You may have surely heard the proverb, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” However, are apples good for humans only? Can’t our bearded friends enjoy this delicious and juicy fruit?
Contrary to what most people think (that bearded dragons are pure predators), these lizards are omnivores that need a lot of variety in their food. In fact, an adult beardie needs only 30% of insects in their diet, while the rest of 70% must consist of vegetables, greens, and fruit. So, as the apple season arrives, the most commonly asked question by bearded dragon owners is, “can bearded dragons eat apples?” “Are apples safe for bearded dragons to eat?” “How much and how often a bearded dragon can eat apples? etc.
In fact, such a huge number of queries made us compile information regarding bearded dragons and apples in one place. So we created this post, where you will find the answer to all the questions you are wondering about.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apples?
The proverb mentioned above is true for bearded dragons also, but with a bit of modification, and we need to replace the word “day” with week. So YES, bearded dragons can definitely eat an apple; in fact, the apple is one of a few fruits that you can safely feed your beardie on a regular basis.
Nutritional Benefits Of Apples For Bearded Dragons
Apples are a nutrient-dense package that is beneficial to both humans and bearded dragons. Though there are a lot of benefits to offering the apple to your bearded friend, a few more significant benefits are listed below.
- Support the immune system, eyes, reproduction system, and growth due to the presence of vitamins A & C.
- Being rich in fiber make apples good for digestion.
- A great source of energy due to the high level of carbohydrates and other sugars.
- Improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system, renal system, and muscles due to high potassium levels.
- Contain a lot of iron that improves the oxygen-carrying ability of red blood cells.
- Apples provide sufficient hydration because they have a significant amount of water.
How Much And How Often A Bearded Dragon Can Eat Apples?
Before deciding how much and how often we can offer applies to our bearded friend, I would like you to look at the apples’ nutritional composition.
| Nutrient | Green Apple (Amount Per 100grams) | Red Apple (Amount Per 100grams) |
| Water | 85.1 g | 84.7 g |
| Protein | 0.27 g | 0.19 g |
| Fiber | 2,5 g | 2 g |
| Sugar | 10.6 g | 12.2 g |
| Calcium | 5 mg | 5 mg |
| Phosphorus | 10 mg | 9 mg |
| Magnesium | 5.1 mg | 4.7 mg |
| Potassium | 116 mg | 95 mg |
Looking at the table, anyone can easily imagine how nutritious and beneficial apples are. However, if you are considering feeding apples to your bearded friend, you need to analyze the table more closely. The water and sugar contents are much higher for a bearded dragon. Apples mostly contain sugar in the form of “fructose,” and ingesting too much fructose can cause diarrhea. In addition, the sugar requirement of beardies is not very high.
So, most reptile experts advise that you should offer only a few bite-size apples one to two times a week to ensure that your bearded can get the most out of it.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apple Peels & Seeds?
No, apple peels are not for bearded dragons (though it’s safe for humans) because they can’t chew the peels due to their hard texture. So offering apple peels can cause choking or impaction. In addition, the peels may contain residues of pesticides and other sprays that can be life-threatening for your beardie.
As far as apple seeds are concerned, they contain a toxic compound, and even humans are not recommended to eat apple seeds. So there is no question about feeding apple seeds to your beardie. In addition, seeds are much harder than peels, so they can cause severe impaction.
Take Home Message
If you like apples, your bearded friend likes them too. However, feed only a small amount 1-2 times weekly, and make sure to remove the peels and seeds and cut them into small pieces that your beardie can engulf easily.
