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Bearded dragons are omnivores and have a very diverse diet. Several species of bearded dragons can eat insects, fruits, and veggies. At different stages of a bearded dragon’s life, it needs different amounts of fruits, insects, and other foods. Since there’s so much these reptiles eat, it’s not odd to hear some owners ask – can bearded dragons eat nectarines?
Bearded dragons can eat nectarines, but at a significant cost if overfed. These reptiles need a lot of calcium in their diet and nectarines don’t offer much of this element. Additionally, nectarines have an excess amount of phosphorus that could cause significant health issues for your beardie.
In this article, you’ll get to know why bearded dragons shouldn’t eat nectarines. You’ll also get information on what kind of foods are ideal for your beardy pals. Make the most of what this article provides, and get your bearded dragons the nutrition they need to thrive.
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Nutritional Info of Nectarines and Why You Should/Shouldn’t Feed it to Your Bearded Dragon
Even if nectarines are a no-no for bearded dragons, feeding your reptiles this fruit as a rare treat isn’t harmful. Check out the nutritional info on nectarines below. Also, you’ll see why you should and should not feed nectarines to your bearded dragon:
Nectarines Nutritional Chart (per 3.5 ounces)
Here’s a complete breakdown of nutrition available per three and a half ounces of a nectarine:
| Element | Estimated amount | |
|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Calcium |
6mg |
|
2. |
Carbohydrates |
9.5g |
|
3. |
Choline |
6.1mg |
|
4. |
Dietary fiber |
1.5g |
|
5. |
Fat |
0.3g |
|
6. |
Folate |
3μg |
|
7. |
Iron |
0.3mg |
|
8. |
Magnesium |
9mg |
|
9. |
Manganese |
0.06mg |
|
10. |
Niacin (B3) |
0.8mg |
|
11. |
Pantothenic acid |
0.15mg |
|
12. |
Phosphorus |
20mg |
|
13. |
Potassium |
190mg |
|
14. |
Protein |
0.9g |
|
15. |
Riboflavin (B2) |
0.03mg |
|
16. |
Sugars |
8.3g |
|
17. |
Thiamine (B1) |
0.03mg |
|
18. |
Vitamin B6 |
0.03mg |
|
19. |
Vitamin C |
6.6mg |
|
20. |
Vitamin E |
0.7mg |
|
21. |
Vitamin K |
2.6μg |
|
22. |
Water |
87.6g |
Why You Should Feed Nectarines to Your Bearded Dragon
If you plan to offer treats to your bearded dragons, nectarines may be ideal. Offering your bearded dragons very thin slices on rare occasions wouldn’t kill them. But if you plan to offer nectarines as a regular fruit to your bearded dragon, read the next section first.
Why You Shouldn’t Feed Nectarines to Your Bearded Dragon
High sugar content
Most nectarines have almost 10% of natural sugars in their composition. These sugars are not ideal for bearded dragons. If you don’t want your bearded dragon to suffer constant digestive problems, remove nectarines from its diet.
Low vitamin content
The total vitamin composition in one nectarine doesn’t add up to 1%. So, if you don’t want to offer your bearded dragons fruits they won’t benefit from, leave out nectarines.
Disproportionate phosphorus-calcium content
For every 190mg of phosphorus, you get only 6mg of calcium. That’s around a 32:1 ratio. Phosphorus doesn’t provide any health benefit to bearded dragons and cancels out the effect of calcium.
If your bearded dragon cannot get the correct amount of calcium in its diet, it could contract Metabolic Bone Disease. The disease leads to acute calcium deficiency and takes a heavy toll on bearded dragons’ health. Bearded dragons experiencing this disease at a late stage have weak bones and eventually die.
The high phosphorus to calcium ratio is a major reason why you shouldn’t feed your bearded dragon nectarines.
Read More: Bearded Dragon Brumation or Dead
Should You Feed Dried or Canned Nectarines to Bearded Dragons?
Note that your bearded dragons should not eat dried or canned nectarines. Dried foods can cause digestive problems for your bearded dragon. Besides being a potential health hazard for your beardies, dried nectarines do not offer any nutrients.
Also, canned nectarines could have preservatives that may be harmful to your reptile.
Kinds of Food Bearded Dragons Can Eat?
Bearded dragons can eat live insects, select vegetables, and some fruits low in natural sugars. These reptiles could enjoy potatoes, greens, and other foods in different amounts too. Let’s take a look at what these reptiles can eat in detail:
What Kinds of Fruit, Greens, and Veggies Can Bearded Dragons Eat, Nectarines Aside?
