Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomatoes?
Bearded dragons will fortunately eat a variety of various vegatables and fruits. The higher the vary of provide, the higher. Feeding a balanced weight loss plan on this reduces the probabilities of vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
However can tomatoes be included on this checklist of secure meals? Do bearded dragons eat tomatoes?
Bearded dragons can eat tomatoes safely as a part of their weight loss plan.
Nonetheless, right preparation is essential. Typically talking many bearded dragon house owners wish to rigorously slice open the tomato, then dice it into smaller items which can be simpler for a bearded dragon to swallow.
Tomato seeds might symbolize a choking hazard should you’re unfortunate, so squeezing out the seeds and the runny center could make sense, specializing in the firmer outer space of the fruit to your bearded dragon.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomatoes On a regular basis?
Bearded dragons mustn’t eat tomatoes on a regular basis.
Whereas tomatoes will be safely eaten by bearded dragons, they do have a lot of weaknesses.
For one factor they’re a really sugary meals. This could result in issues of weight acquire in bearded dragons if fed too usually.
In addition they comprise excessive ranges of oxalates and a poor calcium:phosphorus ratio (each lined in additional depth later on this article).
All these components mixed implies that tomatoes are finest not fed to your bearded dragon usually. As a substitute, they need to be fed solely often as a part of a diverse weight loss plan consisting of plant matter and dwell feeder bugs.
How Typically Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomatoes?
Tomatoes ought to solely be fed to your bearded dragon as soon as each week or two at most.
Whereas tomatoes are edible for bearded dragons, their dietary weaknesses imply that they need to solely be thought of an rare deal with.
As a substitute, attempt to bulk up your bearded dragon’s weight loss plan on extra appropriate meals, utilizing small quantities of tomato merely so as to add selection from time-to-time.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Cherry Tomatoes?
Cherry tomatoes are a secure meals for bearded dragons.
Nonetheless, they’re a excessive carbohydrate meals, so they need to be fed sparsely and solely on particular events.
Additionally it is price mentioning that the seeds of tomatoes can symbolize a choking hazard. Cherry tomatoes are usually the “juiciest” of all of the tomato varieties, and subsequently have numerous seeds.
Because of this some keepers favor bigger, thicker-walled tomatoes. These have extra flesh and fewer seeds, which makes preparation a lot easier.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomato Puree?
Tomato sauce is a good deal with to your bearded dragon! It is a superb supply of nutritional vitamins and minerals corresponding to vitamin A, C and Ok in addition to iron and calcium. Additionally it is a superb supply of protein (15g per 100g).
Observe, nevertheless, that nice care ought to be taken when contemplating the components. Pureed tomato alone ought to be completely high quality to your dragon.
Some pre-made grocery store manufacturers, nevertheless, add quite a lot of different components. It’s potential a few of these components may very well be dangerous to your bearded dragon. Higher to take a couple of minutes to verify the pack earlier than giving it to your lizard.
Lastly, after all, ketchup is completely unsuitable for bearded dragons as a consequence of it’s excessive sugar and salt content material.
Vitamins Present in Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a really nutritious meals, and may present your bearded dragon with all the vitamins it wants.
Evaluating it’s nutrient profile with different related meals there are a selection of stand-out components.
The primary of those is protein. Compared to most plant-based meals, tomatoes comprise a powerful quantity of protein. In response to analysis as much as 18% of the energy in tomatoes come from protein.
Protein is the “constructing block” used to your bearded dragon to develop massive and robust. Larger protein meals like tomatoes can subsequently be significantly helpful for youthful bearded dragons which can be going by means of fast progress to maturity.
Tomatoes are an unimaginable supply of antioxidants. These are pure compounds produced by the tomato plant to guard its fruit from the solar’s UV rays.
It’s believed that bearded dragons, like individuals, can profit from the consumption of those antioxidants. It’s believed by many specialists far smarter than the writer that antioxidants may also help to guard in opposition to quite a lot of probably disagreeable well being circumstances.
Tomatoes comprise quite a lot of nutritional vitamins and minerals, of which vitamin C might be probably the most notable. Vitamin C performs an enormous variety of roles within the physique however can’t be saved. Subsequently an everyday consumption of vitamin C is important to take care of good well being.
