While veggies and feeder insects form the bulk of your bearded dragon’s diet, you can also include fruits in their diets like once or twice a week as a snack since they do not have lots of minerals.
Besides being a snack, you can give these reptiles fruits as a topping to make some of their foods more appealing and enjoyable but do this in small quantities.
Beardies shouldn’t eat a lot of fruits as are low in calcium and have less calcium when compared to phosphorus, making calcium Ca:P ratio less than the ideal that should be above 1.5:1 to 2:1.
Furthermore, most fruits are high in sugar, and giving them excessive amounts may interfere with your bearded dragon’s delicate gut flora that helps in digestion, especially of plant material.
Therefore, fruits should only account for a small portion of the plant materials they eat. Typically, vegetables, as well as safe plants and flowers, should account for 80-90% plant materials they eat while fruits can account for 10-20% or less.
For instance, if you have juveniles, fruits should account for 10-20% of the plant material they eat, and they eat only 40% plant material while the rest is feeder insects.
For them to benefit maximally from the various nutrients fruits have, you need to keep varying fruit types you offer these pets. Ensure you wash and peel them, remove seeds or pits, and cut them into small bite-size pieces where necessary.
Which kinds of fruits can you feed your bearded dragons, and which ones are not safe for these pets? Here are the best ones and those that are not safe.
1. Apple
Apples are one of the most popular fruits in the world. They grow on the Malus domestica, the apple tree, and are over 750 different apple cultivars whose skin can be russeted, green, pink, yellow, or have bi or tri-colors.
Are apples good bearded dragons, and can these pets eat or have them? Yes. Apples are good for beardies, including green apple treats. You can even add a little apple juice in their drinking water t encourage them to drink their water.
These sweet-tasting fruits have vitamin C, potassium, fiber, phytochemicals like catechin, quercetin, anthocyanin, and chlorogenic acid, among other nutrients, and will keep these reptiles well hydrated.
When feeding adult, juvenile, and baby bearded dragon apples, peel off their skin, remove any pits, and cut them into bite-sizes depending on the size of your reptile. Keep the amount small or less than 20% of the plant materials they eat.
Finally, while apple skin is safe, it might be hard to digest, especially if these pets are still young, a reason why you need to peel them.
2. Avocado
Avocado, alligator pear, or avocado pear is a fruit obtained from the Persea americana or avocado tree. There are many cultivars that maybe pear, egg, or spherical-shaped.
Can bearded dragons eat avocado? No. These pets should not eat avocado as they are potentially toxic owing to some chemicals they have.
While they have vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, and vitamin E, they are not suitable for these pets.
A small amount of avocado may not make some beardie ill. However, if fed avocado for a long time, these lizards may have health issues that may even kill them.
3. Bananas
Bananas are edible fruits eaten once they are ripe. You can also cook them while still unripe, especially green bananas as a vegetable. Once it is ripe, the banana skin or rind may be yellow, red, green, purple, or brown.
Bearded dragons can eat bananas as an occasional treat like a few times since they are low in calcium. i.e., 5 mg, while their phosphorus level is 22 mg per 100g. Phosphorus may affect calcium absorption. They are also high in sugar.
Bananas include potassium, vitamin B6, folate, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, and bioactive plant compounds like dopamine and catechin.
When preparing bananas for beardies, you do not have to peel it. Slice it into small bite-size pieces and let them enjoy this snack,
4. Blackberries
Blackberries refer to several species and cultivars of genus Rubus with a dark purple color once they are ripe, often black raspberries or salmonberries. Some of the blackberry cultivars include hybrids, trailing, thornless, erect, primocane blackberries.
Beardies can have blackberries occasionally as a treat. Cut them into small bits when offering them to these pets, especially young ones, and introduce them slowly.
What do these pets stand to benefit blackberries? Blackberries are high in vitamin A, C, and K, fiber, manganese, zinc, antioxidants, including anthocyanins that can neutralize free radicals.
