Radish belongs to the Brassicaceae family, and it is widely known for its nutrition. But people rarely talk about it as the pet’s food. Can bearded dragons eat radishes?
Bearded dragons tend to eat a variety of foods, and it requires you to know of their safety, how to feed them and in what proportion. Also, if you have radishes with you, you need first to confirm it is suitable for the beardies and what is the right amount to give.
Read on to know if bearded dragons can eat radishes, how often to feed them and a lot more.
Nutritional Aspect of Raw Radishes
Radishes have the following nutrition, according to USDA Nutritional Database.
Radishes can offer different nutrients such as vitamin C, K, and B-6, calcium, magnesium, iron, water, and fiber. Due to their high-water level, radishes are a great option for hydration.
Furthermore, radishes contain a lot of calcium more than phosphorus, and therefore the body will not have any problem absorbing calcium from food.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Radishes?
Radishes are fine foods to feed to the beardies, and many bearded dragons enjoy munching on these root vegetables. However, bearded dragons should eat radishes less frequently and in limited proportions.
Bearded dragons obtain a couple of nutrients when they eat radishes, and that’s why you should include them as part of your dragon’s diet. If you’re aiming to feed your beloved beardie healthy foods, then consider offering a diverse diet.
Make sure to combine vegetables, fruits, and greens to ensure that your lizard gets a variety of nutrients. Feeding of healthy and well-balanced foods on all days helps your pet to stay healthy and live longer.
Now that you know that bearded dragons can eat radishes, what health benefits do these root vegetables have? Let’s find out.
Health Benefits of Radishes to Bearded Dragons
Radishes have a lot of vitamins and minerals that bearded dragons for the proper functioning of the body. Beforehand, radish supplies calcium, and this mineral is of great importance to bearded dragons. It helps in strong bone formation and plays a huge role in growth.
Another good reason why you should feed radishes to your lizard friend is that it supplies a reasonable amount of vitamin C. This vitamin is responsible for maintaining a strong immune system and healthy skin in bearded dragons.
Also, radishes provide a substantial amount of fiber which enhance proper functioning of the digestive system by allowing proper absorption of water from foods and support smooth digestion. Fiber also helps the beardies to empty their bowel with ease.
Presence of magnesium makes radishes great foods for the beardies. Magnesium is essential for nerve function, skeletal development, plus hormonal balance. With all these benefits and a few others, radishes are important ingredients in a bearded dragon’s diet.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Radishes?
Although radishes provide several essential minerals and vitamins to bearded dragons, it is not good for the beardies to eat them every day. Why do I say this?
First of all, radishes provide small contents of calcium, which ranges at 25mg/100g. And this indicates that when bearded dragons eat radishes more often, they will not get enough calcium.; thus, you need to reduce its proportion.
Likewise, radishes have a lot of water, at 95.3g/100g, which makes them unideal for the beardies to eat daily. Excess water causes several problems in bearded dragons such as diarrhea.
So, to avoid any negative impact that radishes can have on the beardies, you need to limit its intake. Feed a few pieces of chopped radishes about one or two times a month but don’t go beyond.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Radish Greens?
As much as you are using radish fruit to feed your beloved dragon, you might also get yourself wondering if it is also safe to feed radish greens.
Yes, bearded dragons can eat radish greens but only in small quantities and on rare occasions. Radish greens have high nutritional value like the fruit, but they are high in water and have low calcium content.
If you feed them more frequently, they might lead to diarrhea or the beardie may suffer from metabolic bone disease due to inadequate calcium. For the well-being of your lizard, you should feed radish greens not more than three times per month.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cooked Radishes?
Radishes are healthier when they are raw since they contain all the nutrients. But when you cook them, they lose some essential nutrients or all of them; thus, their nutritional value goes down.
Also, cooked radishes aren’t good for the beardies because they may contain spices and cooking oil. Such foods result in stomach issues in the beardies; thus, it would be wise to avoid them.
Therefore, bearded dragons can eat raw radishes and never cooked radishes. Always keep that in mind and be sure to provide what is safe to your best friend.
How to Prepare Radishes for Bearded Dragons?
After knowing that radishes are fine for bearded dragons, it is also necessary to know how to prepare them. Follow the following steps, and come up with a delicious meal for your pet.
- When you are out there buying radishes from the grocery, look for the fresh ones. If you have radishes in your garden, consider the same too.
- Wash the radishes properly to remove any unwanted material like diet and also chemicals.
- Cut the tops and peel the fruit carefully. You can feed the fruit plus together with the tops if you want or use the radish fruit alone. But make sure to slice them into small manageable pieces.
- Take a handful of radishes and add it into your beardie’s salad and mix them thoroughly with other veggies and greens. Then serve the meal.
Now you know that it is okay for bearded dragons to eat radishes. But the beardies should eat these root vegetables less frequently due to the high-water content and low calcium in them.
Radish tops are also safe, and the beardies can eat them occasionally. It is good to mix the radish with other greens and vegetables when feeding to provide varied nutrients to your dragon.