Nonetheless that is actually simply the tip of the iceberg. Different nutritional vitamins present in excessive ranges in tomatoes embody vitamin A, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6 and folate.
Minerals present in tomatoes embody potassium, manganese, iron, phosphorus and copper.
As you may see, tomatoes are completely filled with helpful vitamins, and this helps to make them a extremely powerhouse to your bearded dragon!
Oxalic Acid in Tomatoes
Tomatoes comprise a “average” quantity of oxalic acid.
That is essential as a result of oxalic acid can have an effect on calcium absorption within the physique.
Diurnal lizards like bearded dragons soak up UV gentle from the solar (or from particular bulbs in captivity). This permits them to generate vitamin D within the pores and skin, which then permits them to soak up calcium from their weight loss plan.
As everyone knows from faculty, calcium performs a vital position in a wholesome skeleton. On the identical time we all know that lizards like bearded dragons will be stricken by skeletal issues like MBD in the event that they’re not given all the mandatory components in captivity.
Even with an acceptable UV gentle, and a excessive calcium weight loss plan, oxalates could cause issues by interfering with this cautious stability. Now, in fact just about all meals comprise some oxalates, to allow them to by no means be prevented completely.
Tomatoes are removed from the worst of meals for oxalic acid. Nonetheless they’re additionally not the perfect. Research counsel about 7mg of oxalic acid in a single tomato. Examine this to a complete apple which has round 1mg and the distinction is sort of vital.
This implies tomatoes ought to solely be fed as a small a part of your bearded dragon’s weight loss plan, and that you must attempt onerous to incorporate higher-calcium meals wherever potential alongside tomatoes.
Calcium:Phosphorus Ratio in Tomatoes
Everyone knows that calcium is essential for wholesome enamel and bones, and this is applicable simply as a lot to bearded dragons.
Simply as essential because the quantity of calcium in your weight loss plan, nevertheless, is the ratio of calcium to phosphorus. An optimum ratio is mostly agreed to be 2:1.
Tomatoes possess a calcium:phosphorus ratio of 0.5:1. That is thought of poor.
This highlights another excuse why tomatoes ought to solely be fed often to your bearded dragon. Additionally it is good to combine tomatoes with different meals with a extra appropriate calcium to phosphorus ratio and/or to sprinkle calcium powder over your beardie’s meals to make sure an acceptable consumption.
Methods to Feed Tomatoes To Your Bearded Dragon
Tomatoes are finest fed to your bearded dragon in small quantities.
Feeding your bearded dragon an excessive amount of of a single meals can result in well being issues.
Feeding your bearded dragon quite a lot of meals is one of the best ways to make sure that it will get all the vitamins it wants.
Feeding tomatoes to your bearded dragon needn’t be troublesome, however the following pointers would possibly come in useful for the less-experienced keeper…
Choose the ripest fruits – The riper the tomatoes are, the extra vitamins they comprise. On the identical time, don’t go giving your bearded dragon tomatoes which can be over-ripe. Solely give your beardie tomatoes that you simply your self would contemplate consuming.
Wash totally – For those who’re utilizing shop-bought tomatoes slightly than those who you’ve grown your self then contemplate giving them an intensive wash to take away any pesticide residues.
Slice finely – Slice open the tomatoes and chop the flesh into small chunks. This makes the tomato simpler to mix with different meals for a balanced weight loss plan. This additionally makes it much less seemingly that your bearded dragon will be capable to select solely their favourite meals, whereas ignoring different objects.
Squeeze out the seeds – As talked about beforehand, tomato seeds can symbolize a choking hazard, significantly for younger bearded dragons. For security many individuals select to stay a thumb into the fruit to softly squeeze out the seeds.
Add a calcium complement – Lastly taking into consideration the poor calcium:phosphorus ratio present in tomatoes chances are you’ll need to contemplate dusting it with a reptile-safe calcium complement.
If you wish to give your bearded dragon a deal with, attempt feeding her or him tomato paste. This may be made by combining one tablespoon of tomato paste with one tablespoon of water in a small bowl and mixing properly till clean. You may then use this combination as a topping on his or her favourite greens or fruits.
