When it comes to feeding your pet bearded dragon, you should always try to provide them with the best nutrition possible. There are many different types of food that you can feed your lizard, and it’s important that you pick out the ones that serve as a healthy addition to their diet. As for strawberries, can bearded dragons eat strawberries?
So, can bearded dragons eat strawberries? Yes, bearded dragons can eat strawberries. This fruit is full of nutrients that bearded dragons can benefit from. Due to their high amount of sugar and water content, strawberries should be fed to them in moderation. Also, strawberry leaves are nutritious and can be fed to them as well.
There are many reasons why you should feed your bearded dragon strawberries. But, first, it’s important to understand how much they should eat and what the health benefits of doing so are. This article will go over everything you need to know about feeding your bearded dragon strawberries including how much they should be eating.
Is It Safe For Bearded Dragons To Eat Strawberries?
There are many bearded dragon owners who wonder if it’s safe for their lizards to eat strawberries. The answer is yes and no. Strawberries itself is safe for them to eat since it doesn’t contain any toxins.
However, what makes strawberries unsafe for your beardie is some of the nutrition that it has. Below are some of the nutrition that can make the fruit unsafe for them:
Strawberries have a lot of sugar, which is harmful to your beardie. Feeding them too many strawberries can lead to obesity, heart problems, and high blood pressure.
Other nutrition found in strawberries is phosphorous and calcium. There is more phosphorous than calcium in the fruit, which is not healthy for them. Too much phosphorous will prevent calcium from being absorbed by the body.
When the body can no longer absorb calcium from the food, it will start to extract calcium from the bones instead. This will lead to metabolic bone disease (MBD), which is painful for bearded dragons. Over time, if it’s not treated, death will likely occur from MBD.
Strawberries that are bought at grocery stores will likely contain a certain level of pesticides. The farms that grow them will usually use pesticides to help keep pests off the fruit. For bearded dragons, that could prove dangerous or even fatal. You should avoid foods with pesticides at all costs if you want your bearded dragon to live a long and happy life.
Is It Healthy For Bearded Dragons To Eat Strawberries?
Strawberries are a healthy food to feed your bearded dragon. Bearded dragons can eat strawberries, but should not be fed them in large amounts because of the sugar content. They also contain vitamins and minerals that bearded dragons cannot get from other foods.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrients in 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of raw strawberries are:
- Calories: 32
- Water: 91%
- Protein: 0.7 grams
- Carbs: 7.7 grams
- Sugar: 4.9 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
Below are some of the health benefits of feeding strawberries to your bearded dragons:
Prevent Disease and Illness
Strawberries are rich in antioxidants, which means they can help prevent illness and diseases in bearded dragons. Antioxidants are compounds that help prevent free radicals from damaging the cells in the body.
If your bearded dragons eat food like strawberries that have a high content of antioxidants, they will be less likely to become ill.
Improve Digestion
Strawberries are a good source of fiber. Bearded dragons require a diet rich in dietary fiber to promote regular bowel movements and prevent intestinal blockage. Fiber is necessary for good digestive health and must be fed to your bearded dragon daily. A lack of fiber can lead to dangerous intestinal blockages, which result in death if not treated immediately.
Good For Hydration
Strawberries are the most hydrating fruits in the world. Due to their high water content, a bearded dragon that consumes strawberries can help to hydrate their body better than drinking water alone. This is especially true during the summer when it gets extremely hot and your bearded dragon can become dehydrated quickly.
Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Strawberries?
Baby bearded dragons can eat strawberries, but only on occasion. The fruit is nutritious but it doesn’t have enough nutrients to support the growth of the baby beardie.
Baby beardie grows at a very fast rate so they need a lot of protein and calcium in their diet. The only food that can provide them these two nutrients are live foods such as crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and worms. For that reason, live food should make up 70% of your baby beardie’s diet. The other 30% should be from vegetables and fruits.
As for strawberries, they should be fed to your baby beardie on occasion. This means you can give them a small piece of strawberry, once a week.
How To Feed Strawberries To Bearded Dragons
When it comes to strawberries, you can feed them the whole fruit. It’s soft and the seeds are small enough that it doesn’t pose a choking hazard for them.
If you’re going to feed them the whole strawberry, make sure to supervise them. Your beardie will take small bits of the fruit, but sometimes, they may take a bite that could cause them to choke on it.
Another way is to cut the strawberries into small pieces. It should be the size no larger than the distance between both of their eyes.
After the fruit is cut, you can either serve them just the strawberries or mix it with other fruits and vegetables. If your beardie doesn’t seem to be eating any vegetables, adding some strawberries will entice them to eat it.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Strawberries?
Bearded dragons are omnivores and will eat a large range of fruits and vegetables. They enjoy eating strawberries, but like all treats for reptiles, they should be given in moderation.
Strawberries contain high water content and sugar. Both of these are harmful to the beardie in large amounts. Also, the fruit has more phosphorous than calcium, which isn’t ideal for them.
Therefore, to ensure strawberries don’t cause any health issues for your beardie, it’s best to give them a small amount, once a week.
Other Fruits That Bearded Dragons Can Eat
Mango
Yes, bearded dragons can eat mangoes. Mangoes are considered a safe fruit to feed your dragon. Just make sure that it is ripe and has little or no seeds. Like with any new food, slowly introduce the fruit and watch for signs of digestive issues.
Cantaloupe
You can feed your bearded dragon cantaloupe, but you want to make sure that it’s ripe cantaloupe. Ripe cantaloupe is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, C and E. It is also high in potassium and has a lot of fiber. All these nutrients are great for your bearded dragon.
Papaya
Bearded dragons can eat papaya as a treat, but you should avoid feeding it to them on a regular basis. Bearded dragons have very sensitive stomachs, so papayas can cause digestive issues for them if they eat too many of them at once. Papayas contain a lot of fiber and vitamin C, both of which will keep your bearded dragon healthy and strong. However, they also contain high levels of sugar that can lead to obesity and diabetes in pet lizards.
Conclusion
Strawberries are nutritious for bearded dragons, but you should only give them the amount that will fit on your fingernail. Bearded dragons enjoy strawberries as a treat because they’re high in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.
