Can bearded dragons eat corn? Yes, bearded dragons can eat corn. It provides a good amount of nutrition that your beardie can benefit from. While it’s nutritious, corns have a very poor calcium to phosphorous ratio. To prevent your bearded dragons from having any health issues, feed corn in small amounts, once or twice per month.
There are many varieties of corns, and each has a different nutritional value. For this article, I will be discussing sweet corn, not field corn or flint corn.
Is It Safe For Bearded Dragons To Eat Corn?
Corn is generally safe for bearded dragons to eat since they don’t contain any toxins.
What makes corns unsafe for them is the calcium to phosphorous ratio. This is extremely important as it can affect the health of your beardie greatly. When there is too much phosphorous in their diet, like those in corns, it could cause metabolic bone disease (MBD).
Metabolic bone disease affects the bones of your beardie. It is very painful for them and could cause them to become paralyzed. If left untreated, your beardie can die from it.
To keep your beardie from being affected by MBD, only give them corn to eat on occasion.
Is It Healthy For Bearded Dragons To Eat Corn?
Corn contains plenty of nutrition that your bearded dragons can benefit from. This makes corn a healthy treat for your beardies.
Nutrition Facts
One cup (164 grams) of sweet yellow corn contains:
- Calories: 177 calories
- Carbs: 41 grams
- Protein: 5.4 grams
- Fat: 2.1 grams
- Fiber: 4.6 grams
- Vitamin C: 17% of the daily value (DV)
- Thiamine (vitamin B1): 24% of the DV
- Folate (vitamin B9): 19% of the DV
- Magnesium: 11% of the DV
- Potassium: 10% of the DV
Source: NutritionData
Below are some of the health benefits of feeding corns to your bearded dragons:
Good For Hydration
Corn contains around 77% of water. This means feeding corn to bearded dragons will keep them hydrated, especially during the summer.
Boost Energy
Corn is a good source of thiamine or vitamin B1. This provides energy for the bearded dragons.
Strengthen Immune System
Corn has a high amount of vitamin C. This vitamin is beneficial to the immune system. Feeding your bearded dragon food that is high in vitamin C will help strengthen their immune system.
A strong immune system means the beardie will less likely get sick. If they do become ill, feeding them plenty of food rich in vitamin C like corn will help them recover quickly.
Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Corn?
Baby bearded dragons can eat corn, but it’s not recommended that you do so. Corn doesn’t have all the nutrition that the baby beardies need to grow strong and healthy. Also, corn has a very poor calcium to phosphorous ratio.
Instead, baby bearded dragons should be fed food that contains a lot of protein. Live food should make up 80% of their diet, while the other 20% is from vegetables.
If you have some leftovers and want to feed your baby beardies some corn, it’s fine to do so, but in very small amounts. Just 1 or 2 kernels is enough for them to eat.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Canned Corn?
Canned corn cannot be served to your bearded dragons, even in small amounts.
Canned corn often contains salt and other preservatives that can cause harm to your bearded dragon’s health.
Therefore, it’s best to discard canned corn, even if you have just a small amount of leftover, rather than giving them your bearded dragon.
How To Feed Corn To Bearded Dragons
You can give corn to your bearded dragons, but you’ll need to prepare them first. Below are some tips for preparation and feeding:
- Make sure to wash the corn thoroughly to remove any pests and debris.
- If you’re feeding corn right off the cob to your beardie, keep a close eye on them.
- If you’re giving them individual kernels, cut the tips to avoid your beardie from choking on them.
- Frozen corn can be fed to them, but make sure it’s thawed first.
Feeding corn to your beardie isn’t one of the preferred vegetables to offer your bearded dragon. If you do, just make sure to give them in small amounts.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Corn?
Bearded dragons can eat corn, but only on occasion. This means you can feed them a small amount of corn, every 2 weeks.
While corn is nutritious, it has very poor calcium to phosphorous ratio. Corn has about 13 times more phosphorous than calcium. This amount is too high and could put your bearded dragon’s health in great danger.
Therefore, you can feed corn to your bearded dragons, but only as a treat, once or twice per month.
Other Vegetables That Bearded Dragons Can Eat
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are safe to feed bearded dragons. However, they should not be a staple in your dragon’s diet because they don’t have much calcium has poor calcium to phosphorous ratio.
Carrots
Bearded dragons can consume carrots, which are rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene. Carrots should not be a staple in your bearded dragon’s diet since too much vitamin A might cause toxicity.
Conclusion
Corn is a good food for bearded dragons because it provides them with essential nutrients. The high amount of fiber in corn helps bearded dragons digest their food better, and it also has a low fat content compared to other foods. I recommend feeding your pet dragon corn once or twice a month as part of an overall healthy diet.