests for a food guide of bearded dragons, we started to grow awareness of the bearded dragon’s owners.
So can bearded dragons eat peas? It is a worthy question? Therefore, in this blog post we will try to learn as many things about it and will clear our confusions.
In this article, we will share and learn about peas. You will find out if peas are a good food for your beardie or not and what the reptile experts suggest about it. You will also discover a nutritional value information chart through which we decide whether or not bearded dragons eat peas.
This article has been reviewed by Dr. Dilber. Read more about our knowledge control process here.
Contents
Can Bearded Dragons Eat peas?
Peas are healthy, beneficial, and boost with nutrients. If you are a vegetarian, then peas are a superb source of vegetable protein. But what about bearded dragons? Is it safe for bearded dragons?
Before answering this question, I would like you to read and observe the nutritional value chart of peas below. We will discuss it further in detail.
Peas Nutritional Information
100g of raw and uncooked peas contains: (Source: myfitnesspal.com)
| Nutrients | Value | Unit |
| Calories | 78 | kcal |
| Carbs | 14.3 | g |
| Fat | 0.27 | g |
| Protein | 5.15 | g |
| Fiber | 4.5 | g |
| Sugar | 4.4 | g |
| Phosphorus | 77 | mg |
| Calcium | 24 | mg |
It is crystal clear that green peas have 0.27 fat. It makes green peas super beneficial for bearded dragons as fat causes different health issues in them. Owners might think it’s the best choice to feed green peas because there is almost 0. Magnesium, potassium, and vitamins C are also present in peas.
However, reptile experts think otherwise!
Even though green peas have sufficient nutrients but they have an unbalanced ratio of calcium to phosphorus, i.e. 1:4.3. An extra amount of phosphorus is not suitable for bearded dragons.
Bearded dragons can have an intake of green peas, but not regularly. Green peas are fine treats. Bearded dragons love to play with tiny green balls. You can take advantage of this and can feed green but essential vegetables mixed with peas!
Are Peas Bad For Bearded Dragons?
You may be wondering why veterinarians suggest offering peas as a staple food to bearded dragons? Actually, there is a solid reason.
Peas are not bad as such, but their calcium-phosphorus ratio is. It can cause bone diseases and loss of appetite. Muscles can be twitched and your beardies may suffer from seizures.
Despite this disturbing ratio, peas are helpful to keep your pet lizard healthy and active if fed as a staple food. This green veggie consists of different essential vitamins and minerals. Green peas are useful vegetables to increase eye vision and overall health.
- It has a sufficient amount of iron that helps in making red blood cells. It also helps in transporting oxygen to all parts of the body.
- Vitamin B helps to convert food into energy.
- Last but not the least, phosphorus helps in making strong teeth and bones.
Let’s wind up, bearded dragons can eat green peas from time to time. It is a good protein source and can be helpful to maintain your pet lizard’s health. Peas must be present in his diet, especially merge with other green vegetables. This will help to boost the total energies of nutrients.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Pea Pods?
Snap peas, sugar peas, snow peas, and then pea pods!. There is a variety of green peas. However, they resemble a lot according to their nutrition and shape bases.
Bearded dragon owners get confused when it comes to green peas. Read the following explanation to know the differences between them and find if bearded dragons can eat snap, snow, pea pods.
Difference Between Snap, Sugar, And Garden Peas:
We will cover this topic very concisely, as it is not our main topic. We are explaining it for your guidance and convenience.
- Pea Pods:
Peapods are also called snow peas or ‘Chinese peas’. They are small in size and flat in shape.
- Garden Peas:
English peas or garden peas can be eaten cooked, or raw. They are round and sweet.
- Sugar Peas:
Sugar snap peas or simply snap peas are a blend of pea pods and garden peas.
They have a sweet flavor and crunchy texture.
Conclusion:
Sugar, garden, or snow peas belong to one family.i.e.: legume. They all have probably the same nutrients except snap peas as it is too acidic compared to others. It needs to be offered as a treat very often.
However, snap peas are the most favorite to bearded dragons.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Canned Peas?
Canned or even frozen peas may cause illness to your pet bearded dragons. Such type of peas can’t be compared to fresh green peas because they contain less nutritional benefits than fresh green peas.
We would recommend you to offer fresh green peas that are not tinned nor frozen.
Let’s Recap
In this article, we learned:
“Bearded dragons can eat peas as a staple food. It is a good source of essential minerals but its unbalanced ratio of calcium to protein may cause bone diseases, such as muscle twitching and health problems, such as seizure and loss of appetite.”