Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grapes? | Dietary Safety 2024

Bearded dragons can eat grapes, but that will have to be a rare treat for them. Grapes are a good fruit for everyone and we all enjoy them. However, some fruits can be a fantastic food for you while they can be harmful to your pet dragons. Can bearded dragons eat grapes? Let’s find out by seeing what is in grapes, and whether it suits dragons or not.

Bearded dragons have adapted to the arid and dry desert climate so they can go without water for days but rely on insects and pests for protein. The small amount of fruits and vegetables that they eat must fulfill their calcium requirements. Grapes are fleshy and sweet with a seed in the middle of the fruit. This fruit can be digested by bearded dragons both with and without their skins, but the seeds should never be consumed.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grapes? Here’s All You Need To Know

Grapes are nutritious and can be fed to bearded dragons. However, you must not feed more than one or two grapes to these pets. Moreover, you must only feed grapes once a week. Our pets are our responsibility and even if it seems that they enjoy a particular food, we cannot feed it to them if it is not safe. Feeding grapes once a week means that these fruits do not offer all the nutrients that bearded dragons require.

If you understand why this fruit is restricted to this quantity, you must understand the physical requirements of bearded dragons. Compare the nutrition in grapes to their daily needs, and you will understand why the recommended dose is so low.

What Grapes Offers Them

Here is a detail of the nutrients in 100 grams of grapes. According to the USDA data, there are many essential nutrients like iron, zinc, selenium, copper, and beta-carotene in grapes. However, here are the few basic nutrients that impact bearded dragons significantly.

Vitamins: Vitamins K, A, E, C, and B6 are found in appropriate amounts in grapes. Bearded dragons can benefit from vitamin K as it helps improve blood health and keeps the reptile healthy and active. Vitamin B6 is good for the nervous system and immunity. Moreover, this vitamin helps improve the skin. Vitamin A improves the eyes and nails while Vitamin C is a great component of the fruit that helps build immunity and fight disease. Bearded dragons need to have a strong immune system as they can get infections quickly.

Calcium: There are 191 mg of calcium in grapes. Although this is not a lot, it is still a good amount for your bearded pet and since you will be feeding it only once a week, make sure the rest of the days you are feeding it more of this mineral.

Phosphorus: There are only 20 mg of phosphorus in grapes, which is good news because this mineral can hinder the absorption of calcium. At least grapes do not allow the calcium to get wasted so pet parents can rest assured that the calcium in the fruit will be beneficial for these creatures.

Sugar: There is a high amount of sugar in grapes, and that is not suitable for bearded dragons. Since these creatures live in small tanks, their physical activity is not much. This means that if you feed grapes to bearded dragons in excess, they can become obese. The sugar content in grapes is what makes them unfavorable for daily consumption.

Acidic Content: Grapes have a low acidic content, so they won’t burn their mouths or harm their stomach lining like citrus fruits or meals with a higher acid level.

Antioxidants: Found in particular in the skin of red grapes, antioxidants minimize and prevent inflammation, lessen the risk of heart disease, and even help your dragon avoid allergies.

Water: High water content (45–68%), can help enhance kidney function and avoid dehydration in the right amounts.

How Often Should I Feed Grapes

Now that you know grapes are a healthy fruit to offer to bearded dragons, you need to know how many grapes they should consume and how often they should be fed. If you recall from the list of nutrients in grapes above, we saw that these fruits are sweet. Grapes also contain oxalates, making them inappropriate for use as a main meal.

As we mentioned earlier, keep the dosage to one or two grapes in a week. This quantity is good as many bearded dragon caretakers say that fruits should be used like a garnish. This means that if you feed a higher amount of fruit, it can cause problems. Only one or two grapes will keep your dragons cheerful and happy, but will not burden the body systems. Also, read How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Oranges.

Risks Of Feeding Grapes

Apart from high sugars, we already mentioned that calcium is not too high. Bearded dragons need more calcium on a daily basis so their bones can become strong. If they do not get enough of this mineral, they may get metabolic bone disease. Moreover, there is oxalic acid in grapes.

When oxalic acid is supplied in high amounts or on a regular basis, it interacts with calcium to generate calcium oxalate, an insoluble molecule that inhibits calcium absorption. Similarly, excessive phosphorus in the diet causes calcium deficiency as it prevents calcium from being absorbed into the blood circulation. Although phosphorus is not too high, it is comparable to the small amount of calcium in grapes.

Grapes should only be consumed as a special treat. In bearded dragons, too much sugar can lead to obesity and cardiac issues. Grapes are high in water and might induce diarrhea if consumed often. So, the ideal approach to offer grapes to your pet is once a week or once every other week, in small amounts.

Can They Eat Grapes Leaves

Interestingly, leaves in the grapes plant are extremely healthy, they include more energy, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, protein, vitamin C, and K than in grapes themselves. Grape leaves have a greater calcium-to-phosphorus ratio than grapefruits, which is a significant benefit. Because of their great nutritional content, bearded dragons love these leaves.

Grape leaves are safe to feed to bearded dragons on a regular basis since they include more nutrients that are beneficial to their health. Bearded lizards can also consume grape skin, which is something you should know. The skin is easy to digest and does not induce constipation. They’re easy for bearded dragons to swallow.

As a result, there is no need to peel the grapes prior to feeding them. To rid chemicals and impurities from the skin, simply wash them completely with clean water. If the grape is little, you can either chop it or offer it whole. However, it is preferable to chop them first and remove any seeds that may be present. Also, learn Can Bearded Dragons Eat Peaches.

Things To Consider When Feeding Grapes

Make sure that grape seeds are not served when you decide to feed this fruit to your bearded dragon. You must wash the skin of grapes well. Make sure there is no chemical spray or fertilizers used on the fruit. Many pet parents like to cut the grapes in half to remove the seed. Bearded dragons might be able to eat the whole grape, but it may be a good idea to ensure that the seed is out.

You can feed any kind of grapes to your bearded pets. Red, purple, and green grapes are all favorites among bearded dragons. Each of these grape varieties is also safe to consume. However, make sure that the purple or red grapes are not too big as it can choke the dragon. Apart from choking, bigger fruit chunks can get stuck inside the intestines, causing impaction.

Impaction or clogging of the intestine can be a serious condition as bearded dragons cannot defecate and gradually this problem can lead to a lack of appetite. Bearded dragons become immobile as their lower body hurts. To avoid this situation, you must chop up bigger grapes, or cut the regular ones to remove the seeds. Furthermore, please read our guide to Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cherries.

Conclusion

So, yes, your bearded dragon could eat grapes. They are quite nutritious and provide plenty of moisture to your pet’s diet. However, it is best to only feed fresh grapes to them as the canned or processed grapes include excess sugars, artificial flavors, and preservatives that are harmful to bearded dragons.

Also, remember that grapes should only be consumed in moderation and not as a daily snack. To avoid upsetting the normal flow of things, limit fruit feedings to once a week. If you take a few measures, your bearded dragon will have no problems eating grapes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a bearded dragon eat grape seeds?

Firstly, not all grapes contain seeds. However, a few types of grapes contain small or big seeds inside them. As a rule of thumb, it is best to feed the seedless grapes to your pet dragon.

Can bearded dragons die if I feed them too many grapes?

No, bearded dragons will not die but they will become obese and irritable due to high sugar. Moreover, their calcium requirements will not be met, which means a weak skeletal system and soft bones.

Can bearded dragons eat grape skin?

Yes, it is fine to eat grapes without taking off the skin but you should wash the grapes carefully.