Should I Feed My Bearded Dragon Tomatoes?

It can often be a challenge to know what sorts of foods we should be feeding our bearded dragons. Something that may be healthy for humans may not be so good for a bearded dragon, after all.

Nevertheless, it is a common question – can you feed tomatoes to bearded dragons? It can be difficult to know since our nutritional values are so different from a bearded dragon’s.

To save you any further confusion, we’re here to help you to find all of the answers you need. This information has come from credible sources such as experts in reptile care and nutritionists so that you can make the best possible decision for your beloved pet. 

Is it possible for bearded dragons to eat tomatoes, then? Yes! They are good for your bearded dragon as part of a balanced diet. This is because they contain plenty of vitamin A and don’t have a lot of toxins like oxalic acid.

Of course, it is important to note that your bearded dragon should only be eating tomatoes every once in a while. This is because they are very high in phosphorus but don’t contain a lot of calcium.

Keep on reading to learn…

• Whether baby bearded dragons can eat tomatoes
• What the benefits and health concerns are when your bearded dragon eats tomatoes
• How you should prepare the tomatoes
• How often your bearded dragon can eat tomatoes
• A couple of foods that experts say are good for bearded dragons

Is it A Good Idea to Give Tomatoes to a Bearded Dragon?

If you are thinking of feeding tomatoes to your bearded dragon, then you are in luck. These fruits are good for bearded dragons. In fact, this is information that has even been confirmed by experts like VCA Hospitals.

If you look on their website then tomatoes will be listed as a good food for bearded dragons to eat.

Of course, while they are safe for your bearded dragon, they may not necessarily be good for every bearded dragon if eaten in excess.

Fruits generally don’t have the same nutritional goodness for your beardie as leafy greens do. They should not be eaten often, with that in mind.

The VCA Hospitals specifically mention that 10% of your bearded dragon’s fruit and vegetable diet should be derived from fruits. That includes tomatoes.

Here are a few of the pros and cons of tomatoes for your bearded dragon.

The Health Benefits of Tomatoes

As we have already said, fruits should always come second to vegetables in the diet of a bearded dragon. This is because they don’t provide as much nutritional value.

Of course, there are many fruits that will provide your bearded dragon with good nutrients so long as they are given in the proper quantities. 

There are two main benefits to giving your bearded dragon tomatoes to eat.

They Contain High Amounts of Vitamin A

Information on Health.com suggests that tomatoes contain high quantities of vitamin A. 

Vitamin A is important for a whole host of different reasons. For starters, it’s important for your vision, reproduction and your immune system.

These benefits are not only for humans, either. Bearded dragons can benefit from these same side effects too. Of course, it’s never a good idea for a human or a bearded dragon to have too much vitamin A, since it can be toxic in high amounts. This may result in a rather sick beardie!

You don’t need to worry too much about this, but it’s a good incentive to be careful with feeding quantities. You don’t want to accidentally feed your bearded dragon too many foods that are high in Vitamin A at one time.

It’s worth noting that a lot of multivitamins contain a lot of vitamin A, meaning that you don’t need to increase your bearded dragon’s vitamin A intake in their diet too much if you are feeding them multivitamins too.

They Don’t Contain a Lot of Sugar

Fruits are great, but they come with one major problem. They usually contain high amounts of sugar, so it’s a bad idea to eat them in large amounts.

You don’t need to worry about this problem with tomatoes since they are comparatively low in sugar. Tomatoes only contain 2.63 grams of sugar per 100g. This is incredibly low, especially when you think about an apple that contains 10.1 g of sugar per 100 grams. 

It’s never a good idea to feed your bearded dragon a lot of sugar, since it can result in further issues such as gum problems and tooth rot, diarrhea and sickness and obesity.

They Don’t Contain a Lot of Oxalic Acid

You may be unfamiliar with oxalic acid, but all you really need to know is that they are compounds that naturally grow in things like vegetables, nuts, seeds and greens. They are problematic since they can sometimes stop the body from absorbing calcium and other minerals.

Thankfully, tomatoes don’t contain a lot of oxalates. In particular, they only contain 50 mg of oxalates per 100 grams. This is incredibly low when you think about spinach that has 970 mg of oxalates per 100 grams.

What Problems Can Arise If My Bearded Dragon Eats Tomatoes?