Here’s a look at some of the fruits, greens, and veggies bearded dragons can eat:
| Fruits | Greens | Vegetables/Roots | Insects | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Apples |
Clover |
Acorn squash |
Butterworms |
|
|
Apricots |
Collards |
Asparagus |
Cockroaches |
|
|
Dates |
Coriander |
Bell pepper |
Crickets |
|
|
Figs |
Dandelion greens |
Bok choi |
Dubia roaches |
|
|
Grapes |
Endive |
Brocolli |
Earthworms |
|
|
Guava |
Kale |
Butternut squash |
Kingworms |
|
|
Kiwi |
Mustard greens |
Cabbage |
Locusts |
|
|
Mango |
Parsley |
Celery |
Phoenix worms |
|
|
Melon |
Rocket |
Courgette |
Silkworms |
|
|
Papaya |
Turnip greens |
Green beans |
Superworms |
|
|
Peaches |
|
Kohlrabi |
Waxworms |
|
|
Pears |
|
Okra |
Mealworms |
|
|
Plums |
|
Parsnip |
|
|
|
Raisins |
|
Sweet potato |
|
|
|
Strawberries |
|
Yellow squash |
|
Fruits
It’s worth noting that foods like pears, peaches, and plums should be fed in tiny amounts. If you can leave these out of your dragon’s diet, it could be for the best.
Greens
Several greens are healthy additions to any bearded dragon’s diet. Offer your bearded dragons a mix of greens at least once per week. But don’t overdo it, as your dragons may suffer from indigestion when overfed with greens.
Veggies
Vegetables like broccoli shouldn’t be mainstays in your bearded dragons’ diet. Offer such veggies in small amounts every week or fortnight. Roots like sweet potatoes should also be moderate in your bearded dragon’s diet.
Insects
Avoid feeding your bearded dragons butterworms, waxworms, superworms, and mealworms on a regular basis. Some of these insects, like butterworms, are high in fat. If you feed your bearded dragon too much of these insects, it may store up fat in all the wrong places. And since there’s no weight loss program for bearded dragons, it’ll have to suffer to lose excess fat.
How to Prepare Fruits for Your Bearded Dragon
If you need to offer your bearded dragons any kind of fruit, here’s how to do it:
- Get your preferred fruit
- Wash the fruit
- Peel skin off fruit
- Cut into very thin slices your dragon can eat without stress, similar to diced onions
It’s better you go for non-GMO fruits grown without any harmful preservatives. Your bearded dragons will benefit from these fruits and won’t grapple with nagging health problems.
Feeding Bearded Dragons According to Age
As expected, you can’t feed all bearded dragons with the same diet template. Bearded dragons need a shift between proteins and fruits as they grow. That’s why you need to max out suggestions below to guarantee your dragon gets correct nutrition every time:
Baby bearded dragons
Infant bearded dragons should feed on more insects and less fruits and vegetables. These reptiles need more proteins insects like crickets and some worms can provide. As a rule of thumb, offer your baby dragon 80% insects and 20% of other foods.
Juvenile bearded dragons
Bearded dragons approaching adulthood need a balanced diet of proteins and other elements from fruits and veggies. That’s why you should feed your juvenile bearded dragon 50% insects and 50% fruits, greens, and veggies.
Adult bearded dragons
Mature dragons need less proteins from insects and more fruits and veggies. Consider offering your bearded dragons 20% – 30% insects and about 70% – 80% fruits and veggies.
Should Bearded Dragons Take Tangerines or Orange Juice?
Even if you can’t get enough of tangerines and oranges, bearded dragons could come down hard after tasting citrus. The system of bearded dragons does not do well with citrus fruits.
Most citrus fruits like oranges and tangerines contain high levels of oxalic acid. The acid is harmful to bearded dragons. Besides being harmful to these reptiles, bearded dragons can become addicts to citrus fruits. If you don’t want to have a sickly bearded dragon, it’s better not to introduce them to citrus at all.
Poisonous Foods You Should Not Feed Your Bearded Dragons
Some foods are bad for your bearded dragon, but a few foods could poison your dragon, even in small amounts. Here’s a look at some of the foods you should never feed your bearded dragons:
Avocados
The tropical fruit has chemicals in its composition that cause bearded dragons lots of problems.
