When we have leftovers, we sometimes like to share our food with our dogs, right? However, what about bearded dragons? Can you share some of your food with your beardie? For example, can bearded dragons eat eggs?
Healthy bearded dragons that are not fat can eat eggs from time to time. Eggs are very high in protein and therefore should not be fed too often to bearded dragons as especially adult bearded dragons should eat less protein-rich food like insects or even eggs and eat more greens instead.
You probably have a lot of more questions when it comes to bearded dragons eating eggs. For example, how should you feed the egg? Cooked or raw? Continue to read to learn this and more.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Eggs?
When it comes to bearded dragon diet, the first thing you should know is that bearded dragons are omnivores which means that they eat everything they can catch or that you give to them.
It appears that pet bearded dragons are pretty picky when it comes to food. Most of them only want to eat mealworms or superworms. However, that behavior is not normal for bearded dragons – not at all.
Most bearded dragons become picky, because they are overfed and addicted to mealworms or other unhealthy food and that´s why they refuse to eat greens or other live food.
So if you offer an egg to a healthy bearded dragon that is not used to eat only mealworms, it will definitely eat that egg.
However, there are only a few situations when it is actually good to feed an egg.
Is Your Bearded Dragon Malnourished?
Actually, this would be the only really good reason to feed your bearded dragon an egg – if your beardie is malnourished.
Eggs contain a lot of protein which will make it easier for your bearded dragon to pack on weight quickly. Still, if your bearded dragon is sick and doesn´t want to eat at all, you might have to mix the eggs with a couple of other foods and force feed your bearded dragon.
If you never did this before and if you are not an expert when it comes to bearded dragons, it is not recommended to do this. Instead, take your bearded dragon to a reptile vet and ask them what you should do.
They will show you how to force feed your bearded dragon and they will tell you if your bearded dragon should eat eggs during this time.
The Dangers Of Too Much Protein
I don´t have to tell you that eggs are very high in protein and while protein normally is good for bearded dragons, it can be bad for bearded dragons if they get too much of it.
Baby bearded dragons need a lot of protein and that´s why it is recommended to feed them live food every day. Crickets, roaches, mealworms and so on all contain more protein than most vegetables and salads and that´s why baby bearded dragons should eat more meat instead of greens.
However, adult bearded dragons do not need so much protein anymore and should actually eat more greens instead of meat. Some people even only feed their bearded dragons live food two times per week and their bearded dragons are fine.
Too much protein and fat can lead to diseases like fatty liver disease. Protein in high doses simply makes a bearded dragon fat. Normally bearded dragons lose the weight they gained during brumation, but sometimes it can become too much and the beardie is still fat after waking up again.
Further, not every bearded dragon owner knows what to do during brumation and that´s why a lot of bearded dragons are not able to brumate properly.
If you feed live food almost every day and if your bearded dragon is refusing to eat greens, it is not recommended to feed eggs as this could lead to an even quicker weight increase.
I know that a lot of people like to feed their bearded dragons a lot of things as treats, but a fat bearded dragon, or a bearded dragon that refuses to eat greens or is addicted to mealworms should not get any treats from you.
If you want to learn how to get your bearded dragon to eat greens again quickly, click here to get my ebook on that.
If you want to learn why mealworms are so bad for bearded dragons, click here to read my article on that.
Eggs Contain A Lot Of Vitamins
As you just have learned, the egg itself is not the problem here. The problem is that the majority of bearded dragon owners was misinformed by pet shops or by confusing forums on the internet and they feed their bearded dragons stuff that is just too high in protein and fat.
Eggs are actually very healthy, whether for humans or for bearded dragons. They contain a lot of vitamins and if eggs weren´t so high in protein they were actually a pretty good food for a lot of reptiles.
Here are the vitamins chicken eggs contain:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin B12
Especially vitamin D is perfect for bearded dragons. Bearded dragons need vitamin D to process calcium. If they are not able to produce or to get vitamin D they are not able to process calcium and that leads to soft bones and deformations.
Bearded dragons in captivation need a UVB lamp in their tank to be able to produce vitamin D. In the wild, they need the sun for that.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are like most people, you might have a couple of more questions on this topic. That´s why I have listed the most common questions below when it comes to beardies eating eggs.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Egg Yolk?
Bearded dragons can eat egg yolks and egg whites. Still, both egg yolks and egg whites should only be fed from time to time as treats as they are both high in protein, which can lead to a quick gain in weight.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Egg Shells?
Egg shells are high in calcium and can be good for a bearded dragon. Egg shells should always be boiled and nearly pulverised before they are fed to a bearded dragon to minimize the risk of diseases and digestion problems in the bearded dragon.
Actually, it is a very good idea to offer a further source of calcium to your bearded dragon. The majority of pet bearded dragons doesn´t get enough calcium. That is why a lot of bearded dragons eat substrate and get impacted.
Bearded dragons only eat substrate in order to balance their minerals. So if you offer another source of calcium, a bearded dragon has no reason to eat substrate anymore and will eat the egg shells instead.
No risk of impaction anymore.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Raw Eggs?
It is not recommended to feed a bearded dragon raw eggs nor unboiled egg shells. Both contain bacteria which can lead to deadly diseases in a bearded dragon. Boiling the egg will kill off any bacteria and make the egg safe to feed to a bearded dragon.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Quail Eggs?
Quail eggs have almost the same nutrients as chicken eggs. Both should only be fed as treats to bearded dragons as they are both very high in protein. Adult bearded dragons should not eat too much protein as this can lead to overweight.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Scrambled Eggs?
Eggs should only be fed as treats to bearded dragons as they are very high in protein and adult bearded dragons should not get too much protein. It doesn´t matter if they eat scrambled eggs or hard boiled eggs, as long as the egg is properly cooked. Unboiled eggs and egg shells contain bacteria and can lead to diseases in bearded dragons.
Conclusion
As you see, there are not a lot of good reasons to feed chicken eggs or quail eggs to a bearded dragon.
Even though eggs are high in a lot of good vitamins, they are also very high in protein and adult bearded dragons do not really need so much protein on a regular base.
Feeding healthy live food like dubia roaches a couple of days per week is absolutely enough to make sure that your bearded dragon gets enough protein.
Please do not just feed your bearded dragon eggs, because you think it is fun. Too much of such treats can make your bearded dragon fat and sick.
So, can bearded dragons eat eggs? Yes, but they shouldn´t too often.
Source: https://www.eggs.ca/eggs101/view/161/egg-nutrition
Source: https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/128/2
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