Green beans are highly nutritious and versatile vegetables that can be enjoyed in several ways, including raw. However, not all healthy vegetables are nutritionally suitable for your bearded dragon. Although green beans have benefits, they may not be nutritious or compatible with your pet, which brings us to this discussion.
Bearded dragons can only eat green beans occasionally. Though they’re healthy, they cannot meet your pet’s nutritional needs and can cause illnesses if overfed.
Understanding what green beans entail for your bearded dragon and how to provide them is crucial for your pet’s well-being. Without further ado, let’s get right into it!
6 Benefits of Green Beans for Your Bearded Dragon
Green beans may not completely satisfy your bearded dragon’s necessities, but they can provide the following advantages if fed correctly :
1. Improved Digestion
Green beans are rich in fiber, which is essential for healthy bowel movements. Fiber nourishes the good gut bacteria responsible for metabolism and digestion, thereby aiding a smoother excretion. The more fiber your beardie eats, the less likely it is to experience impaction.
2. Stress-Relief
Green beans can be stress-relieving for bearded dragons that particularly enjoy them. If you notice that your dragon is stressed from a change of environment or other encounters, a nice salad of green beans and staple veggies may help it relax.
3. Improved Circulation
Green beans are rich in folate and iron which assist the production and circulation of red blood cells. In addition, these nutrients help in maintaining cardiovascular health specifically in older bearded dragons. Your pet’s occasional meals should be nutritious, complementing its primary diet to avoid deficiencies. Iron and folate deficiency can lead to anemia which is highly fatal for beardies.
4. Boosted Immunity
Green beans contain vitamins A and C that contribute to building a strong immune system for your bearded dragon. Most immunity-boosting vitamins are primarily obtained from staple vegetables like collard greens and mustard greens. However, it’s a good addition to get these nutrients from treats like green beans.
5. Antioxidant Properties
Antioxidants are organic compounds that help protect the cells from abnormal growth such as cancers and tumors. Thankfully, green beans are rich in Vitamins C and E which have antioxidative properties that can give your beardie a better chance at fighting cellular abnormalities.
6. Great for Dental Health
It’s common for food to get stuck in your beardie’s teeth, and for bacteria to develop after a while of existing uninterrupted. Crunchy veggies like green beans and squash can get into the crevices and help remove food remnants from the teeth. By providing green beans, your pet’s teeth can be kept clean, and safe from developing periodontal disease.
How to Feed Green Beans to Your Bearded Dragon
Remember that green beans are considered occasional vegetables for a reason. Although they are healthy, they don’t fully meet your pet’s nutritional needs. Do not feed your bearded dragon green beans daily, and when you do, pair them with staple vegetables. It’s important to supply a variety of greens for a balanced diet.
Preparing The Green Beans
Start with fresh, ripe pods—not canned or dried. You can easily cut a fresh pod without breaking it into fibrous strings.
Thoroughly wash the fresh green beans with clean water to remove residual herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers as these are hazardous for bearded dragons to consume. Afterward, chop them into bite-sized pieces to prevent choking hazards or impaction. Better still, you can hold the green beans on one end while your pet takes bites out of the other end—I find this method quite entertaining.
Lastly, always include calcium supplements! Calcium is essential for your pet’s bone health and growth, so make sure you sprinkle enough on its salad.
Feeding Frequencies
Feed adult bearded dragons at most two green bean pods once or twice a week. For baby beardies, feed just one pod twice a month. This should make up about 20% to 30% of your pet’s salad.
Major Reason Why Bearded Dragons Shouldn’t Eat Green Beans Daily
Ideally, bearded dragons require a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 2:1 from the vegetables they consume. This is because phosphorus binds to calcium, thereby obstructing calcium absorption. The calcium and phosphorus content in green beans is nearly equal, which leaves little to nothing for utilization after the calcium-phosphorus binding.
Additionally, green beans contain a small amount of oxalic acid. Together, phosphorus and oxalic acid can create problems for bearded dragons as both substances bind with calcium. If phosphorus or oxalic acid levels are too high, they may force the body to draw calcium from the bones.
This can lead to weakened bones and a condition known as metabolic bone disease (MBD). While MBD can be treatable if caught early, it can become fatal if severe. MBD causes bones to become brittle, leading to deformities, fractures, and even pressure on vital organs. The tragic story of Sam, a female beardie, illustrates the detriments of severe MBD.
Metabolic bone disease can be effectively prevented by adding the proper calcium supplements (view on Amazon) to your beardie’s daily meals, feeding it the proper diet, and providing it with the appropriate UV lighting. If you’d like to know more about this topic, I’ve written a detailed article on how to build the healthiest bearded dragon enclosure, explaining the different types of lighting and their roles in preventing MBD.
The Ideal Bearded Dragon Diet—With Green Beans
Bearded dragons require a balanced diet that includes insect protein such as dubia roaches and crickets, along with vegetables like mustard and collard greens to develop. Despite that, the requirements slightly differ depending on your beardie’s age.
Beardies can eat several veggies, some of which can be fed daily, occasionally, and even rarely. Green beans are among the vegetables that dragons can safely enjoy in moderation. If you’ve read my article on the ultimate bearded dragon diet, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what meals your pet requires and why, including the treats available for its amusement.
The table below outlines your bearded dragon’s nutritional needs based on its age.
| Age (months) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 – 3 (Baby stage) | 30% greens, 70% grubs |
| 3 – 6 (Juvenile stage) | 30% greens, 70% grubs |
| 6 – 9 (Subadult stage) | 40% greens, 60% grubs |
| 9+ (Adult stage) | 70% greens, 30% grubs |
Alternatives to Green Beans You Can Feed Your Beardie
Your pet beardie can eat additional occasional vegetables that provide similar benefits to green beans. Here’s a list of them:
The Conclusion
Green beans are generally safe for your bearded dragon, provided you feed them correctly. With our discussion, you can now offer them to your beardie confidently. If your pet refuses to eat the beans, it simply may not be a favorite. Try the alternative vegetables until you find one that your dragon enjoys. Good luck!
