ᐅ Can Bearded Dragons Eat Strawberries?

image of bearded dragon, strawberries breast, and a text saying: can bearded dragons eat strawberries?

The Pros and Cons Of Feeding Strawberries To your Beardie

Strawberries are refreshing, tasty treats for bearded dragons. Strawberries are not toxic and will not cause any harm if taken in moderation or as an occasional treat.

Can bearded dragons eat strawberries? Yes, your bearded dragon can eat strawberries but not as an everyday item.

This article will touch on strawberries’ pros and cons and nutritional value in a bearded dragon’s diet.

Nutritional Value Of Strawberries

Nutritional Value of Strawberries per 100 Gram

Nutrient Name	Amount
Water	90.95 g
Energy	32 kcal
Protein	0.67 g
Fat	0.3 g
Carbohydrates	7.48 g
Fiber	2 g
Sugar	4.89 g
Calcium	16 mg
Phosphorus	24 mg
Potassium	153 mg
Vitamin C	58.8 mg
Vitamin A	1 ug
Iron	0.41 mg
Magnesium	13 mg

Pros Of Feeding Strawberries To Your Bearded Dragons

Antioxidants And Minerals

Magnesium and iron helps to maintain a beardie’s bone, tissue and blood health.

Antioxidants strengthen your bearded dragon’s immune and digestive systems

Vitamin C

The key to a healthy immune system is vitamin C. It plays a part in many regenerative processes. Vitamin C helps repair, grow, and develop your bearded dragon’s body tissue.

It also helps maintain your bearded dragon’s bones and iron absorption.

Water

As with most fruit, strawberries have a high water level of almost 91%. While eating a strawberry won’t be enough to keep your beardie hydrated for the day, every drop helps them reach their daily quota.

Fiber

Constipation is a common problem with bearded dragons brought on by many factors such as a poor diet and dehydration.

The fiber contained in strawberries, coupled with the water content, can help ease the symptoms of dehydration and poor diet.

Cons Of Strawberries In Your Bearded Dragons Diet

Calcium

The amount of calcium is essential for muscle contractions, bone development, and proper egg development & good reproductive health in females.

Unfortunately, a poor intake of calcium can lead to metabolic bone disease.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BEARDED DRAGON FROM CALCIUM DEFICIENCY

There are many ways to protect your bearded dragon from a lack of calcium and its effects. :

A healthy diet. Feed your dragon calcium-rich foods that are low in phosphorus and oxalates. Keep an eye on the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in fruits and veggies. You do not want to feed your dragon foods with a higher phosphorus content than the calcium one, which will deplete your dragon’s calcium supply.

Provide proper supplementation. Offer calcium and Vitamin D3 regularly. Whether you choose a liquid or powder variety, always make sure the supplements contain no phosphorus. Try our phosphorus-free Reptile Greens & Calcium Powder to keep your bearded dragon healthy.

Proper UVB lighting. Twelve hours of UVB exposure a day is ideal.

Change the bulb in your dragon’s tank every six months or so, no later than every year.

Know the signs of deficiency and illness. These include trouble walking, lethargy, and swollen limbs.

Take your bearded pet dragon out in the sun. Bearded dragons love walks! Not only will they enjoy the exercise, but their bodies will love Vitamin D3.

Obesity,

The sweetness in strawberries comes from sugar. If you feed strawberries to your bearded dragon regularly, it can cause weight gain.

Obesity causes various health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

A high sugar intake increases the risk of getting these diseases.

Dental Health

Strawberries have a high sugar level leading to plaque and tartar buildup, which can cause tooth decay.

What Is Metabolic Bone Disease?

Many bearded dragon owners are not aware of the symptoms of metabolic bone disease.

Dragons’ bodies need calcium so much that if the body becomes deficient, it starts pulling calcium from its bones, causing metabolic bone disease (MBD). Unfortunately, MBD is one of the most common diseases among domestic bearded dragons, but it is so easily preventable with proper diet and care.

