No, bearded dragons should not eat chicken. While chicken is a great food source for humans, it is not a food that is healthy or balanced enough to feed bearded dragons.
Bearded Dragons are omnivores. Therefore, their diet should consist of plant and animal matter. Fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, crickets, worms…these are all examples of great sources for bearded dragons to get their necessary nutrients from. This helps them build up their muscles for exercise and digest correctly so they can move waste out of the body efficiently.
Like humans, they also use calcium in order to fight off illnesses and function properly on a daily basis. However, unlike human’s calcium needs which can be easily met with just one glass of milk per day (and probably not even that much), bearded dragons need amounts in order to stay healthier. For them, calcium is needed in much larger quantities and they must get it from their diet.
Valuable Nutrients in Chicken
Are there any valuable nutrients in chicken for bearded dragons? This is a very common question among new owners.
Chicken is high in protein, but it is the only nutrient that it contains in any notable amounts. There are other good sources of protein such as beans, peas and seeds.
Chicken fat and oils also contain valuable nutrients that bearded dragons need to stay healthy. However, if they consume too much of these fats, they can end up with serious health problems like obesity (larger than ideal weight for their bodies).
Excessive Amounts Of Calories In Chicken
Bearded dragons require a calorie intake each day in order to function properly. They should not get any more calories than necessary though because eating too many calories can make them gain weight or even die from heart disease or other conditions caused by being overweight.
Unfortunately, chicken has an excessive number of calories compared to the other foods that bearded dragons can eat. It has an excessively large amount of protein too, which is another important nutrient for bearded dragons to have in their diet, however, they need to get it from somewhere else.
Benefits of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Chicken
The only real benefit of feeding your bearded dragon chicken might be is that he/she likes it. Whereas we recommend giving it as a small treat every few months. Otherwise, there are really no known nutritional benefits.
Risks of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Chicken
There are a lot of risks when feeding your bearded dragon chicken. One big problem is the calcium to phosphorus ratio. The calcium to phosphorus ratio should be close to 1:1 in order for bearded dragons to stay healthy. However, chicken contains a ratio of 1 to 16.7. Meaning chicken has a lower amount of calcium and the overall bulk of the food is mostly made up of phosphorus.
Also, bearded dragons are omnivores and while they can eat meat, their bodies haven’t developed the proper enzymes to digest all animal proteins easily.
Another major risk when feeding your bearded dragon chicken is the number of calories in every ounce of meat you feed him/her. This can cause obesity very quickly with little babies, making them grow faster than their bodies are capable of handling, leading to injuries or even death.
As we mentioned, bearded dragons are omnivores so they do need some animal protein along with plant matter each day. However, chicken just is not good enough nutritionally to give them more than an ounce or two per meal.
Can Bearded Dragons Consume These Foods?
Alternative Foods for Bearded Dragons
There are some great protein sources that bearded dragons can eat. Beans and peas, as well as seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, make good substitutes for chicken. Here is a list of safe foods to feed your beardie:
- Beans (kidney beans, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans)
- Peas (split or green)
- Lentils
Seeds
- Canary Grass Seed
- Hemp Seed
- Flax Seeds
- Kale/Spinach
- Pumpkin
- Sunflower
Berries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Melon
- Cantaloupe
- Apples
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Pears
- Watermelon
- Kiwi
Green Leafy Vegetables
- Spinach
- Turnip Tops
- Mustard Greens Collard
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Chicken? – The Conclusion
No, bearded dragons can not eat chicken.
Instead, they should be given a nutritious meal with the correct calcium to phosphorus ratio as well as a variety of vegetables and fruits.
Chicken is high in protein, but it’s also loaded with calories and does not have the proper calcium to phosphorus ratio that bearded dragons require for a healthy diet. Chicken will make your bearded dragon obese or sick if you feed them too much of this food.
Unfortunately, people see the word “chicken” and immediately assume it must be safe because it is known as a superfood for most humans and apply that logic to bearded dragons. Sadly, that is not the case.