For dragon keepers, sometimes it can turn out challenging to keep track of which foods are not suitable for the beardies. For instance, can bearded dragons eat bell pepper?
Bell pepper contains various nutrients and has more significant nutritional benefits to humans and various pets such as dogs. Also, because they aren’t toxic, you might be wondering if bell pepper is a safe food to share with your lizard friend.
This article is about bell pepper, and we’ll see if it is suitable for the beardies to eat this veggie, how often to feed bell pepper, and other relevant information.
Contents
Is Bell Pepper Nutritious?
The following is data showing the nutrients in 100g of raw bell pepper, and the source of this information is the USDA nutritional database.
| Nutrients | Amount | Unit |
| Water | 92.2 | G |
| Protein | 0.99 | G |
| Energy | 26 | Kcal |
| Dietary fiber | 2.1 | G |
| Sugar | 4.2 | G |
| Calcium | 7 | Mg |
| Phosphorus | 26 | Mg |
| Potassium | 211 | Mg |
| Vitamin C | 127.7 | Mg |
| Vitamin A | 157 | µg |
| Vitamin K | 5.9 | µg |
| Ca:P ratio | 1:3.7 | – |
It is evident from the table that bell pepper is super high in vitamins A, C, and K and other nutrients like water, fiber, potassium, and beta-carotene.
However, there is pretty little calcium in bell pepper, and it has a poor ratio between calcium and phosphorus. Phosphorus is around three times more than calcium, and if you didn’t know, excess phosphorus depletes calcium.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Bell Pepper?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat bell pepper. However, while some dragons love this vegetable, others will not even look at it.
Make sure to use bell pepper and not any other pepper. Bell pepper doesn’t contain capsaicin that is responsible for making the peppers hot, especially hot pepper.
Compared to other peppers like Carolina reapers, etc., bell pepper has a sweet taste and doesn’t have potential threats to your dragon’s health. Also, bell pepper is incredibly high in vitamins, water, and other nutrients.
This makes the pepper an incredible choice for hydrating your bearded dragon and also for supplying essential vitamins. Thanks to the fact that bell pepper is super high in vitamin C, which is essential in strengthening your dearest lizard’s immune system.
Bell pepper is a great source of beta-carotene and vitamin A which are good for vision and eye health.
You might also like: Complete list of common food can a bearded dragon eat that people usually ask.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Bell Pepper?
Bell peppers supply various essential minerals to bearded dragons, but the beardies cannot eat them every day. The primary reasons for that are because the veggie is extremely high in water and has low calcium.
Therefore, you should offer bell pepper to your beloved lizard about once a week and include it together with other healthy veggies and greens. Mixing helps make a diet containing a diverse blend of minerals, vitamins and provides multiple health benefits.
Moreover, there is disproportionate calcium to phosphorus level in bell pepper, and this poses bearded dragons to high risks of health problems such as calcium deficiency and, thus, MBD. Also, feeding bell pepper frequently can cause diarrhea due to its high water content.
Because of vitamin A overload in the pepper, it can result in vitamin A toxicity when the beardies eat a lot of bell pepper. This is common in bearded dragons that eat foods rich in vitamin A or are under vitamin A supplement.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Green, Yellow, or Red Bell Pepper?
Bearded dragons can eat bell peppers of all colors, but remember that the peppers vary in the nutrients they contain.
Green bell peppers are yellow or red bell peppers that are unripe, and they are low in nutrition at this stage. For instance, there is less vitamin A and C in green bell pepper than when they ripe.
On the other hand, red and yellow bell pepper are nutritionally high because they are ripe. So, whichever bell pepper you choose will depend on the needs of your dragon. If your lizards demand high nutrients, then you would definitely go for yellow or red bell pepper.
But when varying the beardie’s vegetable menu, the green bell pepper will be the best option for this purpose. Note that bearded dragons can eat bell peppers of any color in moderation.
What Other Veggies Can Bearded Dragons Eat?
Bearded dragons eat a couple of veggies, but some are ideal for offering alongside bell pepper or feeding them instead of bell pepper.
Ideally, providing mixed vegetables helps to vary the nutrients and ensure you give your bearded dragons a healthy diet.
If you think of having another veggie option besides bell pepper, then here is the list of what to choose.
- Turnip
- Sweet potatoes
- Butternut squash
- Green beans
All these veggies are relatively high in calcium, phosphorus, and other essential nutrients, and the beardies love eating them as well.
How to Prepare Bell Pepper for Your Bearded Dragons?
It is time to let your bearded dragon enjoy a handful of bell pepper and the nutrients it provides. I have a few steps that you can follow below when preparing bell pepper for your lizard pet.
- The first step to choosing the right bell pepper for your bearded dragon is to buy those that are fresh. If you are into the green variety, then go for the dark green ones and not in light green.
- Washing the greens is the next step, and you shouldn’t skip it at any time. Whether you buy the peppers from the grocery store or obtain them from the garden, it is always necessary to clean them. Dry them after washing.
- Cut the pepper and remove what is inside, including the seeds.
- Chop the pepper into small sizes which the lizard can grab and swallow with ease.
- Mix about 4-5 pieces of bell pepper with other veggies, greens, and live feeders.
- It’s mealtime. Make sure to keep an eye on the beardie as it eats and removes all the remaining foods.
Fully understanding your bearded dragon will help you better take care of them. As a suggestion, we would recommend you to get a good bearded dragon book. Not to become an expert on bearded dragon care but will help you avoid the common mistake in new pet lizard owners.
Last update on 2022-12-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Wrapping Up
Bell pepper makes an excellent snack for bearded dragons and is ideal for feeding on rare occasions.
Make sure to buy fresh bell pepper, prepare them correctly, and feed in the appropriate amount. Use the pepper together with other healthy greens and vegetables such as turnip, sweet potatoes, etc.