You might be wondering whether bearded dragons can eat eggs. Eggs are packed with protein and are nutritious, so are there any problems? In this post, we will discuss if bearded dragons can eat eggs – raw, scrambled or even eggshells. We will review pros and cons of eggs for bearded dragons, and discuss how to cook them and how often you can feed it to your dragon.
Are eggs nutritious?
Eggs are very nutritious, and contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals. They contain vitamin A, group of vitamin B, C, D, E, K, calcium, zinc, folate, selenium, magnesium and more.
However, the yolk of an egg contains cholesterol. But this cholesterol (good cholesterol) is not bad for an organism in small quantities, and doesn’t raise cholesterol levels. But while they are not nutritionally heavy for a human body, they are very rich for bearded dragons.
Can bearded dragons eat eggs?
In general, bearded dragons can eat small quantities of eggs. Eggs are not staple foods for bearded dragons, so offer only once in two weeks or less. It can be once a week for a small quail egg. It is the best idea to use eggs from grass-fed/free range chickens.
And even better it would be to offer a quail egg, which is also nutritious, but small. If feeding a quail egg, you can feed one whole egg. But if it’s a chicken egg, only offer half of an egg due to its size.
You can offer an egg to your bearded dragon to see if likes them, first. You can offer eggs when your run out of bugs for example. Only feed your bearded dragon few pieces, up to half an egg, and not the whole egg in one feeding.
That is because eggs are very high in protein: while baby bearded dragons need more protein, adults don’t. So, make eggs a treat for your bearded dragon, especially adults.
When preparing eggs for your bearded dragons, make sure not to mix them with any milk or other dairy product. That is because your bearded dragon is lactose intolerant and won’t be able to digest any dairy products.
While most bearded dragons like eggs, some will not eat them at all.
How to prepare eggs for a bearded dragon?
There are few ways to prepare eggs for your bearded dragon. First of all, make sure that the egg is not raw. You will need to boil or scramble it. DO NOT use any butter or oil when cooking.
Also, don’t use any seasonings or sauces, either. However, you can serve it with a piece of staple vegetable, for example collard or dandelion greens.
One of the ways to cook an egg for your bearded dragon is to crack it open in a bowl, scramble it and then microwave it for around a minute. When it is ready, you can cool it down and chop it into small pieces.
Another way to cook an egg for your dragon is to fry it on a pan, but without adding any oil or butter. Mix it well on a low heat setting because it can otherwise stick to the pan.
You can also offer hard boiled eggs to your bearded dragon. Some bearded dragons love scrambled eggs more, but you can offer hard boiled eggs to try.
Don’t offer your bearded dragon any raw egg, as it will be harder to digest. Only offer scrambled or hard boiled eggs in small pieces. Raw egg will also be messy and hard to clean.
Can bearded dragons eat eggshells?
Eggshells are made of calcium carbonate and are ground to make powder form of calcium supplements. However, it’s not a good idea to give your bearded dragon any eggshells.
That is because eggshells are sharp and can cause impaction, throat scratching and injury.
What is more, you won’t be able to calculate how much calcium your bearded dragon has consumed – well as least, it will be hard. This will cause unbalanced consumption of calcium supplement in a form of eggshells.
If you have found this post useful, read more on bearded dragon care on this page.