5.Blueberries
Blueberries come from a perennial flowering plant in the genus Vaccinium that also has cranberries, bilberries, Madeira berries, and huckleberries. The main varieties are lowbush and highbush, with the former having pea-sized berries and the latter large ones.
Blueberries are good for your beardies, and most of these pets will like them. Fresh blueberries are safe for these pets as an occasional treat, like other fruits.
Blueberries, which may be blue or purple, are rich in vitamin C, K, manganese, antioxidants, and other nutrients in smaller amounts.
6. Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe, rockmelon, sweet melon, or spanspek is one of the muskmelon varieties whose common types are the European cantaloupe and North American cantaloupe.
Bearded dragons can eat cantaloupe. It is one of the safe fruits that these pets can eat as a treat occasionally, and it a source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and other nutrients in smaller quantities and will promote hydration.
Peel off the cantaloupe rind or skin and chop it into small pieces before offering it to your beardie.
7. Cherries
Cherries is a name of several a fleshy stone fruit or drupes from the genus Prunus plant. There are several cultivars such as Bing, Chelan, Lapins, Rainer, Tulare, and Lambert, as well as wild cherries. Most varieties are sweet cherries, while sour ones are mainly for cooking
Can bearded dragons eat cherries? The answer is simple. Yes. Beardies can eat cherries but feed them cherries occasionally and keep the amount very small as they are relatively high in sugar.
When feeding cherries to this pet, remove the pip or stone because if this reptile swallows it, it may cause impaction.
Besides loving these fruits, your lizards will benefit from their various nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, copper, and manganese. Why not include it in their diet?
On cherries, beardeddragontank.com notes that cherries are acid and have oxalic acid, a reason why you should not give them to your beardies. On the contrary, they are alkalizing and safe for these pets.
8. Cranberries
Cranberries refer to fruits and the evergreen trailing vines or dwarf shrubs in the subgenus Oxycoccus. Common species include common cranberry (cranberry or northern cranberry), small cranberry, large cranberry (bearberry or American cranberry), and the southern mountain cranberry.
Bearded dragons can eat fresh cranberries once in a while, like once or twice in a month. Some of the vital nutrients they have in moderate amounts include vitamin C, E, K1, manganese, and copper. They also have antioxidants and other nutrients in small quantities.
9. Dates
Dates are the sweet edible fruits from the date palm trees. Some of the nutrients they have potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, vitamin B5, and B6.
Dates are safe for beardies without their seeds. However, since they are 60% made and they are deficient in calcium. Give them only a tiny bit or avoid them altogether.
10. Figs fruits
Figs are fruits from Ficus carica (fig or common fig) in the mulberry family with moderate amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B, and K.
Beardies can have fresh figs one in a week or after two weeks. They will benefit from calcium, fiber, and other nutrients they have. However, dried figs may be hard for these pets to eat.
11. Grapefruit
Can bearded dragons eat grapefruits? No, they shouldn’t because they are acidic and may irritate their gastrointestinal tract, i.e., they have citrates (organic acids), including citric acid, something that can result in dehydration and diarrhea.
Secondly, there is a theory on citrus fruits being high in oxalic acid, and hence it will bind with calcium reducing the available one. A quick check proves otherwise. They are not high in oxalic acids when compared to other fruits this pet can eat.
Also, borrowing from research on chicks, it is noted that citrates, including citric acid, do not affect calcium absorption significantly. However, they increase the utilization of phosphorus and reduces the available phosphorus requirement. This effect may affect the Ca:P balance, whose ideal levels should be close to 2:1.
12. Grapes and raisins
Raisins are dried grapes. If you love them or fresh grapes, you deserve to know if they are suitable for these pets or not. There is always that temptation to want to let them have a bite.
Can beardies eat grapes? Yes, they can have grapes, including the red and green ones. Also, grape leaves and the plant is safe for these pets. Give them to your pets occasionally, like once a week. Cut them into four slices or more depending on the size of your beardie.