There are plenty of benefits of eating tomatoes, but there are also some downsides to feeding them to your bearded dragons.

Unfortunately, tomatoes are either lacking in some vitamins or have too many of others. This can mean that it’s not good to feed them to your bearded dragon on a regular basis. 

Here are just a few of the disadvantages of tomatoes for your bearded dragon.

They Don’t Contain a Lot of Calcium

Calcium is vital for any bearded dragon. This is why it’s such an issue that tomatoes are so low in calcium.

Calcium is used for ensuring that your beardie has healthy bones and can move well. If they don’t have a lot of calcium then your bearded dragon can come down with nasty illnesses.

For instance, your bearded dragon may be more likely to get metabolic bone disease. Having a lack of calcium can be a huge contributor to getting this illness.

Beardies with this illness may end up limping all the time, or they could struggle to lift their body off the ground at all.

Naturally, tomatoes are very low in calcium, much like a lot of other fruits. They will only give your bearded dragon 5 mg of calcium per 100g. 

Instead, it’s always better to ensure that your bearded dragon is getting plenty of foods that are high in calcium, as this will help them to have healthy bones and teeth. You don’t have to prevent them from having fruits such as tomatoes, but they should not be the bulk of your beardie’s diet.

They Don’t Have a Good Phosphorus and Calcium Ratio

A big issue with tomatoes is that they don’t have a good phosphorus to calcium ratio. This is important, since the phosphorus will bind with the calcium which then prevents the body from absorbing it. 

Calcium is vital for your bearded dragon, so it’s a bad idea to give them lots of foods that contain high amounts of phosphorus and small amounts of calcium. Ideally, the best ratio is 2:1 – double the calcium.

Tomatoes, on the other hand, will provide 5 mg of calcium in comparison to 29 mg of phosphorus. This means that your pet is getting far more phosphorus than they need.

It’s alright to provide foods with this sort of ratio every once in a while, but it’s a bad idea to give your pet a diet like this on a regular basis. It can cause all sorts of health issues.

It’s a good idea to give your bearded dragon a calcium supplement every day if you can, since this will ensure that they are getting their daily calcium requirement.

You can use products such as Reptocal, RepCal or Nekton and simply put it over their live prey a few times every week. Rep-Cal is the best choice out of all of these options.

Should a Baby Bearded Dragon Eat Tomatoes?

Baby beardies can grow at an almost alarming rate, so it’s important for them to get as many nutrients as possible to support their growth. We’ve spoken more about baby bearded dragons and their caloric needs in other articles.

While your baby bearded dragon is still young, they should still be getting a large amount of their nutrients from insects and plant based foods. These foods need to contain plenty of calcium and key nutrients.

With that in mind, you can give your bearded dragon some tomatoes every once in a while, but only as a small treat. They have really small stomachs, and it’s hard for them to hold other foods in their stomachs if you give them lots of tomatoes.

This can mean that they won’t have as many nutrient dense foods in their systems.

Instead of tomatoes, it’s usually better to feed your beardie some leafy greens such as kale. This will provide far more nutritional value for your little one.

How Should I Prepare Tomatoes For My Bearded Dragon? 

When it comes to feeding your bearded dragon, it’s a good idea to ensure that their veggies, fruits and greens are all prepared in the right way. Thankfully, we know exactly what you need to do in order to make the perfect salad for your bearded dragon. Read on…

1. Wash your tomatoes completely to begin. This is vital since it helps to remove any pesticides and herbicides from the tomatoes, keeping your bearded dragon safe.
2. Next, you are going to need to ensure that you don’t cook the tomatoes. Tomatoes should only be given to your bearded dragon when they are raw. Cooking removes the nutritional value for your bearded dragon. You don’t need to cook them as they are already very easy for your beardie to eat.
3. Once you have washed the tomatoes, you are then going to need to chop them into little cubes or chunks so they are easier to eat. It means that the juices will also go over the other greens, meaning they will be more appealing because they will taste better. Don’t give your bearded dragon any more than around a quarter of a tomato. They shouldn’t be eating too much of it – fill them up on their greens and veggies instead.
4. Put your tomatoes on the top of the salad as this will make your bearded dragon much more likely to investigate the food bowl. The rest of the salad should consist of the healthy greens that should make up the bulk of their diet. You should be giving them bowls that will let them eat easily from the entire meal, not just the top of the dish.

