No, you should refrain from feeding your bearded dragon tangerines. They are tasty, tasty fruits that humans love to eat. But they aren’t good for bearded dragons.
Bearded dragons are insectivores, which means they mostly eat insects in the wild, with some greens mixed in there. Tangerines are very high in sugar – much higher than even fresh grapes or bananas, which are already pretty high in sugar.
They are also very acidic, which means if you feed your bearded dragon too many of them, they will get sick.
What Is The Nutritional Profile in Tangerines?
In 100g of the fruit, which is about 1/3 of a small tangerine, there are 79 calories. There are 15.6g of sugar in that amount of the fruit, which makes it about 4% sugar by weight.
There is also 2 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein in this serving size. A quick search online found an article on NutritionData stating that one medium tangerine contains 11g of sugars and 67 calories, so if you use that information for calculations then you get about 6% sugar instead.
Tangerines do have some vitamins in them – Vitamin C (20%) and Potassium (15%), both very good for your bearded dragon to eat.
What Are The Benefits of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Tangerines?
Vitamin C is good for your bearded dragon. It helps them to maintain their bones and teeth, boosts their immune system, boosts cell production in the skin which keeps it healthy, and also acts as an anti-oxidant.
Potassium is also good for your bearded dragon. Along with sodium and chloride, potassium helps to regulate water balance in the body of both humans and reptiles alike. Overdoing potassium can lead to muscle weakness though. Potassium deficiency isn’t common in dragons but it can happen if you don’t give them access to enough greens or proteins that contain potassium.
What Are The Risks of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Tangerines?
Both tangerines’ high sugar content and acidity make it a bad idea to feed them regularly. If your bearded dragon gets too much acid in their diet, then they are at risk for certain diseases.
The high sugar content of tangerines also isn’t good for bearded dragons because it can lead to obesity and diabetes if fed too often.
Can Bearded Dragons Consume These Foods?
Alternative Foods for Bearded Dragons
There are lots of things you can feed a bearded dragon instead of tangerines.
For a sweet treat, you could feed them a slice or two of apple or banana, depending on how big their appetite is. Bananas have about 27g of sugar per 100g serving size, and apples have 9.3g per 100g serving size, so just stick to feeding them one slice and that should be fine.
You can also give your bearded dragons cooked lean meats like ground beef (with the fat removed) or chicken thighs with the skin removed if they’re okay with eating meat. They aren’t too high in protein but it’s still good for them and some reptiles will eat both meats and vegetables together very happily.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tangerines? – The Conclusion
No, you should refrain from feeding your bearded dragon tangerines. They are too acidic and too sugary for their diets. Stick with foods like lean meats or fruits that have lower sugar content, such as apples or bananas.