Because bearded dragons have grown in popularity in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of queries that individuals who possess a bearded dragon as a pet have. With the species’ popularity growing by the month, we anticipate a rise in the amount of queries as time goes on. Because we frequently see the same questions asked over and again, we’ve decided to start producing dedicated articles for the most frequently asked questions.
Although we nearly always see individuals reaching out and asking questions like “What do bearded dragons eat?” because the topic is so general, we like to focus on the more specific inquiries we encounter. For today’s post, we’ve decided to focus on the subject “Can bearded dragons eat tomatoes?” since we’ve observed an increase in the number of individuals contacting us and particularly inquiring if tomatoes are okay for their bearded dragon.
Although many individuals include tomatoes in their bearded dragon diet, they should not be given on a regular basis, and in all honesty, we wouldn’t give tomatoes more than once a week at most. Although a little quantity of tomato in their diet can be deemed healthy eating owing to their excellent nutritional profile, we would only utilize them on occasion due to their high acidity levels.
We’ll now go through the details of a tomato, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of feeding them to your pet bearded dragon. Before we go any further, we’d like to point out that a huge percentage of bearded dragons will eat everything you put in front of them. Just because your pet bearded dragon will eat tomato, maybe in bigger quantities, does not mean you should allow it to do so, since there are alternate food alternatives available for it to eat, as we shall discuss.
Tomatoes Are Bad For Bearded Dragons?
Tomatoes, as previously mentioned, have a high acidity level, and some bearded dragons may refuse to consume them when compared to other popular fruits and vegetables commonly offered to bearded dragons. Although this acid is typically OK in tiny doses, allowing your bearded dragon to consume tomatoes on a daily basis might cause problems for your pet. Although the amount of tomato that individuals give their pet bearded dragon varies per owner, it appears that a sixth of a regular size tomato sliced into much smaller pieces once per week is the standard serving size that we see people go with. Simply chop the tomato into little pieces before feeding it to your pet bearded dragon to guarantee that it can readily consume them.
This is why we always advocate only using tomato to supplement your bearded dragon’s meal, with the majority of what they consume consisting of an appropriate bearded dragon primary food mix and other fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement. This provides your bearded dragon with a balanced nutritional profile and ensures that it receives all of the vitamins and minerals that it needed to live a long and healthy life.
A Note About Baby Bearded Dragons and Tomatoes
We just wanted to make a brief note to emphasize that we would never recommend tomatoes for a newborn bearded dragon because they are possibly dangerous. Because of their tiny size, it is easier for potentially dangerous acid levels to accumulate in them and create long-term problems. Baby and perhaps young bearded dragons should always be fed an appropriate food source, with non-acidic fruits and vegetables included into their diet as well.
Exceptional Vitamin and Mineral Content
Tomatoes, on the other hand, give some good nutritional value with some vitamins and minerals that are not present in such quantity as other meals from the fruit and vegetable category. This is why some bearded dragon owners may still add tomatoes to their bearded dragon’s diet in tiny amounts to supplement their nutritional intake.
When it comes to vitamins, a serving of tomato contains significant levels of the following:
- Thiamin
- Folate
- Vitamin B12
- Riboflavin
- Niacin
- Vitamin B6
- Pantothenic Acid
- Choline
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Betaine
Tomatoes, on the other hand, have a high mineral content and may be added to the diet of your pet bearded dragon. A serving of tomato has adequate amounts of the following minerals:
Calcium
Magnesium Iron
Phosphorus
Potassium
Sodium, Zinc, Copper, and Manganese
Fluoride of Selenium
Tomatoes are high in nutrients, however owing to the acidity issue mentioned previously, many individuals who own bearded dragons choose to feed their pets other fresh fruits and vegetables. Other favorite fruits and vegetables for bearded dragons are papayas, peeled bananas, apples, raspberries, plums, peaches, pears, melons, pineapples, cherries, and grapes. Just be sure to limit the fruit-based treats to approximately 20% of your bearded dragon’s overall diet consumption for maximum health.
Good Fiber Source
Although there are more fiber-rich foods available, a normal tomato has about 1% fiber, and with a bearded dragon, every little bit helps. Unfortunately, bearded dragons are prone to constipation and impaction, the latter of which can be fatal. Although include enough of fiber in your bearded dragon’s diet is not guaranteed to avoid these illnesses, it is thought to help reduce the risk. Furthermore, fiber is vital in any bearded dragon’s diet since it keeps your bearded dragon regular and supports good digestion.
teeming with water
Although this is not usually an issue with the normal bearded dragon’s diet until they are in their later years, some bearded dragons will go off their water at random and not drink anything near the needed quantities. Although not as frequent as some of the other difficulties that bearded dragons might face, the fruits and vegetables mentioned above, as well as tomatoes, are excellent ways to persuade your bearded dragon to consume its water intake instead.
To be clear, we are not recommending that you remove your bearded dragon’s water supply and only feed it high water content meals, but this is a wonderful method to sneak some water into your bearded dragon if you suspect it is dehydrated. Most bearded dragons will just focus on the meal and wolf it down without a second thought. Because many fruits contain more than 80% water and many veggies include more than 70% water, this is a nice little technique to carry in your back pocket in case you ever need it.
How Do You Cook Tomatoes for Your Bearded Dragon?
Although we said it previously, if you do decide to feed your bearded dragon tomatoes, the preparation is relatively simple when compared to some of the other fruits and vegetables that bearded dragons enjoy. Simply split the tomato into sixths and then slice one of the portions into extremely little pieces that your tomatoes can easily consume. Depending on where you got the tomatoes, you might want to give it a quick wash with cold water to remove any pesticides that may have remained on it, but other than that, you’re pretty much done.
Some individuals remove the seeds from the tomato before feeding it to their bearded dragon, and others have their own method. At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is to chop it small enough to make it as easy for your bearded dragon to consume as possible. Again, as we have stated several times throughout this essay, we would not advocate allowing bearded dragons to consume tomatoes more than once a week.
Other than tomatoes, what do bearded dragons eat?
We discussed several alternatives for your pet previously in the post, but papayas, peeled bananas, apples, raspberries, plums, peaches, pears, melons, pineapples, cherries, and grapes are popular choices. Having said that, while watermelon and pineapples are popular choices, they can have comparable difficulties to tomatoes due to their somewhat greater acidity levels than other fruits.