Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apricots

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apricots? (You Should Know This)

Can bearded dragons eat apricots? This is one of the most important questions a bearded dragon owner asks as far as choosing the right fruits for beardies goes.

The truth is that bearded dragons can have a variety of fruits. However, not all fruits are safe and healthy for bearded dragons.

So, can bearded dragons eat apricots?

Bearded dragons can eat apricots but only as a treat on rare occasions. This is because apricots contain disproportionate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

As you might already know, foods for bearded dragons should have the ideal calcium-to-phosphorus proportion. The ideal ratio is 2:1. Foods that don’t have this proportion should not be fed to beardies on a regular basis.

What do bearded dragons get from eating apricot? The table below summarizes the nutrients that beardies can get from having an apricot.

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Table of Contents

Nutritional Fact of Apricot

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apricots

Nutritional Content per 100g

NameAmountUnit
Calories48Kcal
Carbohydrate11g
Fat0.4g
Protein1.4g
Water86g
Vitamin B60.054mg
Vitamin C10mg
Calcium13mg
Phosphorus23mg
Source: Wikipedia

As you can see from the table, apricots are good sources of energy. This is essential for bearded dragons to make them healthy and active.

However, bearded dragons in captivity do not need much energy because they have less physical activities. The level of calories in apricots can be good for beardies in captivity.

Bearded dragons in the wild need more energy than in their artificial habitat. As a bearded dragon owner, you need to make sure that you don’t make your beardie fat.

Apricot also contain vitamin C. This is good to boost beardies’ immune system. The level is not that high and good for beardies.

However, there are two things that caused why apricots are ruled out as regular food for bearded dragons.

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Two Reason Why Apricots Should Not Be Part of Beardies’ Regular Diet

Although there are several benefits of feeding apricots to bearded dragons, there are things that make this fruit not good staple food for beardies.

The first one is the disproportionate ratio for calcium to phosphorus. As you know, bearded dragons need foods that have the right food that contain the right calcium and phosphorus content.

The ideal ratio is 2:1. As you can see from the table, apricots have less calcium and high phosphorus content. The ratio is a complete disproportion. This is not good for regular consumption.

The high phosphorus content may, in the long run, dwindle the calcium level in bearded dragons. When this happens, it will result in calcium deficiency which in turn causes another more serious health issue in bearded dragons.

One of the common heath issues is a metabolic bone disease. This condition can be fatal if not treated immediately.

The metabolic bone disease causes the bones in bearded dragons to become brittle and weak. This will also cause behavioral changes in your reptile. He/she might lose appetite, find difficulty in walking, sleeping, etc.

The second reason why apricots should not be part of beardies’ regular diet is their water content. Bearded dragons are prone to diarrhea and other digestive issues when ingested watery foods.

Because most fruits are too watery for beardies, you should be careful in feeding fruits to your reptile. This is also the reason why apricots should only be fed to bearded dragons rarely.

Choose other healthier fruits and greens instead. What I learned throughout the years of caring bearded dragons is that never try to feed beardies with foods that could potentially cause them health issues.

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How to Avoid Feeding Beaded Dragons with Watery Fruits?

Well, as a bearded dragon owner, you alone know what is the best for your reptile. Every bearded dragon is different.

What I can recommend minimizing watery fruits is to make fruits a small percentage of your reptile’s overall diet.

As a rule of thumb, bearded dragons’ diet should compose of greens, fruits, and live insects. For young bearded dragons, they should get about 80% protein-rich foods such as insects and 20% greens and fruits.

In adult bearded dragons, however, the number is the opposite. Matured beardies consume fewer insects (20%) but eat more greens and fruits (80%).

However, fruits should only compose about 10% of that 80%. In other words, although fruits are an important component of the beardies’ diet, it should be in minimal amount. This is generally due to their water content.

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Can Baby Bearded Dragon Eat Apricot?

Yes, baby bearded dragons can eat apricot. But unlike in adult beardies, baby beardies should eat an even smaller amounts of apricot.

The reason behind this is that baby bearded dragons eat a lesser amount of fruits than adult beardies. This means that, if they eat apricots, it should be on rare occasions.

Always remember that baby beardies are more prone to health issues. You need to be more mindful in deciding the right food to feed to your beardies.

I rather suggest feeding your baby bearded dragons with live insects. They need more protein-rich foods to allow them to grow faster and healthier.

How to Prepare Apricot for Bearded Dragons?

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apricots

Now, after reading all the benefits and negative sides of feeding beardies with apricots, it is your turn to decide. But if you really want to try apricots to your bearded dragons, you need to prepare them right.

Preparing apricots for bearded dragons is like preparing other fruits. Below are a few tips you can follow.

1. Choose the right apricots

This might seem insignificant. But the truth is, choosing the right fruit, in this case, apricot is very important. I highly recommend that you go with the fresh ones. Do not feed your beardies with dried apricots. Dried fruits lost their essential nutrients and therefore not healthy anymore for reptiles to eat.

2. Chop the apricot into small bite-size pieces

My second tip is to make sure that you give the right size to your bearded dragon. Always consider the distance between their eyes when preparing their foods. The space between their eyes is the exact size of food they can eat and swallow without causing them problems.

Bearded dragons are not good chewers. This means that they don’t thoroughly chew the food they swallow. So if you give them large chunks of foods, they could choke or suffer from impaction.

But before you do it, make sure that you thoroughly washed the fruit first before chopping. This is very important but often forgotten. Remember that beardies are prone to health issues when ingested unhealthy foods especially with those fruits that have insecticides and other chemicals. Washing will keep your reptile safe from deadly chemicals.

3. Mix apricots with other fruits and vegetables

As I mentioned earlier, you should not serve apricot as a main salad component. This is to avoid feeding your beardies with watery fruits. What you can do instead is mix it with other greens and vegetables.

The best thing about this technique is that it makes the salad more colorful and enticing for beardies to eat. This is great for picky bearded dragons. Chop all the fruits and greens finely to make it difficult for beardies to pick their favorite part of the salad.

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Final Thoughts on Can Bearded Dragons Eat Apricots

Apricots are fruits that contain disproportionate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. They also have high water content making them unfit for bearded dragons for regular consumption.

But this does not mean that beardies cannot eat apricot at all. Bearded dragons can eat apricots rarely. This is to keep them safe from potential health issues due to the high water content of this fruit.

I hope this helps you make the right decision for your bearded dragons. Thank you very much for reading.

Related Question

Do bearded dragons lay eggs?

Yes, bearded dragons lay eggs. But unlike other animals, they have a stage called gravid, this is similar to pregnancy.
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