Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit known for its sweet and tender flesh. This fruit is popular since it can be used for a variety of things. You can use them in a fruit salad, making dipping sauces, or make a smoothie. While it’s healthy and safe for humans to eat, you may wonder if you can give some dragon fruit to your bearded dragons.<\/p>\r\n
So, can bearded dragons eat dragon fruit? Yes, bearded dragons can eat dragon fruit. This has a lot of nutrition that the bearded dragon can benefit from. However, it’s also high in sugar, which can cause them health issues such as obesity, heart problems, and high blood pressure. Another thing to be aware of is the disproportional Ca to P ratio. For that reason, it’s best to feed dragon fruit to your bearded dragons in moderation.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Dragon fruit doesn’t contain any toxin that could harm the bearded dragon, so it’s safe for them to eat it.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n However, what makes the fruit unsafe for them is the phosphorus content. When there is too much phosphorus, it will prevent calcium from being absorbed into the body. Calcium is essential for the health of the bearded dragon. They need the mineral for bone development and other organs in their body to perform properly.<\/p>\r\n Therefore, as long as you don’t feed them too much dragon fruit, you should not have to worry about your bearded dragon having any health issues.<\/p>\r\n Dragon fruit contains several nutrients in small amounts. The fruit is also a good source of fiber, magnesium, and fiber. All of these nutrients are what the bearded dragons need to stay healthy.<\/p>\r\n Here are the nutrition facts for a serving of 3.5 ounces, or 100 grams:<\/p>\r\n Source: USDA<\/a><\/p>\r\n Below are some of the health benefits of feeding dragon fruit to your bearded dragons:<\/p>\r\n Dragon fruit is a good source of fiber. Fiber is important for a healthy digestive system.<\/p>\r\n When the bearded dragon gets enough fiber in their diet, it will prevent constipation. Also, the food that they eat will move through their digestive system smoothly.<\/p>\r\n Dragon fruit is high in antioxidants. An antioxidant is a compound that prevents free radicals from damaging the cells in the body.<\/p>\r\n If there are too many free radicals in the body, the cells will get damaged. This will lead to the bearded dragons becoming ill and have other diseases.<\/p>\r\n Bearded dragons can eat dragon fruit skin.<\/strong> It contains a lot of nutrients that the beardie can benefit from. One of the nutrients is antioxidants and this compound helps prevent free radicals from destroying the cells in the body.<\/p>\r\n You can feed the dragon fruit skin along with the flesh. Be sure to cut the skin into small pieces, so it will be easier for them to eat it.<\/p>\r\n One thing to be aware though is the source of the dragon fruit. Most of the time, dragon fruit that is sold in grocery stores will use chemicals when they are grown. Chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides are widely used in commercial farming to prevent pests from damaging the fruit.<\/p>\r\n Therefore, if it’s bought from the grocery store, and you don’t know the source where it’s from, it’s best to peel the skin off and feed them just the flesh parts of the fruit.<\/p>\r\n On the other hand, if you’ve grown the fruit yourself without using any chemicals, or it’s organically grown, then it’s fine to feed the skin.<\/p>\r\n Yes, bearded dragons can eat dragon fruit seeds.<\/strong> The seeds are safe for them since it’s small and edible. The fruit has many seeds in it, and it’s best to just give them the flesh along with the seeds inside.<\/p>\r\n Since all parts of the dragon fruit are safe for them to eat, you can slice off a small piece of it and place it in their feeding bowl. When they are hungry, they will take a bit out of it. By feeding the fruit by hand, it’s a good way to bond with your bearded dragon. The more they trust you, the less likely they will be stressed. Start by cutting a long piece of the fruit. Then move the fruit close to their mouth. If they don’t take a bite, hold it there for a couple of seconds. You may have to try a couple of times before they finally take a bit.<\/p>\r\n When feeding them by hand, never try to force them to eat it. If you do, they’ll feel threatened and will less likely eat anything you offer them in your hand. Also, it will cause them to become stressed, which will affect their health.<\/p>\r\n When it comes to feeding dragon fruit to your bearded dragons, you should give them a small amount of it. This means, for an adult beardie, a small piece about the size of an ice cube. For baby bearded dragons, a piece about the size of your thumb.<\/p>\r\n Avoid giving them anymore as the phosphorus in the dragon fruit will prevent calcium absorption into the body.<\/p>\r\n While dragon fruit has a lot of nutrition, it’s best to feed them to your bearded dragons in moderation. The primary reason for this is the disproportional Ca to P ratio. For a bearded dragon, this can cause them health issues.<\/p>\r\n Dragon fruit is high in phosphorus. When there is a lot of it in their diet, it tends to reduce the effectiveness of the body to absorb calcium.<\/p>\r\n If the body doesn’t receive enough calcium in its diet, it will begin to draw this mineral from the bones.<\/p>\r\n Like most other reptiles, calcium is important to a bearded dragon.<\/p>\r\n Banana<\/strong><\/a> makes a good treat for your bearded dragon. It has an abundance of nutrition that the reptile needs to stay strong and healthy.<\/p>\r\n Papaya is packed with nutrition and healthy to eat. It’s a good source of fiber, protein, and calcium. However, it has a disproportionate calcium to phosphorous ratio. This could lead to metabolic bone disease if they are fed in large amounts. To prevent that, it’s best to feed papaya to your bearded dragons in moderation.<\/p>\r\nIs It Safe For Bearded Dragons To Eat Dragon Fruit?<\/h2>\r\n
Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit for Bearded Dragons<\/h2>\r\n
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Improve Digestion<\/h3>\r\n
Prevent Illness<\/h3>\r\n
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Dragon Fruit Skin?<\/h2>\r\n
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Dragon Fruit Seeds?<\/h2>\r\n
How To Feed Dragon Fruit To Bearded Dragons<\/h2>\r\n
If there are any dragon fruit left in their enclosure for longer than 3 hours, you will need to remove them. This fruit is high in sugar content, which means that bacteria and other pathogens will start to grow on it. Once there are bacteria on the fruit, it will cause your bearded dragon to become sick if they eat it.<\/p>\r\nHand Feeding Dragon Fruit To Your Bearded Dragon<\/h3>\r\n
How Many Dragon Fruit To Feed Bearded Dragons?<\/h2>\r\n
How Often To Feed Dragon Fruit To Bearded Dragons?<\/h2>\r\n
Other Fruits That Bearded Dragons Can Eat<\/h2>\r\n
Banana<\/h3>\r\n
Papaya<\/h3>\r\n
Watermelon<\/h3>\r\n