Can a Bearded Dragon Eat Peanut Butter? (Good Idea?)
While searching for the best food for your Beardie (Click here to learn, from this guide, if you are feeding your him wrong and causing him issues) you may be curious about peanut butter.
Can a bearded dragon eat peanut butter? No, you should not feed your Bearded Dragon peanut butter. This is because it has unnecessary added salt and sugar. Also, it has limited nutritional benefits and high in fat.
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Now that you know that I do not advise you offering your Beardie Peanut butter. Keep reading to learn the nutritional facts, benefits, risks, if your Baby beardie should be eating it, and more.
What is peanut butter?
Jar and spoon of peanut butter and peanuts
Before I explore the chance of peanut butter being a viable food source for your Beardie. Let me explain exactly what peanut butter is. I understand that this food is very popular in many countries, but it is not safe to assume that you know this.
Peanut butter is a food paste that is based on peanuts. Usually it is ground or dry roasted peanuts. Although this sounds wholesome and nutritious, it usually has additional ingredients to make it tastier, amend the texture, and to make it look more appealing, are you with me?
Like most things, because it looks nice and tastes nice, it does not mean its healthy for you or your Beardie, right?
Nutritional Facts of peanut butter
In this section, I will list some of the nutritional content of peanut butter. This will allow you to understand exactly what it is in it. However, this is an example. There are many different types on the market, and the contents can vary. But, this is a good guide.
Source: USDA (per 100g) *
| Name | Amount | Unit |
| Calories | 588 | Kcal |
| Protein | 25 | g |
| Carbs | 20 | g |
| Fat | 50 | g |
| Fiber | 0.00 | g |
| Calcium | 4 | % RDA |
* See the source for the full list
Are there any benefits of peanut butter?
Peanut butter, orange juice, and toast
Now that you know the nutritional facts about peanut butter, in this section, I will move on to explain if there are any benefits to it. Seeing a table of data is necessary but it is not always clear what it may mean for your Beardie. So, for that reason, I will explain any known benefits clearly for you.
Good source of protein
As you can see from the table above, peanut butter is a good source of protein. Protein is important to us humans as well as Bearded Dragons. But, for Beardies, babies tend to need more protein than the adult.
This is mainly because they are still growing and need to build up their strength. When they are regarded as an adult, the majority of their food will be vegetables, with some fruit and insects.
Contains Calcium
Another observation from the table above is the calcium content. Your Beardies Calcium levels are very important. This calcium provides good bone health. And, unfortunately, if it is neglected it can lead to calcium deficiency issues, such as Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD).
This is a painful bone disease that is avoided by keeping your Beardies calcium levels properly maintained. As you can see, this is why calcium is important and one of the reasons why it is often supplemented (Click here to see the price of this on Amazon).
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May help with heart health
Another benefit of peanut butter, more so for us humans, is the potential heart health it offers. According to this site, researchers have concluded that peanut butter can help with heart health, improve lipid profiles, and help diabetes sufferers with weight control.
Are there any risks with peanut butter for your Beardie?
Now that you know some of the benefits of peanut butter. You may be wondering about the risks that it may have. So, in this section, I will explain any known risks with it.
High-Fat Content
One of the issues with peanut butter is the fat content. And, this is to be expected for the simple fact that it comes from nuts, which are well known for their fat content.
Some may argue that its healthy fats, and yes, agreed. However, there is still only so much fat that any lizard or human should consume in a day, regardless if its healthy fats or not, are you with me?
So, with the high-fat content, it’s important to understand this, because it is easy to consume a lot in a day because it is not that filling on its own.
Obesity is the biggest concern. And, with lizards in captivity, they get limited exercise, so controlling their weight and calorie intake is important.
Can cause allergic reactions
Nuts are commonly associated with allergies. One of the issues with nuts is, it can cause severe reactions. And, in extreme cases, it can prove fatal. This is one of the reasons why there are so many precautions in the food business, such as labeling “may contain nuts’.
I can’t see any studies that prove the same for Bearded Dragons mind you, but it is worth keeping it in mind while considering it as a food source.
Should you feed your Adult Beardie peanut butter?
Now that you have all the facts, benefits, and risks, you may be looking for more of a conclusive answer. Therefore, in this section, I will share with you my opinion on peanut butter and my reasons to support it.
No, I do not advise you to feed your Bearded Dragon peanut butter. This is because it has added salt and sugar. Also, it has limited nutritional benefits and high-fat content.
The reality is, there are many other foods for your bearded dragon (Click here to learn, from this guide, the best foods for him). So, I would advise to choose any of those instead.
What about a baby Bearded Dragon?
Now that you know that it is not the ideal food for your adult Bearded Dragon, what about if you have a baby Beardie? In this section, I will explain my opinion on this.
No, I do not advise you to feed your baby Bearded Dragon peanut butter. This is for the same reasons above. I understand that baby Beardies need more protein, but there are better options for them (Click here to see, from this guide, what is the best food from your baby Beardie).
Related Questions:
In this section, I will answer some questions related to your Bearded Dragon’s diet and acceptable food sources. If you have more questions related to this feel free to contact me.
Q: Can you refrigerate mealworms for Bearded Dragons?
Yes, you can refrigerate mealworms for Bearded Dragons. This can make them last longer, keeping them as larvae and avoiding them turning into mealworm pupa (click here to see if Bearded Dragons can eat them) or darkling beetles (Click here to see if your Beardie can eat these).
Q: Can Bearded Dragons catch hawkmoths?
No, a Bearded Dragon is unlikely to catch hawk moths (Click here to see why they should not be eaten) because they are too fast and can fly away.
Q: Do Bearded Dragons see Bread in the wild?
No, Bearded Dragons do not see bread in the wild (Click here to see why they shouldn’t eat it in captivity). This is one of the reasons why it is not advised.
The idea, with keeping Bearded Dragons healthy and happy, is to emulate their natural habitat as closely as possible. This is why, the foods they eat, need to match this as closely as possible.
Q: Is Aloe Vera latex good for Bearded Dragons?
No, Bearded Dragons should not be fed Aloe Vera (click here to see why) or Aloe Vera latex. There are concerns about its effects when consumed in high quantities.
