Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apricots? Vet-Accredited Advantages, Dangers, & FAQ

Variety is the main focus when formulating a wholesome routine in your Bearded Dragon. With fruits being such a marginal a part of your lizard’s food regimen and sure varieties being unsafe in any quantity, discovering the healthiest method to reward your pet could be a bit nerve-wracking. For those who want an important place to start out, apricots might be the reply. Moderately, apricots could be a flavorful and rewarding a part of a Bearded Dragon’s diversified food regimen.

Although it’s one of many higher fruits to feed your Bearded Dragon, apricots aren’t an ideal match for his or her wants. Learn to safely add this satisfying deal with to your pet’s food regimen as we focus on whether or not Bearded Dragons can eat apricots.

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Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apricots?

Be happy so as to add apricots to your routine of Bearded Dragon treats. As a superb supply of nutritional vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, apricots can promote your Beardie’s well being in a number of methods whereas delighting the style buds.

Bearded Dragons are omnivores and will have a food regimen primarily made up of quite a lot of bugs and leafy greens. Fruit ought to solely make up about 10–15% of a Bearded Dragon’s food regimen, apricots have a number of perks over different choices within the class. To know why, we’ll have a look at just a few key causes fruits shouldn’t be a central function in your Beardie’s food regimen.

Sugar

The first issues with fruits are the excessive sugar content material and its results on Bearded Dragons. Extra sugar can wreak havoc on a Bearded Dragon’s digestive system. As sugar shouldn’t be excessive of their pure food regimen, they will expertise issues like diarrhea. Weight problems, diabetes, and varied debilitating ailments might finally consequence from a persistently high-sugar food regimen.

Contemplating sugar’s impression, apricots make a superb possibility to supply as a candy deal with to your Bearded Dragon. Apricots have decrease sugar ranges than most fruits, solely containing 3–4 grams per fruit. Within the small parts you’ll provide your pet, the content material seemingly received’t have an effect on something however their style buds.

Oxalates

Oxalates could be detrimental to a Bearded Dragon as a result of they bind to calcium, stopping its absorption into the bloodstream. By depleting the Bearded Dragon’s potential to make the most of the all-important nutrient, oxalates could cause extreme circumstances like metabolic bone illness (MBD), which is a painful weakening of the bones. Fortuitously, whereas oxalates are frequent in varied leafy greens, fruits, grains, and nuts, they seem in low quantities in apricots.

Drawbacks to Apricots

Bearded Dragons take pleasure in a number of advantages from apricots in comparison with different fruits, however they’re removed from good. Two major downsides to apricots highlighting the necessity for moderation embrace the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and water content material.

Poor Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio

Like oxalates, phosphorus can negatively have an effect on calcium stability, resulting in a deficiency and probably life-threatening well being points like MBD. To maintain a Bearded Dragon in peak situation, the perfect calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is round 2:1. Once they’re younger, Bearded Dragons want a fair increased ratio to accommodate their rising bones.

Apricots received’t do your lizards any favor on this regard. With about 23 grams of phosphorus for each 13 grams of calcium, apricots have nearly the other of what you need in a correct calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in your Bearded Dragon. Whereas it’s unlikely to trigger undue stress when provided sparingly, it is a superb instance of why you need to think about each meals you embrace in your pet’s food regimen.

Excessive Water Content material

In comparison with different fruits, apricots have a excessive water content material of as much as 86%. Though we would discover that extra-refreshing on a summer season day, Bearded Dragons get little profit from it. As a substitute, overly watery meals can result in unfastened stools and dehydration. Although it’s often not a long-lasting concern, it may nonetheless trigger your Bearded Dragon gentle discomfort.

How A lot Apricot Can Bearded Dragons Eat?

Apricots ought to be one of many diversified fruits to incorporate in a Bearded Dragon’s food regimen, so that you don’t want to supply it greater than as soon as weekly. All the time reduce it into tiny, bite-sized chunks they will simply handle and take away the stone. Since they aren’t robust chewers, you have to preserve the parts manageable sufficient for them to swallow.

Which Different Fruits Can Bearded Dragons Eat?

Whereas some fruits ought to keep off the menu in any quantity, like avocados or acidic citrus fruits, most are protected in your Bearded Dragon to devour to some extent. Well-liked fruits to incorporate in a well-rounded month-to-month food regimen embrace:

Natural produce is preferable to stop pesticide contamination. Flowers additionally make wholesome alternate options as Bearded Dragon treats. Acceptable varieties in your Bearded Dragon embrace dandelions, hibiscus, geraniums, and roses. Although simple to develop at house, you may as well verify with a neighborhood florist to see if they’ve any undesirable or unusable flowers they could provide.

Remaining Ideas

Though your Bearded Dragon will fortunately munch on their common food regimen of veggies and bugs, they love a candy piece of fruit to interrupt up the monotony. Apricots are one deal with you’ll be able to be ok with feeding. Although no fruit is good for a Beardie’s delicate metabolism, apricots are a number of the extra nutritious fruits to perk up your pet with out risking any uncomfortable negative effects.

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Featured Picture Credit score: Ilona Frey, Unsplash