Bearded dragons can eat a variety of fruits. But there are fruits however that should not be given to them. If you are new to having beardies, you need to be careful feeding your reptile fruits.
So, can bearded dragons eat mulberries?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat mulberries on an occasional basis. This is because mulberries are a little bit acidic, have disproportionate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, and high water content.
The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is one of the most important considerations when choosing healthy foods for bearded dragons. The ideal ratio is 2:1 (calcium to phosphorus).
Water content is another thing to watch out for. Bear in mind that most fruits are too watery for beardies. Watery foods could potentially cause digestive issues in bearded dragons such as diarrhea.
Mulberries however contain other constituents that may or may not helpful for beardies. The table below summarizes the nutritional contents of mulberries.
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Table of Contents
Nutritional Facts of Mulberries
The table below is just the summary. The reality is that there are many nutrients not included in the table. Instead, the table only contains the most important ones for beardies.
Nutritional value per 100g
| Name | Amount | Unit |
| Energy | 43 | kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 9.8 | |
| Sugars | 8.1 | |
| Protein | 1.44 | |
| Vitamin C | 36.4 | mg |
| Calcium | 39 | mg |
| Phosphorus | 38 | mg |
| Water | 87.68 | g |
As you can see from the table, mulberries contain many nutrients that are good and not good for beardies. Let us discuss each constituent and their possible effect on beardies’ health.
Energy
Mulberries are high in calories. This means that these fruits are a good source of energy. This can be good especially for active bearded dragons. However, in captivity, beardies do not have enough physical activities therefore they don’t need more calories. Their consumption of high-calorie foods should be limited.
Carbohydrates
Mulberries also contain carbohydrates. It is also a source of energy. Again, bearded dragons in captivity should not be given foods that have high carbohydrate content.
This is because, if carbohydrates are not consumed by the body, it will be converted into fat. As a result, beardies that have too many carbs in their diet without physical activities will become fat and unhealthy.
Sugars
Sugar is another thing to watch out for when choosing foods for bearded dragons. Sweet foods are in fact dangerous to beardies. Their digestive system is not built for sugary foods.
Aside from water, fruits that are too sweet should not be fed to beardies regularly. It can only cause many potential health issues in bearded dragons.
Protein
Protein is important for beardies, especially for young ones. They need it to gain speedy growth. This is the reason why babies and juvenile bearded dragons eat more insects than greens.
Mulberries have a low amount of protein. Therefore, beardies get a little amount of protein every 100 grams of mulberries.
Vitamin C
The good thing about mulberries is that they are high in vitamin C. As you know, vitamin C is essential for the body to develop a stronger immune system. Bearded dragons can get a good amount of vitamin C from eating mulberries.
Calcium
Mulberries also have a considerable amount of calcium per 100 grams. Calcium is very important to bearded dragons to develop strong bones. The lack of calcium consumption will result in many health issues in beardies.
However, the calcium content in mulberries is not good when taken the ideal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio into consideration. I will dig deeper into this in the next section below.
Phosphorus
The phosphorus content of mulberries is comparable to calcium level. This is not good for bearded dragons. Bear in mind that foods for bearded dragons should have the ideal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 2:1.
Unfortunately, mulberries have a disproportionate ratio for calcium to phosphorus. This means that mulberries are not a good staple food for bearded dragons.
As mentioned in the beginning, foods that have disproportionate calcium and phosphorus content should be ruled out as beardies foods. If you are a beginner, you should be aware of this.
I lost a bearded dragon before due to wrong and bad decisions in picking food for my reptile. It is very important to take a look at the nutritional content of the food before feeding it to your beardie.
Water
As you can see from the table, mulberries have high water content. It is too much for bearded dragons. The bad thing about this is that if beardies eat too many of this fruit, they could suffer from diarrhea and other digestive issues.
As mentioned, aside from calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, water content is another thing to look out for. If you are feeding fruits to your bearded dragons, there is a high chance they get too much water from it.
This is because most fruits are too watery. It is the main reason why most fruits are ruled out as regular foods for beardies.
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Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mulberry Leaves?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat mulberry leaves. In fact, I have been feeding my beardies mulberry leaves for years. Leaves are nutritious and beardies seem to love it.
But because beardies are prone to impaction, the best way to offer mulberry leaves especially to young beardies is by getting the hard spine of the leaves removed. Larger mulberry leaves have a harder spine that could potentially cause an issue in bearded dragons.
Unlike the fruit, mulberry leaves are a very good source of protein. They can be perfect for young beardies. The good thing for my beardies, young and adult, is that they love mulberry leaves. For years, leaves caused no issues in my reptiles.
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Final Thoughts on Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mulberries
Mulberries contain many vitamins and minerals that may or may not good for bearded dragons. As discussed above, the negatives outnumbered the positives.
The most valid reasons why mulberries are not good for beardies on regular consumption is due to their disproportionate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and high water content.
However, this does not mean that beardies should not be given mulberries at all. Bearded dragons can still eat mulberries on an occasional basis only.
Mulberries are some of the fruits that are not a good staple food for bearded dragons. So make sure that you regulate your reptile’s consumption of this fruit.
I hope this helps. Thank you for reading.
