Are you craving to feed tomatoes to your bearded dragons? Are you scared that they will show signs or symptoms of illness or abnormalities?
Check out this article to learn about bearded dragons and their tomato-eating ability.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomatoes?
Yes, Bearded dragons can and will eat tomatoes, but you have to feed them in small quantities and occasionally. Tomatoes are highly nutritious to bearded dragons, but you should regulate how you feed it to them.
Tomato is one of the numerous fruits bearded dragons love to eat amidst apple, banana, grape, etc.
Is it Safe for Bearded Dragons to Eat Tomatoes?
Tomatoes are safe fruits for bearded dragons. They contain enough nutrients that keeps the dragon alive and healthy. To ensure optimum safety of the tomato to your bearded dragon, you have to feed it to them once in a while.
Tomatoes are highly nutritious, providing bearded dragons with enough nutritional value at every meal. Here are a few of the nutritional value of feeding tomatoes to your bearded dragons;
- Low in Oxalates
- Low in Sugar
- High in Vitamin A
- Fibers
Oxalates are a natural acidic compound found in fruits, vegetables, seeds, etc. Bearded dragons do not tolerate acidic contents, so too many oxalates can cause great harm and damage their stomach lining and burn their mouth. Too many oxalates can also prevent the absorption of calcium and other minerals into the body.
Oxalates are a natural acidic compound found in fruits, vegetables, seeds, etc. Bearded dragons do not tolerate acidic contents, so too many oxalates can cause great harm and damage their stomach lining and burn their mouth. Too many oxalates can also prevent the absorption of calcium and other minerals into the body.
Tomatoes are low in sugar content, making them safe for bearded dragons to consume. Tomatoes save bearded dragons from suffering from diarrhea, diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, and several other sugar-related diseases. Compared to other fruits, tomatoes contain low sugar, which makes them a good fit for dragons.
One of the health benefits of tomatoes to bearded dragons is the high vitamin A content. It aids good vision for your dragon and also boosts the immune system of your dragon. It also aids reproduction, but you have to keep in mind that the touch of vitamin A can cause toxicity, so you should feed it to your dragons in low quantity.
Tomatoes are also rich in fibers, which makes them a good fruit for bearded dragons. Fibers aid digestion in dragons and prevents constipation. Feeding your tomato to your bearded dragons should be occasional to ensure they get enough fiber.
nutritional benefits of feeding your bearded dragon tomatoes
There are several other nutritional benefits of feeding your bearded dragon with tomatoes. To efficiently harness these values, you will have to feed the tomato to your dragons occasionally. Here are a few reasons why you should not feed your bearded dragons occasionally with tomatoes.
- Low in Calcium
- High in Phosphorus
- Water Content
Calcium is essential to bearded dragons; unfortunately, there isn’t much of it in tomatoes. Tomatoes contain low calcium, putting them at risk of metabolic bone diseases. Occasional consumption of tomatoes can put your bearded dragon at risk
Phosphorus combines with calcium preventing its absorption into the bloodstream. Calcium is highly essential to reptiles, but the excess phosphorus in tomatoes absorbs and combines with the calcium, making the bearded dragon deficient in calcium.
The water content in tomatoes is relatively high, especially when compared to other fruits. When consumed in large quantities or excess, it causes the bearded dragon to have too much water in its body. This water can cause diarrhea, causing the dragon to lose more water than it gained, and if not taken care of, death.
How Often Should Bearded Dragons Eat Tomatoes?
Although tomatoes offer many nutrients to bearded dragons, you should not feed them regularly. Only 10 percent of your dragon’s diet should be fruits, with tomatoes inclusive. Give them tomatoes once or twice a month with a quarter of a tomato at a time.
It is because tomatoes do not contain the needed amount of calcium for bearded dragons. It also contains too much phosphorus that can pose a risk to the lives of your reptiles. Restrict yourself from feeding tomatoes to your bearded dragons frequently for the good health of your dragons.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Small Tomatoes?
Bearded dragons will eat tomatoes, but it is best you fed them with small ones in small quantities. Large tomatoes can choke your dragon, so you should feed them with small chunks for its safety. Bearded dragons will feed on different types of tomatoes like grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or regular tomatoes.
These tomatoes are great because of their low sugar content. You cannot feed green tomatoes, tomato vines, tomato stems, or tomato leaves to bearded dragons. They are a bit toxic and can harm your dragon. Also, ensure to remove seeds from the tomatoes before feeding them to your reptiles, as seeds can be lethal to them.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomato Leaves?
