The best fruits for bearded dragons are not only good for them, but also delicious. Fruits are one of the most delicious food you can offer to your bearded dragon and they will love them, but not all of them are good. In fact, some fruits are poisonous and can cause a lethal metabolic bone disease in bearded dragons. In this article we share with you our list of the best fruits for bearded dragons.
What Do Bearded Dragons Eat?
- Bearded dragons eat a mixture of mealworms, crickets, and veggies.
- To ensure that your bearded dragon receives the nutrients it needs, it is crucial to offer variety in the diet.
- Bearded dragons like apples, strawberries, grapes, melons, peaches, and even raisins.
The bearded dragon, which may be found in the wild in Australia, is a well-liked selection for individuals looking to maintain a reptile as a pet. A variety of foods appeal to the bearded dragon. It enjoys a wide variety of foods, so it’s crucial to offer variety in the diet to make sure he gets the vitamins and minerals he needs to keep strong and healthy.
Although they don’t actually have a beard of hair or fur, bearded dragons get their name from the beard of scales that surrounds their neck. Bearded dragons communicate with one another by waving. Sunbathing is one of the many varied behaviors that bearded dragons have to add to their personalities. They can run at speeds of up to 9 mph and take pleasure in leashed walks.
Bearded Dragons Eat Fruit
Fruit is a simple method to give your bearded dragon nourishment. It will appreciate these gifts, but it’s vital to know that some fruit can be difficult for it to digest. Avocados and citrus fruits, for instance, shouldn’t be served.
Which fruits are edible to bearded dragons? Bearded dragons enjoy a variety of commonly found grocery store options, including apples, strawberries, grapes, melons, peaches, and even raisins. Before giving fruit to your bearded dragon, chop it into bite-sized pieces.
Fruit is good for bearded dragons, and they like a variety of fruits, but it shouldn’t make up the majority of their diet. Spontaneous offers are enough to give them a variety of foods and make sure they get enough nutrients.
Best Veggies For Bearded Dragons
Your bearded dragon will benefit from vegetables including bell peppers, cabbage, celery, peeled cucumber, zucchini, and carrots. Greens that are high in nutrients, like mustard and collard greens, are also a great option. Avoid spinach and iceberg lettuce.
Iceberg lettuce has minimal nutritional value and is difficult for the bearded dragon to digest because calcium binds to spinach.
Before giving vegetables to your pet, cut them into bite-sized pieces, just like you would with fruits. To aid digestion and make it simpler for your bearded dragon to eat, prepare vegetables like butternut and acorn squash before serving them to your pet.
If you don’t add any extra flavors or fats, a quick boil, roast, or steam will make sure that the vegetable is safe and good for your pet. Before feeding your beard, make sure the food has cooled to room temperature.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Stink Bugs
Bearded dragons like to consume insects, but only from reliable sources. Giving your beardie any insects you catch yourself could be unhealthy.
The cricket is the insect that most people picture when thinking of bearded dragons. There are various insects you can provide in addition to crickets, which are an excellent option and are typically well-liked by beardies. Other well-liked options include Dubai roaches, locusts, and black soldier fly larvae. Various worm species, including earthworms, superworms, redworms, and butterworms, are also favorites of bearded dragons.
Before giving them to your bearded dragon, gut load the insects to ensure they contain the nourishment he requires. As part of the gut loading procedure, the insects must be fed specialized food. By giving the insects a gut-loading meal, you can be confident that your pet will receive the nutrition it needs.
How Do Bearded Dragons Hunt
You should give your bearded dragon live insects. In addition to providing food, hunting them down in his enclosure offers enrichment activities. Just like he would in the wild, he will immediately extend his sticky tongue to seize the insect, bringing it into his mouth.
Once the victim was in his mouth, his strong jaws quickly dispatched it.
Best Treats For Bearded Dragons
Along with bugs, fruit, and veggies, there are a variety of plants and herbs that your bearded dragon might like. Sage, basil, chives, and oregano are popular fresh herbs. Clover and dandelion greens are two examples of grasses. Another good treat for your bearded dragon are flowers like impatiens and carnations. The plants must be devoid of pesticides and other contaminants, just like any other food you give your pet.
Bearded Dragon Diet By Age
The bearded dragon, like many lizards, has variable food requirements during its life cycle. The beardie needs a diet strong in protein till he is 18 months old to maintain the rapid growth he goes through. Plan to consume 75% insects in your diet. A variety of plant materials should make up the remaining 25% of the diet.
The beardie needs insects like crickets all day long when it is less than two months old. His eating plan can be changed to three meals a day after he is two months old.
The beardie only requires one meal each day after reaching the age of one and a half. Additionally, he doesn’t need as much protein. His diet should be mostly plant foods, which should make up about 75% of his total calories. The remaining 25% should be made up of insects.
What Eats a Bearded Dragon?
The creature can be eaten by lizards that are bigger than bearded dragons, as well as by dingoes and raptors. Although, like many lizards, some predators will be scared off by their spines.
