This question arrives in the mind of many pet owners that can they feed jelly to their bearded dragon? So the answer to can bearded dragons eat jelly is yes. Bearded dragons can eat jelly but you should feed them in a limited quantity but not very frequently.
But make sure that your pet should be well-nourished and healthy before you feed jelly to the bearded dragon. Keep a check on the bearded dragon’s activity after feeding jelly and if there would be some unusual signs then immediately visit the doctor.
Jellies are made up of high-quality vegetable gel and fruit extracts so that bearded dragons enjoy the sweet flavor of jelly. In order to maintain the different flavors, various fruits like bananas, melons, strawberries, and oranges are used to make the extract for the jelly making.
Contents
Nutritional values of Jelly
Jellies are made up of sugars, vegetable gel, and extracts of various fruits to provide them with different flavors and also add pectin. These are kinds of fruits in the form of liquid jelly. Most people confuse jelly with jam. Jelly is low in vitamins and minerals but high in sugar content. The various nutrients present in the jelly are as follows.
Nutritional facts for 20mg of jelly are:
- Carbohydrates – 14g
- Calories – 53
- Fiber – 0.2g
- Protein – 0g
- Fat – 0g
- Sodium – 6mg
- Calcium – 1.5mg
- Potassium – 10mg
- Chlorine – 2.1mg
Proteins:
Jellies are not good in proteins for bearded dragons. They merely provide around 0.02g of proteins in one tablespoon serving.
Fats:
This is one good thing about jelly is that it is fat-free for bearded dragons and almost provides a little amount of fat around 0.004g in one tablespoon.
Vitamins and Minerals:
Jelly doesn’t provide any minerals and nutrients itself but mixed with the extract of fruits contributes to some nutrients like calcium, potassium, and chlorine.
Carbohydrates:
Jellies provide most of the carbohydrates other than any nutrients around 14 grams and very little amount of fibers. The additional sweetener in the form of fruits varies the glycemic index of jelly.
Calories:
Jelly provides 53g of calories for a bearded dragon. You can use jelly on the bread and feed to the bearded dragon.
Health benefits provided by jelly:
There are some health benefits of jelly while taken in limited quantity.
1. Helps to control cholesterol:
Consumption of jelly helps to control the cholesterol level and also reduces the cardiometabolic risk factor. Jelly also improves insulin sensitivity and adds taste to your diet.
2. Decrease risk of heart diseases:
Jelly made with grape extract helps to reduce the risk of heart diseases and also provides various health benefits.
3. Provides energy to the body:
Jelly helps to provide body energy as it is rich in carbohydrates in the diet which boost the body functions and helps to keep fit.
Risks of jelly:
1. Presence of citric acid:
High amount of citric acid is not good for the health and jelly is made up of extract of various fruits in which citric acid is already present. Also, different citric acid is added while preparing jelly which can cause adverse effects like inflammation and affects the health of liver and brain tissues.
2. High in sugar and water content:
Jelly contains a high amount of artificial sugar which makes it an occasional food item and causes bad effects on the body on the other hand it is also high in the water content which can affect the digestion of bearded dragons and can block the consumption of minerals and other nutrients.
Other effects that high consumption of jelly causes are:
- Bloating
- Increase in the sugar level
- Diarrhea due to high water content
- Tooth decay
- Increase in the weight
Wrapping Up
Jelly doesn’t provide that many nutrients for a bearded dragon unless it is, provides with some other food. It is not that kind of thing that should be given frequently to the pet as it is high in sugar content which is not good for the health of bearded dragons.
You can feed jelly for a change in their diet as a treat and should be given in a small quantity. Feeding a small amount can provide many health benefits.