Serving Frequency

So, how often should you be giving tomatoes to your bearded dragon? In general, it’s a bad idea to give your bearded dragon tomatoes on a daily basis since they have a very poor calcium to phosphorus ratio.

They certainly should not be making up the bulk of your pet’s diet. Sure, they have a lot of vitamin A which is good for your bearded dragon, but there are far more negatives to consider.

Many experts suggest that your bearded dragon should only be getting around 10% of their calories from fruit. For this reason, it’s best to only give your pet tomatoes around once a month.

This will give them enough for them to truly enjoy it, while they will also get the vitamin A from the tomato. The rest of the diet can then consist of the prey insects and the leafy greens.

Other Foods That are Good For Your Bearded Dragon

It’s possible that you already know about a lot of the greens and vegetables that are good for bearded dragons.

Of course, every creature likes some variation, which is why we’re going to cover a few extra foods that you can give to your bearded dragon to spice up their palate!

At the same time, they will also get plenty of nutrients that are good for them.

Fruits

Your bearded dragon can eat a wide range of different fruits. As we have highlighted above, however, it’s always best to feed fruits as an occasional treat rather than on a daily basis.

This is because fruits contain a lot of sugar, and if sugar is eaten in excess then it can lead to obesity.

Not only that, but your pet’s yeast levels can also increase as a result. You should stay away from citrus fruits, since these can cause stomach issues.

Some examples of fruits that your bearded dragon can eat include the following: 

If the fruit is soft such as kiwi then you should be very careful, since these kinds of fruits can cause problems for the teeth. These should only be given to your bearded dragon around once per month.

Vegetables

Your bearded dragon needs to be eating plenty of vegetables, such as:

Greens

It’s important to think about your greens too! Some greens that you can feed to your bearded dragon include:

• Clover
• Kale
• Spring greens
• Mustard greens
• Turnip greens
• Rocket
• Watercress

Your bearded dragon can eat weeds too, such as dead nettle, plantain, dandelion and catsear.

Foods to Avoid

We’ve already covered a couple of foods that your bearded dragon can’t eat in another article, but we’re going to dive into it here too just in case you didn’t know! There are some foods that absolutely need to be avoided because they are bad for your beardie’s health.

The problem is that your bearded dragon will most likely try to eat everything that’s put in front of them, regardless of whether it will harm them or not. If your bearded dragon eats any of the foods listed below, it’s worth speaking to a veterinary surgeon for further advice.

• Celery
• Chives
• Onion
• Mushroom
• Lemon and orange
  • These are citrus fruits that can irritate your bearded dragon’s stomach. It can make them temporarily sick.
• Spinach
  • We bet you didn’t see this coming! There are some guides online that will tell you that it’s okay to feed your bearded dragon things like spinach and beet tops so long as they are in smaller quantities. It is worth remembering, however, that they both have chemicals inside of them that can result in calcium deficiencies. It’s very important that a bearded dragon has plenty of calcium, so this is a situation that is best avoided. There are many better options that you can get instead.
• Wild insects
  • If an insect has been captured in the wild, then you shouldn’t give it to your bearded dragon. This is because these wild insects can often contain parasites and these can cause your bearded dragon some serious health issues. Instead, it’s better to go to an exotic pet shop as these will have a safe selection of live insects for your beardie to enjoy.
• Avocados
  • These contain chemicals that are poisonous for bearded dragons. For this reason, you will need to avoid feeding them to your pet. Avocados can even kill your bearded dragon, so it’s better to not take the risk.
• Fireflies
  • Don’t feed a reptile anything that glows! They are poisonous and can be fatal for your reptile if they are eaten.

You also need to avoid giving your bearded dragon any fish or seafood. There are a number of wild plants that are bad for your dragon too, including daffodils, horse chestnuts, buttercups and poppy.

The best thing to do is to consult your vet if you have any doubts about whether it is safe for your bearded dragon to eat a certain kind of food.

It’s better not to risk their health by giving them something that is unsafe. You can also find advice online. If in doubt, do not feed the item to your bearded dragon.

Conclusion

In summary? Your bearded dragon can absolutely enjoy a tomato every once in a while! These juicy fruits can be great for providing your bearded dragon with vitamin A, which is good for their eyesight and reproduction.

With that being said, these fruits should only be given to your pet as a rare treat. They are not supposed to be eaten as part of a daily diet.