Bearded Dragon Nutritional Requirements
Since Pogona vitticeps were first brought to North America a few decades ago, their popularity has gone through the roof. They are a great choice for anyone who wants a pet reptile because they are strong, live a long time, and are calm. But taking care of your pet’s specific needs is an important part of being a good pet owner. This entails offering the proper habitat and nutrients.
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Bearded dragons are fairly robust eaters who enjoy gobbling up a variety of foods, so they are not difficult to feed.
Your beardie will become healthier over time thanks to a good food and nutrition, which can also lengthen its life, raise its level of activity, and maintain its coloration more bright. The dietary requirements for bearded dragons, which require a combination of vegetables and live food to keep healthy, can appear confusing and overwhelming to someone who is unfamiliar with reptiles. However, the advice in this article will help make sure that your beardie gets the correct food. Advertisement
Age Matters
The food and nutritional requirements of your bearded dragon are heavily influenced by its age. A baby beardie has to eat primarily insects to receive the protein and lipids it needs to grow, whereas an adult bearded dragon needs to eat primarily vegetables for nutrition and overall health.
Younger bearded dragons will have a voracious hunger for insects since they are continually developing and need protein to support that growth. Younger dragons should be fed two to three times a day as many insects as they can consume in a 15-minute span. Although some owners have trouble persuading their younger dragons to eat greens, it’s crucial to make sure their diet consists of 70 to 80 percent insects and 20 to 30 percent greens. As it grows older, your bearded dragon’s appetite will alter. Some babies begin eating more veggies before they turn six months old, while others take longer. Throughout the day, keep fresh fruits, plants, and veggies in the tank. The dragon will gradually start consuming more vegetables as it gets older. Fully grown bearded dragons occasionally refuse to eat vegetables, although most of the time this is because they have been fed too many insects, keeping them full, or because the vegetables are something they don’t enjoy.
When they are adults, you’ll note that they are no longer as ravenous as when they were still fast growing, and that their preferred foods have changed to include 80% greens and 20% insects. Feed adults insects once every one to two days to make up for this dietary change, and have a fresh supply of fruits, plants, and vegetables available in the cage for them to eat all day long.
Available Insects
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Almost any insect that crawls in front of a bearded dragon will be devoured.
Insects play a significant role in a bearded dragon’s diet (particularly for younger dragons), therefore it’s crucial to ensure that your pet is getting the correct quantity, kind, and variety of insects to maintain good health.
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Favorite Insects
- Black soldier fly larvae
- Butterworms
- Cockroaches
- Crickets
- Dubia roaches
- Earthworms
- Locusts
- Redworms
- Superworms
To begin with, bearded dragons will eat almost any insect that crosses their path. Not all bugs, meanwhile, are safe for bearded dragons to consume. You must ensure that they are eating safe insects. You can’t go wrong with black army fly larvae, butterworms, cockroaches, crickets, Dubia roaches, earthworms, locusts, redworms, and superworms when it comes to delectable insects. These insects are relatively simple to obtain and are safe for bearded dragons.
Insects To Avoid
- Fireflys
- Elderbugs
- Venomous insects, such as bees, wasps and scorpions
- Any insects that glow
- Insects you found outside
- Insects sold as bait for fishing
- Insects found inside your home
Allow your beardie to consume as many bugs in a 15-minute period when feeding. Gather the unfinished bugs once that time has elapsed so you can preserve them for another feeding. You run the risk of your bearded dragon overeating if you leave the insects in the tank for an extended period of time, or the insects may burrow and hide in the cage.
Ensure that the insects you buy for your bearded dragon come from a source of feeder insects. Never provide your lizard any outside or on-property found bugs or insects meant to be used as fishing bait. This is due to the frequent presence of parasites or pesticide traces in the insects near your home, both of which are harmful to bearded dragons. Safe insects are available from feeder insect vendors online or at nearby pet shops.
Fruits And Veggies For Bearded Dragons
Vegetables, fruits, and plants are a crucial component of any bearded dragon’s diet. Many bearded dragons consume them to obtain water as well as vital vitamins and minerals.
It’s crucial to utilize fresh veggies and greens because anything frozen can soon lose its nutritional content. Most greens and vegetables can be eaten raw by bearded dragons, but if they are too hard, you may wish to prepare them first to make them more palatable (just be sure the food is room temperature before offer it to your beardie).
Squash, collard greens, bell peppers, mustard greens, and seedless watermelon are among the safe and wholesome plants, fruits, and vegetables that bearded dragons like eating. Of course, it’s best to occasionally switch up your bearded dragon’s diet. Your lizard’s appetite might occasionally be boosted by adding diversity.
How To Keep A Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons are fairly robust eaters who enjoy gobbling up a variety of foods, so they are not difficult to feed. The advice provided here should make feeding your beardie simpler and safer.
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Bearded dragons have adapted to survive in very dry, hot environments by drinking very little water.
