No, you should not feed your bearded dragons pomegranate. It doesn’t anything toxic but the seeds can be an issue.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Pomegranate? – The Benefit? A bearded dragon can benefit from eating pomegranates in that it is an excellent source of vitamin C, calcium and antioxidants.
However, there are a few drawbacks to feeding your dragon a pomegranate. Firstly, the high water content of this fruit means that any bearded dragon attempting to eat one is at risk of developing severe diarrhea or perhaps even intestinal obstruction.
Secondly, the seeds themselves contain amygdalin which is metabolized by your bearded dragon’s body into hydrogen cyanide, a potentially dangerous substance. Check out the fruit list.
Let’s dig a little deeper.
Nutritional Components of Pomegranate
*Sugar is the primary worry in pomegranate as overeating could cause your beardie to become overweight.
Nutritional value of pomegranate seed (fresh)
- Serving size: 133g
- Energy – 116.6 kcals
- Protein – 1.88g
- Carbohydrates – 7.97g
- Dietary fiber – 3.24g
- Sugars – 4.35g
- Fat – 5.58g
Saturated fat – 2.28g – this includes palmitic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid and lauric acid as well as cholesterol and oleic acid which can be beneficial for your beardie too! Vitamins: Vitamin A equiv. beta-carotene 317iu (6%)
- Vitamin C – 2.82mg (3%)
- Calcium – 175mg
- Iron – 0.66mg
- Phosphorus – 64mg – this is normally a good thing but the high phosphorus to calcium ratio means that this mineral could potentially be problematic for your dragon! Alkaloids: Punicine
- 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) – this is beneficial for your beardie.
What Fruits Bearded Dragons Can Eat?
Advantages of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Pomegranate
You may be wondering whether or not you should feed your dragon pomegranate.
Adding pomegranate to your beardie’s diet can potentially provide the following benefits:
- It is an excellent source of vitamin C which means that it can contribute to preventing scurvy in your bearded dragon.
- Pomegranate is also an excellent source of calcium and antioxidants.
- Pomegranate can be a nice treat for your bearded dragon.
Disadvantages of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Pomegranate Seeds
There are some problems with feeding pomegranates to your beardie, they include:
- Pomegranates contain a high amount of sugar and if overfed can lead to obesity in your bearded dragon.
- Bearded dragons are unable to properly digest large quantities of seeds due to their hard indigestible casing.
- Seeds contain amygdalin which metabolizes into hydrogen cyanide, a dangerous substance.
Alternative Foods For Bearded Dragons
What are some good alternative foods you might ask? Well, there are a number of vegetables and fruits that bearded dragons can eat. Some of these include:
- Peas – an excellent source of protein while also containing fats and fibers for healthy digestion.
- Lightly Cooked Carrots – carrots contain protein, phytonutrients and soluble dietary fiber while also improving your bearded dragon’s night vision! They make a great choice as a side dish or to add flavor to other foods.
- Cooked Potato Skins – feed your bearded dragon with potato skins at least two times per week for calcium, fatty acids and fiber which helps in digestion. Be sure to remove the brown part on the skin because it contains solanine which is poisonous to animals like reptiles.
- Cucumbers – contain a high level of water and help your bearded dragon prevent dehydration.
- Arugula – a great source of calcium, magnesium and iron, which are essential nutrients for your pet’s healthy development.
- Romaine Lettuce – make sure to remove the core from this type of lettuce because it contains lactucarium which is a mild sedative that helps calm down your bearded dragon. This may also help relieve any stomach irritation or inflammations that may be due to parasites.
- Pumpkin – pumpkins contain lots of beta-carotene as well as phytonutrients which help boost their immune system! Be sure to remove all the seeds first though since they could contain traces of a natural pesticide called cucurbitacin E.
- Eggplant – this vegetable is high in fiber as well as water which makes it a good choice for beardies that fight constipation.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Pomegranate? – The Conclusion!
As you can see, there are some pros and some cons to feeding pomegranates to your bearded dragon. As mentioned earlier, the high water content of this fruit means that any beardie attempting to eat one is at risk of developing severe diarrhea or even intestinal obstruction.
You should not feed pomegranates on a regular basis as their nutritional components are not balanced for dragons.
If fed occasionally however they can provide many benefits so being aware of both sides helps me come to the conclusion… Yes, my bearded dragon CAN eat pomegranate but it should be done so on an infrequent basis.