A tiny amount of avocado could result in serious health issues for your bearded dragon. And if you choose to give your dragons these fruits in huge amounts, the chances of its death could skyrocket.
Beet tops
Even if some posts point to beet tops as ideal treats, don’t feed it to your bearded dragon. Beet tops have chemicals that could fast-track calcium deficiency. If you don’t want your bearded dragon to develop a fatal bone disease, avoid beet tops.
Fireflies
Glowing insects, not just fireflies, could be harmful to your bearded dragon. The glowing parts of these insects are poisonous and may land your dragon in big trouble.
Lettuce
There’s no need to offer your bearded dragon what it won’t get any nutrients from, even when fed large amounts. Lettuce doesn’t add anything to your bearded dragon apart from water, and your reptile can get a drink elsewhere.
Rhubarb
Just like in citrus fruits, rhubarb stems contain oxalic acid that is poisonous to bearded dragons. Besides having stalk poisonous to bearded dragons, rhubarb leaves are harmful to humans too.
Spinach
Veggies like spinach are a mainstay in the diets of many mammals, including humans. These leaves offer much nutrients to mammals, but could be dangerous to bearded dragons’ health. Some elements in spinach may cause Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), which could prove fatal.
Select a different type of vegetable that benefits your bearded dragon to keep it safe from significant health problems.
Wild insects
Insects sourced from wild locations could have parasites on them that could be harmful to bearded dragons. It is better to stock up on insects from pet shops or raise colonies yourself.
Even if you have a massive supply of wild insects in your area, resist the temptation. Don’t feed these insects to your dragon.
Select plants/nuts
Some of these plants may not be available in your area, but it is still important to know about them. These plants could cost your bearded dragon its life if it eats them:
Chestnut
The prickly bur, edible nuts, leaves, and any other part of chestnut trees are not good for your bearded dragon.
Crocus
Leaves from this low-growing tree are harmful to your bearded dragon. Be sure to keep an eye on your dragon whenever you both go out for a walk. You don’t want it ingesting a dangerous substance.
Daffodil
If bearded dragons eat from the daffodil plant, it may suffer digestive problems that could prove fatal. Daffodil is a massive no-no for your beardy pets.
Others
Several plants, nuts, and leaves can prove fatal if your bearded dragon eats them. Be sure to prevent your bearded dragon from consuming anything whenever its outdoors. Effects from consuming these foods could range from constipation and stomach upsets to death.
Seafood
The significant risk of salmonella infection from some seafood could hit your bearded dragon hard. Even if you’re sure the seafood is free from any bacteria, don’t feed it to your dragon. Avoid feeding your dragons crayfish, prawns, crabs, lobster, and any other type of seafood.
FAQs
Can bearded dragons eat white nectarines?
White nectarines are high in phosphorus, and this element limits supply of calcium to your bearded dragon’s bloodstream. If you don’t want your bearded dragon to suffer Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD), leave white nectarines out of its diet.
What foods and veggies can bearded dragons not eat?
Bearded dragons should not eat avocados, beet, rhubarb, fireflies, and spinach. These foods along with veggies could cause serious digestive problems for your reptile. It is better to maintain a rigid diet for your bearded dragon to prevent stomach problems that could prove fatal.
Are blueberries bad for bearded dragons?
Blueberries are great for bearded dragons and should be a treat for your pet reptile. You can organize periodic treats of blueberries, apples, strawberries, and other fruits for your bearded pals. Treats of blueberries once or twice every fortnight could be a great addition to your bearded dragons’ diet.
Can bearded dragons have carrots?
Non-GMO carrots are the best for your bearded dragons to have. Preservatives on some GMO carrots could lead to serious health problems for your reptile. Bearded dragons can eat thinly-diced carrots, whether raw or cooked. But raw carrots offer more nutrients to your bearded dragons as it doesn’t go through any softening process.
Can bearded dragons eat nectarines whole?
Bearded dragons can only have very tiny slices of nectarines on very rare occasions. Nectarines pose serious health challenges to bearded dragons as a regular fruit in its diet.
Final Thoughts: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Nectarines?
Can bearded dragons eat nectarines? Yes, but not in large amounts and as rare treats.
Nectarines have a high amount of elements that do not help your bearded dragons develop. So, before asking if bearded dragons eat nectarines, make sure you weigh the cost of feeding this fruit to reptiles.
Even if bearded dragons eat nectarines, it doesn’t mean it’s great for their overall health. Avoid offering nectarines to your bearded dragons. You don’t want it to suffer avoidable health problems.
