There are a lot of foods that you can feed your bearded dragons. Some are deemed safe, while others are harmful to them. As for yellow squash, can bearded dragons eat yellow squash?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat yellow squash. The vegetables are safe and nutritious for them. However, be sure that you prepare yellow squash correctly to avoid them choking on it.
Besides yellow squash, bearded dragons eat a variety of other squashes, including acorn squash, butter squash, spaghetti squash, and summer squash. The squash that you give your bearded dragon must be uncooked and carefully chopped or grated into tiny, thin, bite-sized pieces. Your beardie may choke if the pieces are too big.
Is It Safe For Bearded Dragons To Eat Yellow Squash?
Yes, it is entirely safe for bearded dragons to have yellow squash in their diet.
However, feeding too much yellow squash can cause serious health issues for them due to the high amount of water content. Feeding them in moderation is the key to keeping your beardie safe and healthy.
Also, the source of the yellow squash is another thing you should be aware of. Yellow squash sold at the grocery stores will likely have pesticides on them. Farms will usually spray pesticides and other chemicals to keep pests from damaging the vegetables.
If you’ve bought yellow squash from the store, make sure to wash the vegetable thoroughly or peel off the skin on the squash. The skin will usually contain the highest concentration of pesticides and other chemicals.
Another option is to grow yellow squash in your own garden and not use any pesticides. This way, you know for sure that no chemicals will harm your bearded dragons when they eat it.
Is It Healthy For Bearded Dragons To Eat Yellow Squash?
One of the healthiest vegetables for bearded dragons is yellow squash. Yellow squash contains a lot of minerals that are favorable for the health of bearded dragons. Bearded dragons consume yellow squash to have energy, vitamins, protein, and carbohydrates.
Nutrition Facts
1 medium yellow squash contains the following:
- Calories: 32
- Total Fat: 0.4 g
- Saturated fat: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 3.9 mg
- Potassium: 513.5 mg
- Carbohydrate: 7 g
- Dietary fiber: 2.2 g
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
Source: USDA
Below are some of the health benefits of feeding yellow squash to your bearded dragons:
Energy: Yellow squash is a rich source of carbohydrates. The calorie content is appropriate for beardies in captivity since it is not excessively high. Bearded dragons in captivity have restricted physical activity; therefore, they do not require a lot of energy.
Protein: Yellow squash has a low protein level. It implies that if squash is a regular component of your bearded dragon’s diet, they will want a decent supply of protein to supplement the low protein content of this vegetable. I recommend that you feed live insects to your beardies. Insects are high in protein, which is very important for infant and juvenile bearded dragons.
Sugar level: One advantage of feeding yellow squash is that it has a low sugar level. Sugary meals, as you may know, are bad for bearded dragons. Sweet foods have the potential to create health problems in bearded dragons. As long as they are not having an excessive amount of sugar in their diet, they should be fine.
Calcium: Yellow squash is high in calcium. Calcium is essential for the proper bone growth of bearded dragons. For beardies, a shortage of calcium can lead to significant problems such as metabolic bone disease. Metabolic bone disease is the most prevalent health issue caused by calcium deficiency.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat the Skin of Yellow Squash?
Bearded dragons can yellow squash skin. It contains a lot of vitamins and minerals that the beardie requires.
Before feeding them any of the skin, make sure to wash it with water thoroughly. This will help remove any chemicals such as pesticides that may be on there. Then chop the skin into small pieces to avoid your beardie from choking on them.
Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Yellow Squash?
Baby bearded dragons can eat yellow squash, but only in moderation.
At this age, their diet should consist of 80% of live food such as crickets. Baby beardie grows quickly, and they need all the protein they can get.
The other 20% should be vegetables, which yellow squash can be part of their diet. Wash the squash thoroughly and cut them into tiny pieces. Each piece of the yellow squash should be no bigger than their eyes.
Also, make sure to dust a calcium supplement on every meal they eat 5 days a week. Vitamins should also be dusted on their meal 2-3 times a week. These supplements will ensure they get the proper nutrition to help with bone development and keep them strong and healthy.
How to Feed Yellow Squash to Bearded Dragons
In the wild, bearded dragons eat only fresh and raw vegetables. This should apply to bearded dragons in captivity as well.
When preparing yellow squash for your reptile, always use the freshest squash you can find.
After that, wash the squash thoroughly with clean water to remove any pesticides or chemicals from it.
Then cut the yellow squash into small pieces. Chopping is one method of ensuring your reptile’s safety. You can either peel the skin off the squash or leave it on there.
Remember to keep the size of the squash between their eyes. The distance between their eyes indicates the ideal size of food they can consume without choking.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Yellow Squash?
Yellow squash may be fed to bearded dragons once or twice a week as part of a balanced vegetable diet.
If you’re going to make a salad for them that includes yellow squash, it should contain 4 or 5 strips. If your bearded dragon eats it all, you may feed them an extra 1-2 strips of squash.
Adult bearded dragons should eat primarily vegetables, so there is little chance of their becoming overweight from eating too many veggies.
As for baby and juvenile bearded dragons, they should be limited to vegetables since they need more protein in their diet.
However, yellow squash is reasonably high in carbohydrates compared to other vegetables. The key to keeping your beardie safe is to feed yellow squash in moderation.
Other Vegetables That Bearded Dragons Can Eat
Cucumbers
Cucumber may also be used as a treat for bearded dragons. It has a lot of nutrition that the beardie can benefit from. Also, cucumber has a higher water content as well. Food that is high in water content can cause digestive difficulties for them, such as diarrhea and an upset stomach.
Carrots
Carrots have a high concentration of vitamin A in them. However, they are only suitable for modest use. This is due to the possibility of toxicity from an excessive amount of vitamin A. This is typically the case when you give your beardies multivitamin pills.
Celery
Celery can occasionally be a beneficial addition to the diet of bearded dragons as a green vegetable. It includes a significant amount of fiber. It should be coarsely minced in order for it to be digested quickly.
Conclusion
Yellow squash is nutritious and healthy for your bearded dragons to eat. Just make sure to cut the squash into small pieces to prevent them from choking on it. Also, feed yellow squash to your beardies in moderation to avoid any health issues.
