Can Bearded dragons eat grapes is your question? Then here is the answer to it. Bearded dragons can eat grapes, but only sometimes. If your bearded dragon has eaten a single grape, then it’s not toxic or will not cause any metabolic change in the body. Grapes are of great nutritive value and consist of water and carbohydrates. Grapes consumption in less quantity, i.e., one or two, will not cause any change in the body of the bearded dragon, but it can cause toxicity if given in more quantity. The oxalic acid compounds in the grapes combine with the calcium eaten by the bearded dragon, inhibiting its absorption. So let’s take a brief description related to the consumption of grapes by bearded dragons.

What Are the Components Present in Grapes? Can Bearded Dragon Eat Grapes?

Components Present in Grapes

Grapes consist of many components that are essential as well as harmful to the bearded dragon. So here is the list of the components with their importance in the diet of the bearded dragon. can bearded dragons eat grapes?

Water: 

Water is the biggest component in the grapes. There is around 80% of water in the grapes that you consume. Water can cause diarrhoea and some dehydration problems in your bearded dragon. But this can happen only if your bearded dragon consumes the grapes frequently or consumes more than one, so if you think that bearded dragons can eat grapes, then it’s yes.

Carbohydrates: 

The percentage of carbohydrates is around 18.1 g, and it is the second most common component in grapes. Consumption of a lot more grapes can cause hyperglycemia in your bearded dragons and can lead to dehydration. However, dehydration does not directly correlate with hyperglycemia.

Oxalic acid:

It is one of the toxic components that are present in grapes. Oxalic acid is digested in human beings, but the metabolism is different in bearded dragons. The bearded dragons consume the grapes, and the oxalic acid combines with the calcium leading to bony disorders. But if the grapes are given in less quantity, then they are no more harmful to your bearded dragons.

Calcium to the Phosphorous Ratio:

The grapes have a calcium-to-phosphorous ratio of around 1:2. The ideal requirement for the calcium-to-phosphorous ratio is 2:1, and it is opposite to what is expected or required. So here comes the problem. The phosphorous helps the absorption of calcium by combining it with calcium. So 2 molecules of phosphorous are required for the absorption of calcium. The deficiency of phosphorous leads to bony disorder, i.e., metabolic bone disease.

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So these were the most common components present in grapes. There are some other minerals, such as energy, protein, fats, fibre, and potassium. You will also get some anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin C and vitamin A. Some most famous minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and oxalates, are present in the grapes. So all these components help grapes to be one of the most nutritive substances to consume. can bearded dragons eat grapes?

What Are the Serious Problems with Feeding Bearded Dragons with Grapes?

There can be many serious problems if you are feeding your bearded dragon with grapes in large quantities. The components such as water, carbohydrates, and oxalic acid increase the risk of developing these disorders in the bearded dragon and can lead to deformity in your beardie. So here are the disorders provided below with their details and how the components contribute to having such conditions. So let us start;

MBD(Metabolic Bone Disease): 

This is the most common disorder that your bearded dragon can suffer from frequent consumption of grapes in large quantities. MBD is a bone disorder in which the bones become fragile. The main components that keep the bones strong are calcium and phosphorous. However, phosphorous helps the active absorption of calcium and is not directly involved in bone formation. Calcium is responsible for bone formation. The main problem with your bearded dragon starts here.

Oxalic acid is one of the most important components present in grapes. The oxalic acid, in combination with the calcium, decreases the absorption of the calcium from the gut of the bearded dragon. And without calcium absorption, the blood calcium becomes less. This is related to the decrease in osteoporosis and the bones becoming fragile. So as a consequence, the bones of your beard will become less strong and will sometimes get broken easily. This will result from the walking deformity of your bearded dragon. This way, grapes can become toxic due to the oxalic acid component present in them.

Diarrhoea:

Diarrhoea is not a serious issue that is caused by the consumption of grapes by a beaded dragon. As grapes are the most common source of water as well as carbohydrates, there are chances that there can be diarrhoea due to the absorption of more water and the removal of the same. Consumption of a lot of grapes can lead to diarrhoea.

