Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apples?

Yes, your bearded dragon can eat apples as a snack and as part of a healthy diet. You can give them apples occasionally in the right quantity. However, you should not feed them too often. They should not be overfed, especially if they are below six months of age. At this age, their diet should constitute 80% of animal protein, and the rest of it should be plant protein. In addition to other fruits and vegetables, they can eat apples as it is less acidic.

Is this food item good for him?

Apple is good for him in the sense that it is a delicious fruit full of health benefits. It is a rich source of vitamin C, minerals, antioxidants, other nutrients, and fibre. It doesn’t contain any saturated fat or trans fat. It is important to give your bearded dragon a small dose of Vitamin C because Vitamin C deficiency may lead to bleeding gums, stomatitis, and bruising of the skin. In addition, apples contain 86% water. So, feeding it with apples is a good way of hydrating the reptile. Though they need little water to survive, they always need to remain hydrated.

Nutritional Value of apple

How to prepare & feed him apples?

Though it is great to see your bearded dragon holding the apple and eating it on its own, the truth is something else. Bearded dragons are unable to chew correctly. So to make it convenient for them, you should feed it the following way.

• Wash the apple thoroughly so that any chemicals or pesticides don’t stick to it. The bearded dragon may fall sick and die if somehow they ingest pesticide.
• Peel the apple’s skin first because if the skin is left on the apple, your beardie may suffer a gut impaction where the digestive tract gets blocked. This condition may lead to death.
• Deseed the apple and remove the stem before serving them as it may lead to choking hazard or even be toxic.
• It is best to serve only the peeled apple’s outer portions because this portion is soft compared to the flesh at the core.
• Cut them into small cubes or small thin slices so that it easily goes inside their mouth.
• Make sure to feed them in small quantities; otherwise, it may cause diarrhea. You can store the rest of the apple in the refrigerator but defrost it and sprinkle thiamine powder before serving it again. When a portion of the apple is kept in the fridge, the thiamine content gets reduced.
• Serve the small apple cubes or slices in a shallow bowl, so that they can see it easily.
• Keep an eye on your beardie as he eats the small pieces of apple and make sure he does not have any difficulty in swallowing.

You can give them small apple cubes as a treat. The sugar content in apples is considered relatively high for this small reptile, and this may result in weight gain. You can dilute apple juice with water and serve it in a bowl as this makes the water taste good. Since they will feel tempted because of the apple juice’s sweet smell, they will enjoy it and learn how to drink water from a bowl. They don’t drink water when they are in the wild and don’t know how to drink water.

Other People’s Experience with Bearded Dragons & this food item

It has been observed that when bearded apples are given apples for the first time, most of them refuse to eat. However, when a small slice of apple is placed on the hand, and the bearded dragon’s mouth is made to touch them, they really like the sweet taste and never refuse it again. So, initially, you should feed apples to your bearded dragon with your own hands.

FAQ

Can I feed green apples to my bearded dragon?

Yes, you can feed green apples to your bearded dragon because they eat all kinds of apples, whether red or green. Green apples contain more iron, protein, and potassium than red apples. Besides, the fiber content of green apples is slightly on the higher side. When it comes to taste, red apples are sweeter, and green apples are sour.

How often should I feed apples to my bearded dragon?

They should not eat too many apples but definitely have it once in a week. It is a great addition to their balanced diet. Not only apples, but they should also eat no other fruits regularly because the presence of sugar and acid may interrupt the functioning of the intestine.

Are apples for bearded dragons?

Apples are safe for bearded dragons if you peel the skin and cut them into bite-size slices.

Other Alternative Food items

Besides apple, there are a number of plants, vegetables, fruits, and insects that you can feed your bearded dragon as a healthy and nutritious snack. You can try other fruits like papaya, figs, melons, plums, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, grapes, and banana with skin. They also eat vegetables like broccoli and tomato. You can feed them with insects like crickets. A lizard’s diet should contain only 10% fruits because their calcium to phosphorus ratio is not balanced.

When they live in hot deserts, their only source of water is the food they eat. But it is always better to provide them a bowl of fresh and clean drinking water as this will keep them hydrated. However, make sure to clean the bowl and disinfect it regularly because, at times, they may treat their water bowl as a toilet. 

Apples can provide your bearded dragon with the right amount of vitamins and minerals they need.