Bluish-purple and red grape cultivars such as concord, mood drops, pinot noir, Lemberger, sweet jubilee, valiant, champagne, crimson seedless are all safe
There are also white grapes such as cottony candy, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, sultana, Fry Muscadine, and moon balls.
However, avoid Boston Ivy (grape ivy, Japanese ivy, woodbine, or Japanese creeper), a popular ornamental plant.
What about raisins? Can I give my bearded dragon raisins? Being dried grapes, they are high in sugar (59g in 100 g) and not easy to eat. Although they are not toxic, we recommend you avoid raisins unless it is a very tiny piece.
13. Guava
Bearded dragons can eat ripe guavas as an occasional treat. Once they are mature, they will be softer, and their skin may turn yellow, maroon, green, or white while their pulp may be red or white.
When feeding guava to your beardie, remove their seeds as they may cause impaction. You do not have to peel them.
Finally, guavas are very high in vitamin C, they have moderate amounts of folate and potassium. They also have phytochemicals such as carotenoids and polyphenols that will benefit these agamid lizards.
14. Honeydew melon
Honeydew melon or honey melon is one of the nutritious muskmelon cultivars with vitamin C, B6, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, among other nutrients.
Can bearded dragons eat honeydew? Yes. These reptiles can have honeydew as an occasional treat. Remove its rind and core and slice it into small bite-sized cubes.
15. Jackfruit
Jackfruits belong to the mulberry, fig, and breadfruit family with a fibrous core with egg-shaped or elliptical edible fruits. This nutritious fruit has vitamin B6, C, riboflavin, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese, among other nutrients that are all beneficial to these reptiles.
Can beardies can have jackfruit. We are not going to give you a yes or not since there is no definitive research done on the jackfruit safety to these pets.
16. Kiwi
Kiwifruits (Chinese gooseberry) is a healthy fruit that is a good source of vitamin C, E, and K, copper, and potassium.
Bearded dragons can have kiwi fruits as a rare treat, such as once in a month. While they are quite nutritious, these berries have oxalates, though not much.
Literature gives figures of 12.7 to 84.3 mg/100 g for the kiwi with green pulp white that with golden pulp is about 7.8 to 45 mg/100 g fresh weight. [1]
17. Lemon
Do not give your bearded dragon lemons. They are acidic, and the citric acid may cause an imbalance on the acceptable Ca:P ratio, just like any other citrus fruit.
18. Lychee
Bearded dragons can eat Lychee, fruit in the soapberry family, as an occasional treat is it has higher phosphorus to calcium proportion. When serving them lychee, ensure it is well ripe, remove its rough outer skin, and the seed before slicing it to smaller pieces.
19. Mangoes
Mangoes are juicy stone fruit whose common cultivars include Tommy Atkins, Keitt, Haden, Alphonso, Ataulfo, Irwin, ivory, sensation, Alice, Anderson, ice cream, and Glenn.
Bearded dragons can eat mangoes occasionally as a snack, not to replace their typical diets. Mangoes have vitamin C and folate as well as considerable amounts of other nutrients, including vitamin A, B6, E and K, and potassium.
When feeding mangoes to your beardie, peel it and cut small slices of its fleshy part. Avoid giving these pets dried mangoes as they may not be palatable.
20. Melon
Melons are edible fleshy sweet fruits in the family Cucurbitaceae with cultivars such as winter melon, egusi (wild), watermelon, horned melons, and muskmelon that has cantaloupes, and honeydew.
Beardies can eat melons like once in a week or after two weeks. You need to remove seeds and their outer rind and cut them into smaller pieces to make dining easy.
21. Watermelon
Citrullus lanatus is a plant species with two varieties, the watermelon, and the citron melon. Some of the watermelon cultivars include Carolina Cross, Golden Midget, Moon and Stars, Melitopolski Densuke, and Cream of Saskatchewan.
