Bearded dragons can eat a variety of vegetables and greens. But if you are a new bearded dragon owner, you need to be careful though. This is because not all veggies are safe for beardies.
So, can bearded dragons eat yellow squash at all?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat yellow squash. In fact, beardies can eat all kinds of squash. These vegetables are safe and healthy for beardies. However, just make sure that you prepare yellow squash the right way. Bear in mind that bearded dragons are prone choking.
Yellow squash is one of the healthiest vegetables for bearded dragons. But as mentioned, you need to prepare it correctly. I will talk about that later in this post. So continue reading.
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Table of Contents
Nutritional Value of Yellow Squash
To know more about the content of the yellow squash, I have constructed a table below. Let’s see what makes this vegetable healthy for bearded dragons.
Nutrients per 100g
| Name | Amount | Unit |
| Energy | 16 | kcal |
| Protein | 1 | g |
| Sugars | 2 | g |
| Calcium | 10 | mg |
| Vitamin C | 16.8 | mg |
| Vitamin A | 200 | IU |
There are more nutrients than the table above contains that yellow squash can offer. But I only included in the most important ones for beardies’ health.
Energy
As you can see from the table, the yellow squash is a good source of energy. The calorie content is suitable for beardies in captivity because it is not too high. In captivity, bearded dragons have only limited physical activities so they don’t need a lot of energy.
Protein
Protein content in yellow squash is low. This means that if the squash is a staple part of your beardies’ diet, he/she needs a good source of protein to complement the low amount of protein available in this vegetable.
I suggest that you incorporate live insects into your beardies’ diet. Insects are good sources of protein especially for baby and juvenile bearded dragons.
In adult beardies, however, protein is less needed. This is because adult beardies do not need as much protein as they used to when they were young.
If your bearded dragon is young, you need to make sure that he/she is getting the right amount of protein.
Sugar
One of the good things about feeding yellow squash is that it has low sugar content. As you know, sugary foods are not good for bearded dragons. Sweet foods can potentially cause health issues in beardies.
High sugar content is the main reason why sweet foods such as chocolate and candies are ruled out as food for bearded dragons.
If you are looking for a great food for your reptile, make sure that it has low sugar content. As mentioned, sugary foods can be detrimental to bearded dragons’ overall health.
Calcium
Yellow squash has a good calcium content. Calcium is very important for bearded dragons for their healthy bone development. The lack of calcium may cause serious issues in beardies.
The most common health condition as a result of calcium deficiency is metabolic bone disease. Metabolic bone disease can cause many health issues in beardies.
The common effect MBD in bearded dragons is the changes in appetite, walking behavior, sleep, etc.
Trust me, you don’t want to see your beardies suffer from this condition. If not treated immediately, MBD can be fatal.
What I can recommend is that if your bearded dragon shows uncommon behavior, bring him/her to the nearest vet for quick assessment and intervention if needed.
Vitamin C
Yellow squash also contains vitamin C. The amount available in yellow squash is good for your reptile. This is the main reason why this squash is perfect for beardies.
Vitamin C is important for bearded dragons to keep them healthy. Like in humans, vitamin C helps develops stronger immune systems in bearded dragons.
However, foods that have super high calcium content are not good for bearded dragons. Examples of these are citrus or fruits that are high in citric acid.
Vitamin A
As you can see, vitamin A is the most abundant nutrient in yellow squash. This is good in bearded dragons. However, if vitamin A is a regular part of your beardies’ diet, you should be careful not to offer foods that are high in vitamin A too much.
Too much vitamin A can lead to a health problem in beardies known as vitamin A toxicity. This is a serious condition in bearded dragons. It can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite.
If your beardie is getting enough vitamin A regularly, you don’t need to add vitamin A supplement to their diet. This is to avoid any potential problems related to vitamin A consumption.
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How to Prepare Yellow Squash for Bearded Dragons?
It is very important to remember that bearded dragons are accustomed to fresh and raw foods in the wild. In captivity, they should have the same kind of diet.
That said, never feed your bearded dragons cooked yellow squash. Instead, offer them raw squash. Bear in mind that cooked foods can only cause health issues in beardies.
Cooked foods also lose the essential nutrients during the cooking process. So feeding cooked or processed foods to beardies will not only detriment to the reptile but also do not offer nutritional values. So stay with raw and natural foods for your reptile.
But how will you actually prepare yellow squash for bearded dragons? Here’s what you can do:
1. Chop the squash finely
Chopping foods for beardies is very important. Remember that beardies are prone to choking if ingested large chunks of food. This is not just for squash but for all types of hard salad ingredients.
The rule of thumb is that always consider the distance between the eyes of your reptile when preparing their food. The space between their eyes is indicative of the perfect size of foods they can take without choking.
Chopping is one way to ensure the safety of your reptile. But before doing it, make sure to peel the squash first before chopping.
2. You can also use a grater
Using a grater is probably the best idea to make sure that everything is fine enough. Use a grater and sprinkle the yellow squash onto the salad. It definitely makes the salad more colorful and enticing for beardies to eat.
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Final Thought on Can Bearded Dragons Eat Yellow Squash
Bearded dragons can eat yellow squash. In fact, they can eat all types of squash. You can offer it regularly.
However, just make sure that you prepare it in the right way. Healthy foods can be bad for beardies if not prepared correctly.
If you feed any type of squash, make sure that you chop it finely. This is to prevent your bearded dragons from choking.
I hope this helps. Thank you very much for reading.