Bearded dragons will eat tomato leaves if you feed them, although it is harmful to them. Tomato leaves are toxic and can be very lethal to bearded dragons. Please stay away from tomato leaves when feeding your bearded dragons to ensure their healthy feeding.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomato Worms?
Tomato worms or hornworms are quite a handful of insects that bearded dragons munch. These insects are a good addition to the dragon’s diet as they provide it with nutritional values. When feeding them to the dragons, you should ensure they do not make the major part of its insect diet.
Feed the tomato worms to the dragons 2 to 3 times a week. If they eat the worms moderately, there should not be any problems with your bearded dragons. Tomato worms are rich in proteins, making them a suitable meal for your reptile pets.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomato Seeds?
Tomato seeds are one of the tomato parts you should stay away from when feeding your bearded dragons. These seeds are toxic and can cause severe damage to the bearded dragons if consumed. Ensure you remove these seeds from the tomatoes before feeding them to the bearded dragons.
Bearded dragons are okay with the tomato fruit itself. Any other part of the tomato should undergo scrutiny before feeding it to the dragons. Also, know that every green part of the tomato is not safe for your bearded dragons, so you should stay away from them.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grape Tomatoes?
Tomatoes are suitable and safe for bearded dragons if fed in the appropriate dosage. Grape tomatoes include the varieties of tomatoes you can feed your bearded dragons with regular tomatoes and cherry tomatoes as companions. Ensure to feed the tomatoes in small quantities to your reptile.
Feeding large chunks can cause your dragon to choke or encounter other feeding issues. Also, ensure you do not feed them with tomatoes frequently or regularly. Grape tomatoes will make a good diet for your bearded dragons.
How to Prepare Tomatoes for Your Bearded Dragon
To efficiently feed your bearded dragon with tomato, you have to know how to prepare it. Inadequate preparation can cause you to feed them wrongly, which can be disastrous. You have some steps you can follow to prepare the tomatoes for your bearded dragons.
- The first thing to do is to get fresh and ripe tomatoes for your bearded dragons. Unripe or stale tomatoes can cause a problem for your bearded dragon. Only serve fresh and ripe tomatoes to your dragons.
- Wash the tomatoes thoroughly with water. There is a tendency for the tomato you got is dirty and full of germs, which is why you have to wash it to clean before feeding it to your bearded dragon.
- Note that you have to feed the tomatoes to your dragon raw and not cooked.
- Cut the tomato into sizable chunks. These chunks should be small enough to make eating easier for the dragons. The bearded dragons should be able to pick up the chunks with ease using their tongue.
- Serve the tomatoes to your dragons. Ensure you do not overfeed them with the tomatoes. The maximum you should feed your dragon is a quarter of the tomato.
You can either feed the tomato solo or with other fruits to make a fruit salad. Ensure you do not add the tomato flower to the meal for the safety of your dragon. Also, make sure you only feed the tomato to the dragons once in a while.
Can Baby Dragons Eat Tomatoes?
Baby bearded dragons can eat tomatoes if you feed them the right size. If the tomato becomes too big for the dragons, they might not feed on it as they will find it difficult to ingest it. You also have to feed the tomatoes to the baby dragons moderately to prevent them from falling sick.
Benefits for Bearded Dragons Eating Tomatoes
There are several benefits tomatoes provide to bearded dragons if you properly feed them. Some benefits of feeding tomatoes to your bearded dragons include;
- Tomatoes help bearded dragons with their digestion process.
- They prevent constipation.
- Tomatoes are good for vision in bearded dragons.
- It aids reproduction.
- It also boosts the immune system.
Conclusion
Bearded dragons will eat tomatoes if you give them to them. Tomatoes provide nutrients to dragons when fed moderately but cause grave harm when fed in excess. You also have to know how to prepare the tomato to ensure their good health.
Contents
- 1 Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomatoes?
- 2 Is it Safe for Bearded Dragons to Eat Tomatoes?
- 3 nutritional benefits of feeding your bearded dragon tomatoes
- 4 How Often Should Bearded Dragons Eat Tomatoes?
- 5 Can Bearded Dragons Eat Small Tomatoes?
- 6 Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomato Leaves?
- 7 Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomato Worms?
- 8 Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomato Seeds?
- 9 Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grape Tomatoes?
- 10 How to Prepare Tomatoes for Your Bearded Dragon
- 11 Can Baby Dragons Eat Tomatoes?
- 12 Conclusion