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Dehydration:

Dehydration is the component that results after diarrhoea. Loose stools can cause a serious loss of water from the body of the bearded animal and can even cause death it. So you need to take care of it while feeding your bearded dragon with the grapes.

Kidney Stones:

The presence of oxalates and oxalic acid in the grapes becomes a serious issue as kidney stones. So it would help if you avoided excess consumption of grapes by your bearded dragon to avoid such conditions. can bearded dragons eat grapes.

What Must Be the Ideal Diet for My Bearded Dragon?

Ideal Diet for My Bearded Dragon

Bearded dragons are omnivorous, i.e., they can eat both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian diets. Most of the components in the diet of your bearded dragon in its initial days of life must be vegetable-based, i.e., plant components. Once it is mature and well grown, then you can switch to the non-vegetarian, i.e., animal-based components. 

Vegetable-based component: You can give leafy vegetables and other vegetables to your bearded dragon frequently. Along with it, you can also give some of the fruits. If the vegetable diet among the total diet of your bearded dragon is 60 %, then fruits must be at least 10 to 15 per cent of this. You can give the mixed fruit and vegetable diet to your bearded dragon. The leafy vegetables or the leaves of certain plants are the favourite food of beardies.

Animal-based diet: Initially, in the first few days of the bearded dragon’s life, you must be quite sophisticated about providing the animal-based diet. Once your bearded dragon is well grown, you can provide 60 to 70 % of the diet included as the animal-based diet.

So the combination of an animal-based and vegetable-based diet is essential for good nourishment as well as well-growth of bearded dragons. Your vet will provide you detailed information related to the dietary components depending on the age and kind of beardo you have.

How Must One Feed Grapes to Their Bearded Dragon?

There is a special type of process to feed grapes to your bearded dragon. This process will help your bearded dragon to digest grapes well and will not suffer any consequences from the consumption of grapes.

  • First of all, make sure that you are not going to feed more than one grape at a time.
  • Also, take a seedless soft coat, i.e., the coat of the grape must not be hard.
  • And also, consider feeding one or two grapes a month to your bearded dragoon.
  • While feeding, you will need to wash the grapes thoroughly.
  • Then after this, clean the grape and rinse it in water.
  • Simply remove the coating of the grape so that the inner pulp will be easier to eat by the bearded dragon.
  • Then you will need to make small pieces of grapefruit while making the small pieces.
  • Make sure that you need to consider the mouth size of the beardie while cutting the pieces.
  • Cut the small pieces so that they will be easy to consume by the bearded dragon.
  • Also, you can give them some leafy vegetables along with the grapes.
  • Instead, it would help if you crushed the grapes and then mixed them with the leaves, and then you could serve the mixture to your bearded dragon.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Are Grapes Harmful to Bearded Dragons?

Yes, the grapes become harmful to your bearded dragon if they are consumed in a lot more quantity. If your bearded dragon is eating one or two units of grapes once a month, then it becomes a nutritious diet for your bearded dragon. But talking about the lesser quantity of grapes, i.e., one or two at a time, then it does not harm a lot to your bearded dragon. The problems such as dehydration, diarrhea, MBD, and Kidney stones are one of the most common diseases that can take place with your bearded dragon if you are giving your bearded dragons grapes a lot. can bearded dragons eat grapes

Is the Grape Coating Harmful to the Bearded Dragon?

As such, the grapes coating is not any harmful substance if your bearded dragon has consumed it. But if it’s quite hard, then it can turn out to be a harmful substance as it can cause blockage in the digestive system of the beardie and can cause severe blotting issues. In such conditions, you will need to visit your vet and take essential treatment for the same. Also, if your provided grapes have a hard covering, then you must remove the coating as it can also have the pesticide spray that can hamper the metabolism of the bearded dragon. So removing the coat is the best solution before feeding your bearded dragon with the grapes.

Are Seeded Grapes Good for the Bearded Dragon?

Ans: No, seeded grapes are less good than seedless grapes. The seeded grapes will have a hard seed in them, and it can block the upper GIT passage causing the blockage in the respiratory airway. Also, there can be blockage by the seed into the GIT causing serious issues such as blotting, constipation, and GI bleeding. So removing the seed or directly providing the seedless grapes to your bearded dragon is important.

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