Watermelon is a crowd favorite to have and eat during summer. It’s very juicy. It’s the perfect fruit to snack on or have for dessert on hotter days due to the refreshing feeling it gives its consumers. But just because this may be safe for a lot of us humans to eat during the hot and humid summer days, this fruit may not be safe for pets to ingest at all.
It is okay then for pet owners with bearded dragons to be concerned and ask veterinarians and other animal or pet experts the question: can bearded dragons have watermelon?
Bearded dragons belong to the desert lizards group. They are omnivores. As omnivores, they can eat meat, vegetables, and fruits. This is why they can have watermelon as treat.
Watermelons do not have a lot of the nutrients that the beardies need so it’s still best to go by what veterinarians and other lizard or pet animal experts advise regarding feeding them watermelons.
These experts believe that watermelons are better as treats for bearded dragons rather than meals because it’s not as nutritionally packed as green leafy vegetables and meat and beardies normally need a lot of nutrients daily.
The pros and cons of feeding watermelon to bearded dragons, what are they?
It’s good to feed watermelon to bearded dragons because they love them. Watermelon is a good appetite booster for these creatures. If your bearded dragon doesn’t have any appetite, you can give them pieces of the pink flesh of watermelon as appetizers to get them to eat their more nutritious leafy greens after.
Experts also advise owners of bearded dragons to add some pieces of watermelon to their pets’ food bowls. It’s good to mix the flesh of watermelon with nutritionally dense leafy greens like collards. This will get your beardie to eat more of his food daily.
While it is true that you can feed your beardie watermelon and even include bits of this fruit in his food bowl during his meal times, it’s crucial to know that giving him too much watermelon may not be healthy at all. There are some cons to feeding watermelon to bearded dragons, too. To start with, it’s not healthy at all to give bearded dragons watermelons all the time.
Watermelon contains a high amount of sugar and has fewer nutrients than greens. Bearded dragons need a lot of nutrients like calcium to go about their day and keep themselves healthy. Since watermelon has a lot of sugar in it, the high amount of sugar can cause damage to the bearded dragons’ teeth.
It’s the same way for humans. Consuming too much watermelon is not ideal for them, too, as the sugar in it can also damage their teeth.
Expert Tip: Bearded dragons cannot survive on fruit alone. You need to give them greens and some meat to keep them healthy. Beardies need a lot of calcium and other such nutrients. Giving them watermelon frequently is not, at all, good for their health.
You should make sure that your bearded dragon eats some squash and collard greens with fruits like watermelon. Doing so keeps them healthy.
Giving your bearded dragon too much watermelon can cause him to develop some gut problems. Aside from containing a high amount of sugar, watermelon also has a lot of water in it.
You have to keep in mind that drinking too much water may not be healthy for you. It’s the same with your pet. The right amount of watermelon can keep your beardie hydrated. Giving him too much watermelon can cause him diarrhea which can later lead to something even worse, dehydration.
How to feed your bearded dragon watermelon properly?
You can feed your beardie either the seedless kind of watermelon or the seeded ones. If you do give the seeded watermelon, however, you have to make sure to take out all the seeds from it because it may cause your beardie some gut problems.
One gut problem a bearded dragon can get from consuming seeded watermelon is gut impaction. Gut impaction is a condition where the watermelon seeds block a part of your pet’s digestive tract. You should make sure to take out every watermelon seed before feeding the flesh to your bearded dragon to prevent this.
Aside from gut impaction, bearded dragons can choke on watermelon seeds. After taking out all of the seeds from the watermelon, it is advisable to cut the flesh into easy-to-eat pieces and mix it with the healthier greens in his food bowl. Sweet watermelon is an appetite booster. Your pet will love eating it with his healthy collard greens, squash, and more.
Do not give your bearded dragon the watermelon rinds. Always give them the pink flesh because the watermelon rinds can be difficult for them to chew.
Aside from watermelon, bearded dragons can also have other fruits with their meals. You can alternate these fruits with them to get your pet to eat their daily meals. Some other fruits you can add to their food bowls instead of watermelon are apples, mango, figs, cantaloupe, and papaya.
Let’s go back to the question we had earlier, can bearded dragons eat watermelon? Yes, they can eat watermelon. It is best to feed bearded dragons some watermelon in moderation.
Sweet-tasting fruits like watermelon can boost the appetites of bearded dragons. It is good to include pieces of watermelon in their daily meals with leafy greens, squash, and more. But you have to remember that too much watermelon is unhealthy for them. You should consult with veterinarians and other pet animal experts about bearded dragons’ diets to know better.
You could put your bearded dragon’s health in danger if you don’t ask around how to feed and take care of it better.
You can ask more questions on how to take better care of your bearded dragon in the comments below. You can learn from others’ inputs there, too. Experts with bearded dragons can also give you sound advice in the comments section on how to care for your bearded dragon.