So Can bearded Dragons eat Cucumbers? Making sure your bearded dragon has a balanced diet requires investigation along with some trial and error. There is a literal plethora of good fruits and vegetables along with many different species of insects that you can feed to your beardies. Today we’ll go over cucumbers and whether they are a good alternative for your bearded lizard
Table of Contents
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cucumbers?
Yes, Bearded Dragons can have cucumbers once in a while but not as an everyday occurrence. Let’s go over what a cucumber actually has in terms of nutrition before we decide exactly how much and how often to give it to your pets.
Cucumber Nutritional Breakdown
- 96% Water
- Fiber
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
Cucumber is mainly made up of water, this will assist your bearded dragon in keeping hydrated. This is a double-edged sword though since overfeeding cucumber could be too much water in your dragon’s diet.
Magnesium is important and has been known to assist in promoting good brain and muscle health. The fiber content in the cucumber is also essential for your beardie to maintain good bowel movement. Manganese has been touted as a supplement that helps prevent inflammation and the percentage is pretty good in cucumbers.
Potassium is an important mineral that helps with muscle functions. Vitamin C strengthens the immune systems and Vitamin K helps to regulate clotting of the blood in your dragon. Lastly, Cucumbers are not a very acidic food so it will be easy on your bearded dragon’s digestive system.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cucumbers?
Now that we went over the question Can bearded dragons eat cucumber?, let’s go over the frequency. Bearded dragons can eat cucumbers once a week to once every 14 days. The fact that cucumbers are so high in water is the first negative (and positive aspect). They are so high in the water that eating too much of it would not be beneficial for a desert-dwelling lizard like a bearded dragon. The high water content along with the fiber in cucumbers can actually give your dragon diarrhea.
Cucumbers are also a low source of a very important element in your bearded dragon’s diet, calcium. The green veggies you give your dragon are normally full of calcium with small amounts of phosphorus. With Cucumbers the opposite is true, calcium is lacking and phosphorus is present in larger amounts.
As I’ve mentioned in other articles such as Can bearded dragons eat carrots? Phosphorus will prevent your dragons from properly absorbing the necessary calcium they need. This is because phosphorus will bind with calcium and won’t allow it to be properly digested to enter the bearded dragon’s bloodstream.
A bearded dragon that has a heavy cucumber diet might be likely to develop the painful metabolic bone disease. This can cause paralysis in some extreme cases and even death if left untreated. So to sum it up, yes cucumbers are good but in moderation.
How to Prepare Cucumbers For Your Bearded Dragon?
So you’re ready to give your beardies a fresh cucumber snack and want to know how exactly to prepare this vegetable. Let’s go over the necessary steps to properly feed cucumbers to your lizards.
Selecting The Cucumbers For Your Dragon
Make pretend the cucumbers are for personal consumption. Make sure to pick our fresh-looking vegetables, not too soft because that might mean they are too ripe already. Make sure they don’t have any weird markings on them and that they look healthy. If at all possible, try getting them at a local organic market.
Wash The Cucumber Thoroughly
Make sure to wash the cucumber under running water and then begin to scrub at the vegetable. This will help in getting any dirt or residues from pesticides that might cling onto the skin.
Peel the Cucumber
Next, get a peeler or a knife and peel the skin of the cucumber. Your bearded dragon has teeth but they are not going to chew through the tough skin on the cucumber so it is best to peel it.
Cutting The Cucumber
Proceed to cut the cucumber in half first. Then go ahead and scoop the seeds you might have in the middle. Bearded dragons should not have seeds, they can stick to their digestive tract and cause impaction.
Once the seeds have been scooped go ahead and chop the cucumber into smaller pieces. The smaller the better, this will help your bearded dragon in handling the cucumber slices.
How to Serve Cucumber For Your Bearded Dragon
I like to get the small cucumber bits and rub them onto the bearded dragon’s greens. This might entice the lizard to eat some of the vegetables it normally doesn’t like (but that are good for its diet). Remember to only use a small amount and to only give your bearded dragon cucumber once every 7 – 14 days.
What If My Bearded Dragon Doesn’t Like Cucumber?
If your dragon does not like to eat Cucumber it’s not really a big deal. There are other fruits and vegetables that you can feed your dragon instead. However, if you really want to try to get your dragon to eat cucumber then you can try mixing it with some fruit or rush some over cricket or two.
Remember that while cucumbers are nutritious, there are several much more nutritious alternatives that you can try to feed to your bearded dragon.
Some suggestions for you to try to give to your lizard are:
- Dandelion greens (Very nutritious and worth trying)
- Turnip greens
- Mustard greens
- Butternut squash (These have a similar preparation to cucumbers)
- Carrots (These are a snack and not a staple)
- Zucchini (this has similar preparation to cucumbers)
- Blueberries (These are a snack and not a staple)
- Grapes (These are a snack and not a staple)
In Conclusion
Like with many fruits and vegetables, Cucumber should be given to bearded dragons as a snack and should not be a daily occurrence. If you can follow the guidelines above your bearded dragon will enjoy the delicious and refreshing cucumber without having any health issues