Can bearded dragons eat watermelon, or are watermelons good for beardies? Yes. These reptiles can have a small amount of watermelon, occasionally. It has vitamin A, B1, B5, B6, and C as well as potassium and magnesium as well as keep them hydrated.
Remove the rind as it is tough to eat and seeds as they can choke or get impacted inside this pet’s gastrointestinal tract.
22. Mulberries and mulberry leaves
Mulberries refer to over ten deciduous trees in the genus Morus whose immature fruits are often green, pale yellow, or white but turn to pink and red as it ripens and finally turns to black or dark purple when ripe.
Bearded dragons can eat mulberries. They are safe. There is even a reptile food, Repashy Crested Gecko Diet Mulberry Madness, which has mulberries.
Finally, beardies can also eat mulberry leaves as part of their greens as well as your silkworms if you feed them to these pets.
23. Nectarines and peaches
Peaches are soft, fleshy stone fruits, which are known as peaches if they have a fuzzy coating or nectarines if they have smooth skin. Besides nectarines, the other varieties are the peachiness and flat peaches.
Can bearded dragons eat peaches and nectarines? Yes. These reptiles can eat fresh nectarines and peaches as a once in a while treat.
When feeding peaches or nectarines to these lizards and slice them into bite-size pieces. Avoid canned ones if they have any sugar or preservatives added.
24. Olives
Olive fruits are bitter fruits obtained from the olive tree. Popular varieties are Greek black olives (raw), California olives (ripened and pickled), and Spanish green olives (pickled).
Most bearded dragons will not eat raw olives since they are very bitter, and pickled olives will have a lot of salt hence unhealthy.
25. Orange and mandarin oranges
Orange or sweet orange is a citrus fruit native to China whose popular varieties are common oranges (Valencia, Hart’s Tardiff Valencia, and Hamlin), navel, acidless, and blood oranges. There are also hybrid oranges such as clementine.
Other citrus fruits referred to as oranges include the bitter oranges (Seville, sour, bigarade or marmalade oranges), mandarin oranges, bergamot oranges, trifoliate oranges.
Can bearded dragons eat oranges, clementine, mandarin oranges? No. Do not feed your beardie any oranges and orange juice.
Why are oranges not good for bearded dragons? Firstly, they are acidic and are likely to cause stomach irritation as well as diarrhea in these pets.
Secondly, they have acetic acid, which may play a part in bringing about an imbalance in the calcium and phosphorus ratio, which should ideally be about 2:1.
Also, avoid orange peel as they have orange oil that has D-limonene, a sanitizer, skin and eye irritant, and neurotoxin.
Although some source okays mandarin and navel orange, avoid feeding these reptiles any citrus fruits.
26. Tangerine
Bearded dragons should not eat a tangerine, which happens to be a citrus fruit too since it is acidic and may affect Ca:P balance.
27. Papaya
Papaya is a delicious fruit with vitamin A, C and B9, potassium, magnesium, and other nutrients in smaller proportions. Common cultivars have either yellow flesh or the other has red or orange meat.
Beardies can eat papaya as an occasional treat. Papaya It is one of the great staple fruits in which these reptiles can eat more as a top dressing to their food.
To prepare papaya for bearded dragons peel them, remove seeds and slice them into small bite-size cubes
28. Passion fruits
Avoid feeding passion fruits to your beardie, including the giant granadilla, purple passion, yellow passion fruit as they are acidic and may cause stomach issues or diarrhea.
29. Pear
Bearded dragons can eat pears as an occasional treat, i.e., not to supplement their regular food, including the various cultivars like Beth, Beurré Hardy, Beurré Superfin, Joséphine de Malines, Conference, concord and Doyenne du Comice.
Pears have vitamin C, K, potassium, and copper, as well as other nutrients in small amounts.
While serving them, first remove pits, and dice them into small pieces, no larger than the space between the eyes of your beardie.
30. Pineapple
Beardies can eat pineapples, both fresh and canned ones. They are nutritious and safe for these pets in small amounts given occasionally.
