Dude i love me some cantaloupe. You probably have some leftover cantaloupe in the fridge and you’re probably wondering ” can bearded dragons eat cantaloupe? Keep reading!
The truth is yes they can eat cantaloupe however you need to understand the risks if you want to be feeding your bearded dragon cantaloupe
What do i do? Can bearded dragons eat cantaloupe?
To give the answer quickly yes they can but its under the treat only status!
what that means is basically your beaded dragon should only eat it around 1-2 times a month.
You’re probably wondering why so i will answer that here
while cantaloupe does have lots of vitamins and minerals that are healthy for your beardie they need to restrict it because of sugar. Too much sugar content can lead to many health issues in your beaded dragon as well as yourself!
The other issue is over hydration. Too much water will cause lots of Diarrhea. This will lead to dehydration as the body tries to get rid of all the excess water.
Bearded dragons are from dry and hot climates.
This means they are used to only getting a certain amount of water. You should obviously give them a water bowl but feeding them too much fruit in general will give them too much water content in their little bodies
This is a common theme for bearded dragons and fruits. i actually have a guide for you to read if you;re interested in reading it and its all about the best bearded dragon diet (open me)
You need to be careful with the phosphorus to calcium ratio
This is vital to your bearded dragons health. If your bearded dragon is consuming too much phosphorus the calcium will not be able to be absorbed into the bloodstream
when a bearded dragon has that happen they will become calcium deficient! and that can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease
i left you a link to my whole post about that. If you’re serious about owning a beardie you should be aware of the potential risks
i don’t want to sound all doom and gloom on you because its actually pretty easy to maintain this kind of diet safely.
The ratio for phosphorus to calcium needs to be 1:1 for it to be ok for your bearded dragon to eat.
Cantaloupe is actually a 1:1.5 on the phosphorus side.
This is actually pretty good compared to some of the other fruit out there but you still need to be careful.
Stick to once or twice a month!
Why Bearded dragons should eat cantaloupe
its actually good for them… just keep it low.
Cantaloupe has a lot of beta-carotene in it which does convert to vitamin A which does help with eyesight of course.
Vitamin C is also present in cantaloupe and is needed for your beardies immune system to function.
Cantaloupe is loaded with Folate as well which is important for cell and tissue repair, growth and general function
Lots of Fiber. This keeps things smooth in the digestive tract. Beardies eat a lot of insects and protein. These things can get stuck on the sides of the digestive tract. Fiber helps move those things through the pipes!
Water content is high. Cantaloupe is almost all water. This helps with hydration but like i said earlier you want to keep that low because over-hydration is an issue that can happen
Potassium is in cantaloupe and that means your beardie will be getting stuff that helps with blood pressure and nerve function.
Make sure to always buy organic too. Only the best for your beardie!
How to serve cantaloupe to your beaded dragon
Wash it up. Cut it into small pieces. small so he doesn’t choke
You can also cut a long piece and then feed it to him slowly with you holding the piece. I love watching my beardie eat his food. i think its adorable
Peel it as well to make sure the hard pieces are gone and its just soft. A little thing i do is i buy a fruit tray that i eat and whatever is in that tray i cut up even smaller and then feed it to him if you don’t want to do the work yourself. you can buy them at the grocery store in the refrigerated fruit isle
Get rid of any seeds you might have, again because of choking hazards.
Your bearded dragon will love this. They can actually get addicted to the fruit because its so delicious.
Conclusion
Can bearded dragons eat cantaloupe? yep! just restrict it to once or twice a month.
If you want to make sure they have enough calcium make sure you have some sort of calcium supplement for your beardie to use. I use this one for mine (affiliate link)
