Yes, you can add cucumbers to your bearded dragon’s diet. The vegetable is rich in moisture, vitamins, and minerals, which will help keep your beardie healthy and hydrated. However, cucumbers are not a suitable staple for the reptile and only make a good treat.
Beardies can eat cucumbers but not every day. Some of its contents can harm the beardie if consumed in large amounts or frequently. Below are some things you should know before feeding your bearded dragon with cucumbers.
4 Nutritional Benefits of Cucumbers to Bearded Dragons
Rich in Moisture
Cucumbers have about 96% moisture content. This makes it a reliable source of moisture for the reptile. Although bearded dragons do not need a lot of water, suitable moisture levels help prevent skin, stomach, and eye problems.
Fiber
Fiber is great in bearded dragons as it prevents constipation. As such, your beardie does not suffer the effects of constipation, such as lethargy, inability to move, and loss of appetite.
Rich in Minerals
Cucumbers have manganese, magnesium, and potassium. Manganese prevents inflammation and promotes metabolism, while magnesium aids muscle and brain health.
On the other hand, potassium is vital as it reduces water retention in bearded dragons, promotes muscle health, and prevents kidney issues.
It Has Vitamins C & K
Vitamin C promotes growth, eyesight, and reproduction. On the other hand, it also promotes the beardie’s immune system while Vitamin K regulates blood clotting.
Disadvantages of Cucumbers to Bearded Dragons
Although cucumbers have the above benefits to the lizard, below are some of their drawbacks, making them not an ideal staple.
Too Much Moisture
Due to the nature of their natural habitat, bearded dragons are naturally relatively dehydrated. They do not require a lot of water, and too much can cause diarrhea.
Cucumbers have about 96% water content; thus, too much puts the bearded dragon at risk of diarrhea. Therefore, it is best to mix cucumber with other low-water content vegetables that are also more nutritious.
Low Calcium
Cucumbers are low in calcium, and their calcium to phosphorus level is unsuitable. As such, they are not a reliable source of calcium for the reptile and can hinder it from absorbing the ideal calcium levels.
Calcium deficiency in dragons contributes to paralysis and bone diseases and can lead to death in severe cases.
The Right Vegetables for Bearded Dragons Should be:
Rich in Calcium
Calcium is one of the most vital minerals for a bearded dragon. Although you can always dust the beardie’s food with calcium supplements to increase its intake, it is best to choose foods rich in calcium.
Some of the best calcium-rich vegetables you can give a bearded dragon include collard greens, mustard greens, spinach, kale, bok choy, swiss chard, and okra.
Besides being rich in calcium, the best vegetables should have significantly lower amounts of phosphorus than calcium. This is because the former inhibits the absorption of calcium by the beardie.
Low in Oxalates
Oxalates occur naturally in plants. They are not harmful to some animals, but for bearded dragons, these compounds hinder the effective absorption of calcium.
Some of the foods to avoid including as a staple in the bearded dragon’s diet or to provide sparingly due to moderate to high amounts of oxalates include beet greens, spinach, swiss chard, celery, and carrot tops.
Moderate in Moisture Levels
Bearded dragons do not need a lot of moisture. As with cucumbers, moisture-rich vegetables can cause diarrhea in the reptile when given too frequently. In turn, extended diarrhea can lead to dehydration in the bearded dragon.
Besides cucumbers, some other vegetables to avoid due to high moisture content include celery, lettuce, and iceberg.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cucumber Peels?
Cucumber peels are arguably some of the best parts of this vegetable to human beings because it has the highest nutrient content. However, this is not the case for bearded dragons.
Cucumber peels are often too hard, making it challenging for dragons to chew or swallow. Even when able to digest and swallow, your pet might develop stomach problems from eating the peels. In addition, peels from non-organic cucumbers are likely to have pesticides and other compounds that harm a bearded dragon.
Tips on How to Safely Feed Your Bearded Dragon with Cucumber
Although you can give the bearded dragon a whole cucumber, it is best to chop it into small pieces. Doing so not only eliminates the hazard of choking but also makes it easy for you to mix it with other vegetables that are richer in calcium, such as watercress, chard, kale, or endive.
You do not need to peel the cucumbers but doing so helps reduce choking and stomach problems. Once ready, put the cucumbers in a shallow feeding dish that doesn’t easily tip over. Spilled cucumbers can wet the substrate, making it harder to clean. A stable feeding dish helps prevent this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Beardies Eat Cucumber Leaves?
Just as with cucumbers, cucumber leaves are not harmful to a bearded dragon. However, they do not have much nutritional value, and you should instead opt for other more nutritious leafy greens such as prickly pear, endives, mustard greens, turnip greens, and alfalfa.
Can Beardies Eat Cucumber Seeds?
No, you should not give your bearded dragon cucumber seeds. They can cause choking or impaction, which affects the dragon’s overall quality of life and health.
Which Food Is Poisonous to Bearded Dragons?
Cooked and raw onions, leeks, avocados, iceberg lettuce, eggplant, rhubarb, mushroom, garlic, acidic fruits, wild insects, ladybugs, butterflies, caterpillars, and venomous insects are some of the foods to avoid giving a bearded dragon.
Other foods that might be toxic to the beardie include those rich in oxalates, goitrogen, and phosphorus.