However, since they are very acidic with a pH ranging from 3-4 with seven being neutral, be on the lookout to see if they will cause diarrhea or tummy issues.
Nutritionally, they are high in vitamin C and manganese but also have other nutrients like vitamin B6, copper, thiamin, folate, potassium, niacin, magnesium, pantothenic acid, and iron.
31. Dragon fruit
Dragon fruits, pitaya or pitahaya, is a fruit obtained from several cactus species and has a slightly leafy-like and leathery skin while their flesh may be white, red, or yellow.
A bearded dragon can eat dragon fruits or pitayas occasionally as they high in calcium [2] and fiber and also have iron, vitamin C, and E, among other nutrients.
32. Plantain
Plantain is a banana-like fruit in the banana family. With about 34 mg of phosphorus vs. only 3 mg of calcium, plantain isn’t the best fruit to give these pets.
However, beardie can eat plantain occasionally. Also, these pets can eat plantain leaves as part of their greens.
33. Plums and prunes
Prunes are dried plums. Some of the common plum cultivars include greengage, damson, Mirabelle, satsuma plum, and Yellowgage.
Can bearded dragons eat plums and prunes? Yes. Beardies can fresh eat plums. All you need to do is to cut it into bite-size pieces. Avoid dried ones as they are not easy to nibble.
34. Pomegranate
Its fleshy, juicy aril and the white seed it surrounds is edible. Can bearded dragons eat pomegranate too?
Yes. You can give your beardie pomegranate as a rare treat, like once in a month, as their phosphorus levels are higher than calcium and have moderate oxalates.
Finally, you will have to separate the arils from the seeds and give your beardie only the arils.
35. Prickly pear and fruit
Prickly pear is a name for various genus Opuntia in the cactus family. It is also known as nopal or sabra, while its fruits are known as tuna.
Bearded dragons can eat prickly pear or cactus pear pad or leaves as a staple vegetable. It is a good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B2, B6, and C, among other nutrients.
Also, you can give your beardies prickly pear fruit pulp without its skin, which may be yellow, orange, pink, red, or green.
36. Raspberries
Raspberry is a name given to many edible fruits under the genus Rubus that can have red, purple, bluish, black, gold, or yellow fruits.
Some of the raspberry species include Asian, Tasmanian alpine, red (European), black, Australian native, wine (wineberry), Mauritius, American red, and yellow Himalayan raspberry.
Beardies can have raspberries as a rare snack. Although most beardies will love raspberries, only give them once or twice in a month is enough.
Why they are not so good is the fact that they have moderate levels of oxalates and more phosphorus than calcium.
37. Star fruit
Carambola or star fruits are very high in oxalates, standing at 5000-9580 mg per 100g, making not ideal for beardies. If you insist on giving them, make them a rare treat.
38. Strawberries
Garden strawberries are bright-colored, sweet-smelling juicy fruits gotten from genus Fragaria plant that has over 20 species.
Are strawberries good for beardies, including baby beardies? Yes. These pets have fresh ones as an occasional treat as they are a good source of vitamin C, folate, manganese, and potassium, as well as other nutrients in small amounts.
They have a slightly higher lower amount of calcium when compared to phosphorus and moderate in oxalates.
Finally, chop them into smaller pieces, especially if you have young beardies to make eating much more manageable and reduce the chances of choking.
39. Canned, Dried and frozen fruits
Most dried fruits will be hard for these pets to munch, and they will have little water. However, in the case of the frozen ones, allow these pets to eat them once they thaw naturally. Don’t warm them.
If canned, they shouldn’t have any additives, including additional sugar and preservatives, as they are harmful to these pets.
Warning on fruits for bearded dragon
Avoid any wild picked fruits if you are uncertain whether they have farm chemicals or not.
Secondly, ensure they are free of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, or any other harmful chemicals since being smaller, these chemicals will significantly affect them.