Can Bearded Dragons Eat Watermelon? |BDG

Watermelon is a sweet, delicious summer treat that is made of 92% water. This sweet treat is equally liked by humans as well as animals. If you put some watermelon in front of your bearded dragon, he’ll gobble up it. But is it safe for bearded dragons to eat watermelons? Can bearded dragons eat watermelon?

Can Bearded Dragon Watermelons?

The short answer is:

Yes, Bearded Dragons can eat watermelons rarely (once a month or less) as a treat.
No, they can’t eat watermelons daily or weekly.

Bearded dragons can eat watermelons as treat only in limited quantities. You can feed watermelons to your bearded dragon only once a month or even less. Watermelon is not very nutrient-dense for bearded dragons, so far less beneficial, this is one of the reasons to limit its quantity.

How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Watermelon?

Sweet watermelon consists of 92% water, making it a rich source of hydration for your bearded dragon. But it also means that only 8% of nutrients are present in watermelon which is quite less for bearded dragon needs. So, bearded dragons can only eat a few small pieces of watermelon once a month or less.

What Are Nutrient Benefits Of Watermelon For Bearded Dragons?

When you feed watermelon to your bearded dragon, they will receive following they do eat watermelon, they’ll receive a few key vitamins and minerals:

Vitamin C and beta carotene. They strengthen the bearded dragon’s immune system, reproduction, vision, and overall growth.
Magnesium. It aids the bearded dragon’s metabolism and prevents inflammation.
Potassium. It helps regulate bearded dragon blood pressure.

So, in a controlled amount, watermelon can be beneficial for your bearded dragon and your pet dragon will love this sweet water-rich fruit. You can feed watermelon as a dessert, not as the main course to your bearded dragon.

Why Can’t Bearded Dragons Have Watermelon Every Day?

Till now, you know that bearded dragons can eat watermelon and watermelon is beneficial for them in limited amounts. So, why can’t you feed bearded dragons watermelon every day as the main course of a meal?

Frankly speaking, watermelon is dangerous for your bearded dragon, when fed daily or in uncontrolled quantity. It can even become deadly for your bearded dragon.

Following are the key reasons to limit the quantity of watermelon for your bearded dragon:

Sugar-Related Health Concerns:

In the wild, bearded dragons don’t consume a sugar-rich diet. Their body is not immune to high sugar content. Similarly, when kept in captivity as pets, bearded dragons need a balanced diet that doesn’t have a lot of sugar. Otherwise, they will face a risk of obesity, liver problems, tooth, and gum decay, or even diabetes.

Watermelons are sweet fruits that have high sugar content. Consuming too much watermelon can lead to liver problems, diabetes, and tooth and gum decay, which can lead to inflammation and bone issues as well. So, it’s recommended to limit the amount of watermelon to a minimum, i.e. once a month or even less.

To learn more about the bearded dragon diet, you can read the following:

Calcium Depletion – High Phosphorous:

Calcium is very important for bearded dragon’s health and overall well-being. The absence or depletion of calcium can cause many problems like weaker bones, weaker tissues, or even Metabolic Bone Disease or MBD.

Watermelon contains both calcium as well as phosphorous. Phosphorous tends to bind calcium and stops its absorption in bearded dragon bloodstreams. So, foods, which have high calcium and low phosphorous are only fed to bearded dragons as their regular diet. The recommended calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is 1:1 or 1:2.

In the case of watermelons, there is more phosphorous than calcium which can lead to calcium deficiency and can cause many health problems i.e. bone deterioration, or Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD).

To learn more about calcium and vitamin D3, you can read the following:

Digestive Issues – Over Hydration:

Watermelons are made of 92% water, they can be beneficial for bearded dragons to get them hydrated. However consuming too much watermelon can lead to over-hydration, which will lead to diarrhea and diarrhea will lead to dehydration. Diarrhea due to overhydration is dangerous and you need to call your vet if your beaded dragon is suffering from it.

How Can Bearded Dragons Eat Watermelon?

So, till now we have learned that watermelons are safe for bearded dragons in safe quantities and you can feed your bearded dragon’s watermelons once a month or even less. But How do feed your bearded dragon watermelon?

For this, you have two options.

Seeded watermelon.
Seedless watermelon.

You can feed them both types of watermelons, i.e. seeded or seedless.

Remember, always remove the seeds of all fruits including watermelons. Seeds are difficult to chew, eat, and digest and can cause impaction, digestive issues, or choking. So, you need to remove all seeds, both black and white, before feeding watermelon to your pet dragon.

Always give your bearded dragon the soft red part of the watermelon. Avoid the hard white part which is difficult to chew.

You can do the following to feed your bearded dragon watermelon:

Get organic watermelon and wash it to remove all the chemicals, dust, and preservatives.
Cut a small portion of melon for your bearded dragon.
Remove all the seeds.
Cut the pink flesh into small chewable pieces.
Place them into the food bowl.
Place the bowl into the bearded dragon’s tank.
Enjoy the view.

Watermelons are sweet and your bearded dragon will love to eat them. You can add it to other calcium-rich veggies to persuade your dragon to eat them as well. You can also add watermelon to the salad.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.