Can Bearded Dragons Eat Snow Peas? | Safe Veggie Treat? 2024

We all want to see our pets grow healthy and happy. It is always refreshing to feed them new things and see them enjoy foods that are good for them. Can bearded dragons eat snow peas? If you are a new bearded dragon owner, you would wonder about the allowed vegetables and how much to feed the dragon. Snow peas are an excellent salad component for many of us.

Moreover, they go well with all kinds of foods from pasta to roasts. You may think that it is absolutely safe to feed your pet dragon this vegetable but wait till the end to know why it is not a good idea.

Snow peas are not suited for bearded dragons for daily consumption due to many reasons. Firstly, the oxalate amount in snow peas makes them unfit for regular consumption. Moreover, these peas have a lot of phosphorus while the calcium level is less. If you are looking for a regular vegetable to add to your daily palate, snow peas are not one of them.

What Do Bearded Dragons Need

Bearded dragons eat fruits, vegetables, and insects to fulfill their daily nutrition needs. However, they need calcium, protein, and vitamins more than any other nutrient. Calcium helps integrate the bone structure of bearded dragons while protein makes them strong and healthy due to their muscles.

Calcium has to be taken daily because it can flush out of the dragon’s system if they do not consume it regularly. Moreover, if there is phosphorus in any vegetable, it hinders the absorption of calcium. This means that your beardie can be at risk for serious illness! When the phosphorus content in any vegetable is high, it does not let the body absorb calcium.

Moreover, the bones become weak and are unable to bear the weight of the dragon. As this situation becomes severe, the bones become soft, and eventually, the bearded dragon becomes paralyzed. This state can lead to death as well. This illness is called Metabolic Bone Disease. Another problem with snow peas that can become severe for bearded dragons is the size of snow peas. Many of us eat peas with pods in salads, however, if you feed the small peas to dragons, they can choke on them.

Apart from choking, if these peas are swallowed whole, they can become a problem for bearded dragons as the small, round peas can get stuck in the intestine and block it. Just like MBD, the impaction of the digestive system can create a lot of problems for the dragon. This issue causes their bowel movements to stop and they can become immobile due to paralysis of the hind legs.

When pet owners care for their dragons, they want to ensure that there are no silent issues that can become dangerous for pets. Bearded dragons will not make sounds or they will not run to you when they are going through a problem. You will have to filter out their diet and ensure they eat the best foods so that they do not have any of the silent illnesses that can become fatal. Please read Can Bearded Dragons Eat Lettuce.

How To Feed Snow Peas To Bearded Dragons

As we mentioned earlier, snow peas can be a choking hazard for bearded dragons. The best way to serve these small peas is to cut them in half or blend them so that they are smaller than whole and your pet dragon can eat them without choking on them. If you serve these green peas with the pods, blending or chopping them into small pieces is a great idea.

You may feel that small peas cannot be harmful but your bearded dragon is different from you! Snow peas and smaller creatures may not be able to swallow and enjoy the foods that you enjoy. Therefore, it is essential to know what is good for your dragon pet. Snow peas may have some benefits such as high content of protein and vitamins. Moreover, these veggies also have fiber and vitamins which are good. However, oxalate and high phosphorus can be a problem. That is why this vegetable is for occasions only!

How Often To Feed Snow Peas

By occasional feeding, we mean to lay down the foundation that foods that do not contain favorable nutrients, or favorable quantities of nutrients must be fed only once or twice a month. This frequency will ensure that the high phosphorus amount is not going to harm the dragon while it benefits from the high protein and vitamins. Also, check out Can Bearded Dragons Eat Peas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will happen if my bearded dragon eats snow peas every day?

Bearded dragons can suffer due to the high amount of phosphorus in snow peas. If your pet dragon has been eating this vegetable for a long, it is best to stop it immediately while giving them a calcium supplement to boost the level of this element in their body. We always recommend pet owners take their pets to a vet for the best guidance.

Will my bearded dragon die if it chokes on peas?

Bearded dragons may die if they are unable to breathe or eat anything after choking on peas. If this happens take your pet dragon to a vet for emergency care.

Conclusion

Snow peas are not favorable for bearded dragons because of the high phosphorus content as compared to the calcium content. You must feed your dragon limited amounts of snow peas only once or twice a month. Furthermore, also find out are Alfalfa Sprouts good for bearded dragons?