When it comes to taking care of your pet, diet is an important (if not the most important) part of their overall health and subsequently happiness. The healthier your beardie is, the happier it will be in your home.
Adult bearded dragons have a diet that consists primarily of vegetables and insects. So, then, what about fruit? Feeding fruit to your beardie will take some investigation on the pet owner’s part as bearded dragons can’t eat all fruits.
If you want to introduce fruits to your bearded dragon’s diet as treats, make sure it’s a fruit that will do your pet no harm.
Before we dive into the question at hand, which is “can bearded dragons eat grapes?” let’s answer a more general question:
Can bearded dragons eat fruit?
Remember that a bearded dragon’s diet consists mostly of veggies and insects. However, you may add fruits to your bearded dragon’s diet, within reason.
Yes to fruits, but serve sparingly
Bearded dragons can enjoy the sweet natural goodness of fruits. Likely, your bearded dragon will happily gobble up whatever fruits you place in front of them. Fruit is nature’s candy after all, and who doesn’t like candy?
But just like with candy, bearded dragons can only have fruits sparingly. You should not feed your bearded dragon fruits every day. Doing so would lead to some serious health issues.
Fruits to avoid
Bearded dragons can enjoy a variety of fruits, occasionally. However, certain fruits should be avoided.
Acidic fruits will not sit well with bearded dragons. Just like humans, fruits that have high acidity will irritate a bearded dragon’s stomach, causing digestive issues, diarrhea, and possibly dehydration.
Fruits that should be avoided are pineapple, grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, mandarines, and all other acidic fruit options.
Can bearded dragons eat grapes?
Bearded dragons can eat grapes. They have many health benefits that make them a great occasional snack for your bearded dragon.
However, like with all fruits, grapes should be fed to beardies sparingly. And by “sparingly” I mean 1-2 grapes per week. It may seem like a daunting task for us to stop at only one grape when snacking, but beardies can only handle very few fruits in their diet.
Grapes come in a variety of colors: green, purple, and red and although your bearded dragon can’t have all of them at once, it will be happy and healthy munching on the occasional green, purple, or red grape. Go with your favorite if you have one or mix it up each grape treat day.
Health benefits of grapes
Grapes are a great option as an occasional treat for your bearded dragon because they offer many health benefits for bearded dragons.
Low acidic content
As I said, fruits with high acidity are a no-no for bearded dragons, which means with fruits low acidic content are a great option for beardies. Grapes happen to be one of those low-acidic fruits.
That means that there’s no risk of your beardie ending up with an irritated digestive tract after snacking on one or two grapes now and again.
High in fiber
Fiber is a vital part of omnivorous diets including humans’. Bearded dragons are no different from humans in that they benefit from—and hence need—a diet high in fiber.
Grapes are high in fiber which helps to maintain a healthy digestive system in bearded dragons.
Potassium
When we think of fruits that are high in potassium, our mind probably jumps right to bananas. However, grapes have a healthy dose of potassium as well.
Potassium helps to aid muscle function and ward off kidney problems in bearded dragons.
High water content
Grapes, like many fruits, have a high water content. The benefit of grapes’ high water content for bearded dragons is that it helps to keep them hydrated. It can also improve kidney function.
However, too much water can also lead to diarrhea. That’s why it’s so important to limit the number of grapes (or any other fruit) that you feed a bearded dragon.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are beneficial to beardies because they can lower the risk of heart disease. They can also help to prevent allergies.
Antioxidants are also helpful in maintaining overall health (in humans and beardies). So, you can feel good about munching on some grapes alongside your bearded dragon.
How to feed grapes to your beardies
Now that we’ve established that grapes are a good treat for a bearded dragon, let’s talk about how they should be served. I know, I know. You’re thinking, “Do I have to prepare the grapes?”
Well, it’s not as complicated as you think, but anytime you introduce a new food to your beardie’s diet, you should always make sure that you are serving it properly as well. So, get the recipe book out and start taking notes.
Clean the grapes
Ideally, you should feed your bearded dragon organic fruits and veggies. However, always make sure to wash your fruits and veggies before serving them to a bearded dragon. You need to wash off the pesticides, which could be potentially toxic.
Only serve 1 or 2 at a time
You know that beardies should only have one to two grapes per week. This will depend on you and your beardie. You may want to try serving your bearded dragon only once to start and see how it goes.
However, don’t serve a bearded dragon more than a maximum of two grapes in one sitting (or one day), even if they happily gobble them up and look at you, waiting for more. Resist the urge to give them seconds. It will only hurt their health.
Should NOT have seeds
You may feed your bearded dragon a grape or two of any color. But, the grapes should not have seeds.
Grapes with seeds are a huge choking hazard to a bearded dragon. You want to make sure that you are feeding them seedless grapes or cutting the seeds out of them before serving.
You can cut them up into smaller pieces
This is up to you. If you want to be extra safe, you can cut up the grape into smaller pieces to avoid any risk of choking. You may also want to cut up the grape to be sure that it doesn’t have any seeds.
However, many beardies will be able to eat a whole grape without any problems. So, it’s the dealer’s choice.
Verdict: Grapes are a safe treat
Grapes are, in fact, a great choice as the occasional fruit snack for your bearded dragon. Pet beardies will likely devour the sweet treat quickly.
The most important thing when it comes to feeding your bearded dragon grapes is the serving size. So be sure to limit your bearded dragon to only the occasional grape. The same goes for other fruits. Even when it comes to “safe” fruits, bearded dragons should only be fed sparingly.
Whenever you feed your bearded dragon a new fruit, be sure to monitor it for any changes. If you notice anything odd, consult your veterinarian.