- Beardies may unintentionally consume tiny fragments of sand, gravel, or other loose ground when consuming plants and insects. Accidental substrate consumption can cause major health problems and increase the load on a bearded dragon’s digestive tract. Fortunately, younger bearded dragons are more likely to have this problem because adults are more experienced eaters and can typically handle small substrate ingestion more easily than younger beardies. It is not advised to feed your bearded dragon on sand, pebbles, or any other substrate that is loose or spiky because doing so is unhealthy for bearded dragons of all ages. By hand feeding, utilizing feeding bowls, or feeding their bearded dragons on substrates like reptile carpet or butcher paper, many owners circumvent this problem.
- Watch the portion sizes you give your pet. Feeding your bearded dragon shouldn’t include giving it anything broader than the distance between its eyes. Make sure insects aren’t broader than this, and trim any fruits and veggies you give your beardie to the proper size. Anything wider than this space might lead to impaction and/or put strain on the spine, which can create health and mobility difficulties.
- Overeating can lead to obesity, even though it is not a serious problem, thus it should be avoided for health reasons. The majority of incidents of overfeeding are caused by owners overfeeding adult beardies with insects high in fat (such waxworms). It is advised that you give adult bearded dragons lower-fat insects, such crickets, for meals and reserve the fatty waxworms for special occasions exclusively.
Hydrating Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons have adapted to survive in very dry, hot environments by drinking very little water. Hydration is still a significant problem, though. The majority of the water that your bearded dragon consumes comes from plants and vegetables. The hot, dry environment of your bearded dragon’s tank, though, makes it quick for the greens to become dehydrated, therefore it’s occasionally important to provide additional water sources.
Some keepers place water bowls in their bearded dragons’ enclosures, but because these creatures are native to desert climates, they have a difficult time identifying standing water. They may even refrain from drinking from their water bowl. As a result, your bearded dragon will likely choose to soak in its water dish rather than consume water from it. For beardies, soaking is common behavior that aids in the digestive process. Change the water frequently, and most definitely the instant you see it has been contaminated, as bearded dragons frequently urinate or defecate as they soak.
To keep your bearded dragons hydrated, you can spray them as well. Using a spray bottle to mist yourself with fresh water once or twice a day will mimic dew and rain. Misting will mimic the conditions that bearded dragons would experience in nature, where they swallow the dew drops to stay hydrated. When your bearded dragons start to shed, you can also spray them. Hydration will aid to hydrate their skin and make it simpler for them to shed.
It’s also a good idea to soak your bearded dragon while keeping an eye on it. Taking baths frequently—three or more times each week—will aid with hydration. You can bathe your bearded dragon more frequently if it doesn’t feel anxious and enjoys taking baths. The majority of beardies will drink the water while they are bathing, so it is crucial to use clean water. Because bearded dragons, like other animals, can spread Salmonella, if you choose to bathe your bearded dragon in a sink or tub, make sure to clean it completely afterward. Additionally, clean the sink before putting your bearded dragon inside of it. Your pet shouldn’t come in contact with any soap residue. You’re not really “washing” your dragon; all you’re doing is soaking it.
Important Vitamins And Minerals For Your Bearded Dragon
Making sure your beardie gets the proper quantity of supplements is essential to its health. Many keepers find it difficult to understand the vitamin and mineral requirements. This part will be divided up by vitamin to make it easier to grasp.
Vitamin A And Bearded Dragons
The majority of bearded dragon adults get enough vitamin A from their vegetables, but younger bearded dragons often acquire enough vitamin A from the yolk of their egg to sustain them until they are six months old (which is also about the time they start eating more greens). You can add a variety of vitamin A supplements to your dragon’s food, but only those that contain beta carotene should be used. Numerous vegetables contain beta carotene, which when taken by a bearded dragon is transformed into vitamin A in the body.
There is no fear of a bearded dragon overdosing on vitamin A because if it consumes too much beta carotene, its body simply excretes it rather than absorbing it. Your bearded dragon will absorb vitamin A even if it isn’t required if you take a synthetic or artificial vitamin A supplement, which can result in vitamin A poisoning.
Bearded Dragons, Calcium And Vitamin D3
The majority of pills contain both vitamin D3 and calcium, since bearded dragons cannot absorb calcium without it. The nutrients calcium and vitamin D3 are crucial for growth and development. They support strong bones and guard against metabolic bone disease. Both young, developing beardies and gravid female dragons benefit from calcium and vitamin D3. Most bearded dragons need calcium and vitamin D3 every day when they are young, three to four times a week when they are young, and once a week when they are adults.
Iron For Your Bearded Dragon
Babies need iron the most since it aids in development. Although younger bearded dragons may not always consume their greens, it is required to supply a supplement because bearded dragons often obtain adequate iron from the vegetables they eat. Younger bearded dragons typically consume enough crickets to meet their iron needs. If a juvenile bearded dragon does require additional iron, he or she can be given commercial iron-fortified food, high-iron greens, or an iron supplement from a herp vet.