You will hardly find a person who shakes his head sideways (to say No) when you offer grapes to him. Undoubtedly, grapes are a highly delicious and nutritious fruit that is popular among kids and adults alike. We know that bearded dragons are omnivores, which means they can eat vegetables, fruits, and meat though there is a limit to everything. In fact, if you give a bearded dragon option to choose between a fruit and a vegetable, he will go for the fruit. However, it’s not that they can eat all the fruits; you will have to choose wisely what your bearded friend can eat and can’t eat. What about grapes, Can bearded dragons eat grapes? Is it safe to feed grapes to a bearded dragon? Or how much and how often a bearded dragon can eat grapes?
“YES,” grapes are on the list of safe fruits for bearded dragons, though the list is not very long. Since grapes are delicious, our bearded friends like to eat them; grapes are as beneficial for bearded dragons as for humans.
Nutritional Benefits Of Grapes
A few significant benefits that a bearded dragon can get from grapes are given below:
- Because of its high fiber, it is beneficial to the digestive system.
- Don’t cause acidity like some citrus fruits.
- Good for hydration due to its high water content (45% to 68%).
- Good for the cardiovascular system due to its high potassium contents and antioxidants.
- These antioxidants also help fight inflammation and allergies.
- Because of its high sugar content, it is an excellent source of energy.
How Much And How Often A Bearded Dragon Can Eat Grapes?
To better understand how much and how often you can offer grapes to your bearded friend, it’s crucial to know the nutritional composition of grapes. See the table given below.
| Nutrient | Amount (Per cup of grapes) |
| Calories | 62 |
| Fat | 0.3g |
| Sodium | 2mg |
| Fiber | 1g |
| Sugar | 22g |
| Vitamin A | 4.6mg |
| Vitamin C | 3.68mg |
| Vitamin K | 13.4mg |
| Protein | 0.6g |
| Potassium | 288mg |
| Calcium | 15mg |
| Magnesium | 11mg |
| Phosphorus | 30mg |
At first glance, you may get the impression that everything is fine, and to some extent, you are right. However, look at number 5; the sugar contents are pretty high. Generally, a cup of grapes contains 32 grapes, so two grapes have approximately 1.40 grams of sugar, which is too much for a bearded dragon because their bodies are not made to eat a lot of sugar. In addition, phosphorus contents are higher than calcium, and such a phosphorus-to-calcium ratio is not recommended for beardie feed.
So it is recommended by reptile experts that it’s enough to offer two grapes once a week to your bearded friend. Anything more than this means more sugar intake, which can lead to some medical issues and obesity.
Does Grape’s Variety Matter?
Now you may be wondering what variety of grapes we are talking about (red, green, or purple grapes). Well, you can offer any variety of grapes to your bearded friend (according to the above recommendations) because there is no significant difference in the nutritional makeup of all the varieties.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grape Leaves?
Bearded dragons may or may not eat grape leaves depending on their individual preferences; however, grape leaves are perfectly as safe and nutritious for beardies as grapes. Grape leaves are rich in Proteins, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Potassium. In fact, from a bearded dragon’s point of view, grape leaves are more advantageous than grapes because of their
- Higher fiber contents than grapes
- Fewer sugar contents than grapes
- Fewer oxalates than grapes
- More calcium than phosphorus (a recommended calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for beardies)
Points To Remember
- Grape seeds are not suitable for your bearded friend because grape seeds can cause impaction. So make sure to remove seeds from each grape.
- Never forget to cut the grapes into small pieces before offering them to your bearded dragon to avoid choking.
- Last but not least, never exceeds the recommended amount and frequency of feeding grapes.
