Can Bearded Dragons Eat Plums? Benefits, Risks & How to Feed

Plums are a popular fruit grown on a tree, are a good source of vitamins and minerals, and contain fiber. In particular, plums have calcium, phosphorus, water, protein, fat, sugar, and fiber content that interest bearded dragons.

All types of fruits and vegetables are favorites among bearded dragons. Fruits should be included in your pet’s diet since they contain nutrients not found in other foods. But can bearded dragons eat plums is the question that most bearded dragon owners have. Let’s get into depth and understand whether providing plums to the bearded dragon is good.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Plums?

Yes, plums are good for bearded dragons and can eat plums. These fruits are high in Vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, fiber, and other essential nutrients for bearded dragons to stay healthy. They are also a good source of antioxidants. It would help if you always fed plums to your bearded dragons as part of a varied diet. There are other fruits that you can provide to your bearded dragon along with plums; those are watermelon, dragon fruit, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, peaches, etc.

How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat plums?

Offer your bearded dragon plums a few times a week as a treat. Plums are good for bearded dragons, but when only given a few times. Feeding daily can harm their digestive system, and they might have an upset stomach. 

In the wild, bearded dragons enjoy eating plums from the trees. However, as a reptile owner, you should never offer plums as a staple because it has an unbalanced ratio of calcium and phosphorus. 

3 Benefits of Plums for Bearded Dragons

As a bearded dragon owner, you should know all the benefits of what you feed to your bearded dragons. If you provide plums to your beardie, ensure you understand the advantages. Plums have many benefits for bearded dragons. Let’s find out.

1: Strengthen the Digestive System

Plums are a great source of antioxidants for your bearded dragon’s health. Antioxidants help strengthen your bearded dragon’s digestive system. Besides the digestive system, antioxidants strengthen your bearded dragon’s immune system. 

2: Maintenance of the Blood Cell 

Plums also contain Vitamin K. You should feed this fruit to your bearded dragon because it is necessary for your bearded dragon’s tissues. Vitamin K promotes the absorption and processing of calcium, which is necessary for forming and maintaining healthy bones. Vitamin K also helps blood cell maintenance. 

3: Maintain the Nervous System

Plums are a great source of vitamin B6, essential for your bearded dragon’s internal body. Vitamin B6 helps maintain the nervous system, and it also boosts energy. 

4 Risks of feeding plums to Bearded Dragons

As you know, with advantages there come some disadvantages also. Feeding plums to your bearded dragon may have many benefits, but there are a few risks associated with feeding plums. Below are a few risks of feeding plums to bearded dragons.

1: Digestive Issues

As a responsible owner, you should avoid feeding too much plum to your bearded dragon. Plums are pretty acidic; therefore, they can cause health issues or even an overdose.

Feeding too much can upset their stomach and cause digestive issues. If you provide your bearded dragon plums, monitor them closely and ensure they correctly digest the fruit.

2: Choking 

The pits in plums can also be a problem for your bearded dragons. You should make sure to remove it before feeding. While eating, it can get stuck in their throat and be a choking hazard. It might not sound serious, but it can be a reason for your bearded dragons to die.

3: Chances of Impaction

The plum skin can create a problem for your bearded dragon if it does not eat the plum flesh properly. It can cause impaction, which is a horrible case of constipation in your bearded dragon. In impaction, waste gets bound up in the intestinal tract and cannot be eliminated properly.

4: Inappropriate Calcium And Phosphorus Ratio May Lead to MBD

The calcium and phosphorus proportion in plums is inappropriate. Therefore, it is unsafe for bearded dragons. The calcium-phosphorus ratio for bearded dragons is 1:1, or 2:1 is absolute. 

The inappropriate proportion can negatively affect your bearded dragon. It can cause metabolic bone disease in bearded dragons.

How to Prepare Plums for Your Bearded Dragons?

Feeding a proper meal is essential for bearded dragons, and it would help if you always tried to make their meal enjoyable. If their salad bowl looks dull, you can add some plums to it. The color and flavor of the plum will attract your beardie, and they will be forced to eat the yummy salad. Below are a few steps to prepare plum for your bearded dragon.

Wash Thoroughly

It would help if you washed the plums before feeding, and it will eliminate germs, pesticides, and dirt particles from the fruit.  

Cut them into Small Pieces

After cleaning, remove the pit and chop the plums into small pieces before feeding them to your bearded dragon. It will lower the risk of choking. 

Add its Juice to the Bowl

If your bearded dragon does not like plum flesh, the easy way to feed them is to make juice out of the fruit. You can add the juice with other greens and fruits or simply add it to the salad bowl. 

Add Other Fruits and Greens. 

The best way to feed plums to your bearded dragons is by mixing other fruits and greens. It can be attractive for them and tasty. Like humans, animals also quickly get bored if they eat the same thing repeatedly. This slight change can be good for them.

Conclusion

So, the answer to can bearded dragons eat plums is yes. You can happily feed plums to your bearded dragon; Plums contain Vitamins A, C, and K, potassium, fiber, and other essential nutrients. All these nutrients provide many health benefits. However, make sure to feed one or twice a week in moderation.

These fruits are sweet and sour in flavor, which attracts bearded dragons. You can add plums to a green salad to encourage your bearded dragons to eat their vegetables.

As a tip, research any food you add to your beardie’s diet. Sometimes, food that seems to be healthy can have some disadvantages. Therefore, for your pet’s health, check before feeding anything.

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