The short answer is yes, your bearded dragon can eat cranberries. To dive a little deeper, they should be given as a treat rather than a staple food.
A bearded dragon is a type of lizard that many people have as a pet. They are quite docile and tame, making them good pets for children.
These dragons eat bugs in the wild, but when they are kept as pets they can be fed a lot of different foods. One question some owners have is whether their bearded dragons CAN or WILL eat cranberries.
The biggest issue is that they are very acidic, meaning when eaten they can lower the pH in the dragon’s stomach. If this happens for too long it can cause major issues, such as impaction. For the complete list please click here.
For this reason, they should only be given in moderation to bearded dragons.
Nutritional Components of Cranberries
The nutritional components of cranberries can vary depending on whether they are sweet or tart, and what the ratio is between them. Tart cranberries usually have more sugar in them than sweet ones. Sweet cranberries tend to be red whereas tart varieties are white.
All varieties contain 6 grams of fiber, 6 grams of carbohydrates (including 4 grams of sugars), 2 grams of protein, and 60 calories per cup.
Vitamins contained include 0.18 milligrams of vitamin A (1 percent DV), 22 IU vitamin D (4 percent DV), 1-milligram vitamin C (6 percent DV) and 0.53 micrograms of folic acid (2 percent).
Minerals found in them include 12 milligrams of calcium (.5 percent DV), 4.6 milligrams of potassium (1 percent DV) and 0.09 milligrams of iron (.5 percent DV).
Advantages of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Cranberries
Since they are mildly sweet, their flavor is well-tolerated by the dragon. If you mix them with other berries or fruit that is more sour or bitter, you can balance out this flavor to mask it.
If you mix cranberries into the greens that your bearded dragon eats daily, then he will thank you for helping to keep his digestive system healthy and optimized for maximum nutrient absorption.
As mentioned earlier, cranberries can help lower the pH of a bearded dragon’s stomach if eaten in moderation. This makes them ideal to use as an occasional treat for beardies who suffer from tartar buildup on their teeth.
This helps remove some plaque before it starts having negative effects on dental health and function – which leads to more general health issues.
What Fruits Bearded Dragons Can Eat?
- Can Bearded Dragons Eat Applesauce
- Can Bearded Dragons Eat Melon
- Can Bearded Dragons Eat Strawberries
Disadvantages of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Cranberries
Because cranberries are fairly acidic when eaten, they can cause problems like impaction if fed in high enough quantities over a long period of time.
Excessive cranberry consumption isn’t normally something that will happen if you feed them once or twice a week, but it is still something to be aware of.
One other issue with feeding cranberries is that because they grow wild in colder climates (in Northern Hemisphere zones), the cost may be higher than visitors expect.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cranberries? – The Conclusion!
Yes, bearded dragons can eat cranberries. While they are not full of vital nutrients that beardies need to survive, they do have their uses as an occasional treat or flavor enhancer for other foods.
Just because something is safe for bearded dragons though does not mean it should be fed in large quantities. Especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables, these types of food should only make up a small percentage of the diet so your dragon does not develop any deficiencies over time.
Bearded Dragons require lots of protein so if you plan on feeding them fruits and vegetables daily, then please remember this important information!
As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s article…and don’t forget to check out all of our bearded dragon posts!