Alert your vet immediately if you notice any signs of metabolic bone disease in your bearded dragon. These include:

Lack of appetite

Lethargy and weakness
Stress
Constipation

Receded lower jaw
Swollen limbs and jaw
Bumps along the spine or bones

Soft jaw, and facial bones
Bowed limbs and arched spine
Fractures and broken bones

Greenstick fractures (folded or bent bones)
Trembling and twitching limbs
Tremors and seizures

Paralysis or difficulty moving

Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Strawberries?

Strawberries are not toxic to baby bearded dragons but eating them can contribute to health problems.

Young beardies are prone to calcium deficiency and metabolic bone disease, significantly affecting their growth and strength.

In your baby beardie’s diet, we recommend you include food such as mango, pineapple, collard greens, dandelion greens, and more.

How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Strawberries

Strawberries have high nutritional value for people and beardies alike. They also have relatively lower phosphorus to calcium ratios than other fruits, although the amount of phosphorus in strawberries is higher than the amount of calcium in them.

Strawberries are also easy for dragons to eat since they are so soft and the seeds are too small to pose a choking hazard.

You will want to avoid feeding the stems to your dragon though.

Because of these qualities, bearded dragons can have strawberries as a treat once a week or less frequently, depending on what other fruits are on their feeding schedule.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Strawberry Leaves and Seeds?

Strawberry Leaves

As a bearded dragon owner, we are sure you’d want to know if it’s alright to let your bearded dragon snack on strawberry leaves.

The answer to this question is a resounding yes.

You can safely feed your bearded dragon strawberry leaves containing antioxidants.

They can help lower blood sugar, boost the immune system, and help maintain a healthy weight.

Strawberry leaves are even known to help with bouts of diarrhea and other poop-related issues.

Strawberry Seeds

If you’ve been hesitant to give strawberries to your bearded dragon because of the seeds, you don’t need to worry. The seeds in strawberries are perfectly safe, and you don’t need to take them out or scrape them off before feeding time.

Strawberry seeds are very tiny, so they won’t get stuck in your beardie’s digestive tract or lead to health complications (it’s not uncommon to see some in their poop). Still, too many strawberry seeds can cause stomach problems, so you’ll want to limit the number of strawberries you give your bearded dragon.

Preparing Strawberries For Your Bearded Dragon

Preparing strawberries for your bearded dragon is easy. . Just follow these steps.

Inspect The Strawberry

It’s going to be very important to make sure that the strawberries that you give your bearded dragon are both pesticide-free and herbicide-free.

We highly recommend only giving your bearded dragon strawberries certified to be organic

Wash It Off

This step may seem pretty obvious, but it’s essential to thoroughly clean the strawberries that you will give to your bearded dragon.

Cut It Into Small Pieces

After the strawberries have been checked and washed; it’s crucial to make sure that they’re easy for your bearded dragon to eat. We suggest cutting the strawberries into small, bite-sized pieces that will be tempting and manageable for your bearded dragon to eat.

Place The Pieces In A Bowl And Monitor Your Beardie

When it’s time to give your beardie the tasty strawberries you prepared, you have several options when it comes to how you present them.

Rather than just placing the strawberries in a bowl, we suggest mixing the strawberries into the vegetables or greens that you are giving them. This can help them get used to the taste of strawberries if they are a new food item.

Conclusion

Like many fruits, strawberries are safe for bearded dragons to eat; they can eat strawberries in moderation once every one to two weeks. Bearded dragons can also eat strawberry leaves and seeds.

As a responsible bearded dragon owner, it is vital to research any new food you want to introduce into your beardie’s diet. Even the most healthy plant can have severe health issues.

Continue to read our main article “What do Bearded Dragons Eat?” for all the ins and outs on general diet questions, and get a further detailed breakdown of other popular foods in the articles below: