Yes, bearded dragons can eat mice but in limited, because excess of anything is bad for health. Bearded dragons are omnivores in nature so they can eat all kinds of food like plants, animals, and insects. Bearded dragons require around 30% of the protein in their diet and it comes from whether insects or some healthy green plants.
So mice are high in proteins and bearded dragons can easily digest them also they are very healthy for bearded dragons. Feeding an adult mouse is not good but choosing the newborn or a week mice are perfect for your bearded dragons. Therefore selection is also important while feeding mice to your bearded dragons.
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Type of mice you can feed to your bearded dragon
The selection of mice is a crucial part while feeding your bearded dragons. Therefore you must be very careful while going to purchase mice for your pet. There is only one kind of mouse you should feed to your bearded dragons and it can be available in two forms on the market. The newborn mouse is perfect for your dragon to eat as it is high in proteins and fats. Newborn mice are also known as pinky mice and you should go for this kind.
Also, a few days mouse is also okay to feed your bearded dragon and it is also available easily in the store and it is termed as a fuzzy mouse. As a mouse grows, it becomes less nutritious for your bearded dragons and bearded dragons require high nutrients in their diet. That is why it is suggested to feed only newborn or week mice to your bearded dragons. There is an option of frozen mice that you can feed to your bearded dragons and which are easily available in the market.
Nutritional Value Comparison of Pinky mice and Fuzzy mice
Nutritional value of pinky mice per 100g:
- Calcium – 160mg
- Phosphorous – 90mg
- Protein – 64g
- Fat – 17g
From the data, it is clear that the amount of protein and fat content is really high which is beneficial for the health of bearded dragons. Also, the calcium to phosphorous ratio is also balanced in it which comes out to be 1.78:1. For a healthy food to feed bearded dragons the calcium to phosphorous ratio should lie between 1:1 or 2:1 and it is perfect in pinky mice’s nutritional content.
Nutritional value of fuzzy mice per 100g:
When a mouse is one eek older it comes in the category of fuzzy mice. At this point, the development of bones gets started in the mouse and also their nutritional value also varies. This is the reason why a fuzzy or adult mouse is not appropriate for a beaded dragon’s health. Also, it becomes difficult for bearded dragons to eat a large mouse and digest it.
- Calcium – 140mg
- Phosphorous – 180mg
- Protein – 44g
- Fat – 30g
Here, the value of proteins and fats has changed drastically and come out to one-third of the nutritional value of pinky mice. Also the calcium to phosphorous becomes highly unbalanced for bearded dragons. Therefore it is recommended to feed only newborn mice to bearded dragons rather than a fuzzy or full-grown mice.
How often can bearded dragons eat mice?
Bearded dragons can eat mice but not very frequently as they are highly nutritious and excess of anything is bad for their health. So it is better to feed mice and treat them in limited quantities. Another reason is that they are very high in fat levels and this can cause problems like obesity and weight gain over a period of time.
Excessive weight gain can also cause problems like diarrhea, and liver-related diseases. Therefore you should be very careful while feeding mice to your bearded dragons about their quantity and time period. So it is better to feed mice only once or twice a week and in limited quantities.
There are various situations where you have to feed highly nutritious food to bearded dragons. The various situations include when bearded dragons are recovering from any illness and when bearded dragon is pregnant because they require extra energy to do their daily tasks during the pregnancy period.
Best ways to feed mice to bearded dragons
Bearded dragons should eat pinky mice because they are highly nutritious. Pinky mice are preferred over fuzzy or more than one week grown mice and adult ones. The reason is as they grow, their nutritional values change drastically in decreasing order and later they are not safe for bearded dragons’ health.
It becomes necessary to kill the mouse before putting it in the salad bowl for your bearded dragons. The quality of taste depends upon how you kill the prey. One more thing you need to consider is that bearded dragons cannot eat something bigger than the size of their eyes. Therefore you have to cut the pieces into small sizes so that they can easily eat them without choking them.
Can bearded dragons eat frozen mice?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat frozen mice and they are getting more popular day by day. You can use frozen mice to feed your bearded dragons but they should be frozen before feeding to them. Sometimes mice can bite their predators so many owners opt for frozen mice for their bearded dragons. Remember you have to keep the frozen mice in lukewarm water for around 15 minutes then serve them to your bearded dragon.
Best time to feed mice to bearded dragons
Mice are not a staple food for bearded dragons so there is a time when you have to feed them to your bearded dragon in order to help them. There is a particular time when bearded dragons require a high amount of nutrients. There are mainly two instances where feeding mice is necessary for your bearded dragons.
1. When bearded dragons recover from illness:
When bearded dragons recover from illness, they are very weak and require high energy to overcome their illness. The reason is that they lose most of their energy while they are sick and on medication. Therefore mice provide a high amount of nutrients which helps them a lot in their recovery.
2. When the bearded dragon is pregnant:
During the period of pregnancy, female bearded dragons require lots of energy and food that can supply a high amount of nutrients to them. Pregnant bearded dragons require a high amount of energy and nutrition to do their extra activities of the day like digging and searching for a good place to lay their eggs.
This is the time to feed your bearded dragon food with a high amount of nutritional value to be healthy to give birth to a healthy baby dragon.
Final thoughts
Yes, bearded dragons can eat mice but only in limitation and in limited quantity. The taste of mice you are serving to bearded dragons depends upon the way you are feeding them and the size of the mice you cut into pieces. Pinky mice are preferred over full-grown or fuzzy mice.
The reason behind this is as mouse grows their nutritional values go on decreasing drastically. Therefore feeding the right kind of mice in a proper way and at the proper time is important to improve their immune and health status.
More:
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