A peach fruit contains a considerable nutritional value, and many people are fond of eating it. You might be wondering if bearded dragons can also eat peaches and if they are suitable for them.
As you know, bearded dragons cannot eat all kinds of fruits as some of them have too many oxalates or excess water. As a dragon owner, it is healthy to know what fruits to feed your lizard and which ones to avoid.
In this article, we will explore the peach fruit and see if it is safe for the beardies to eat, how often to feed them, and other useful information.
This article has been reviewed by Dr. Dilber. Read more about our knowledge control process here.
Contents
Is Peach Fruit Nutritious?
After successful research, USDA provides data on the nutrients in 100g of raw peach fruit. See the details below.
| Nutrients | Amount | Energy |
| Water | 88.9 | g |
| Energy | 39 | kcal |
| Sugar | 8.4 | g |
| Fiber | 1.5 | g |
| Calcium | 6 | mg |
| Phosphorus | 20 | mg |
| Vitamin A | 16 | µg |
| Vitamin C | 6.6 | mg |
| Vitamin K | 2.6 | µg |
| Ca:P ratio | 1:3.3 | – |
Peaches contain a lot of water and are thus good for hydration. It is also evident from the table that peaches are slightly high in vitamin A but contain low calcium and vitamin C.
Moreover, peach fruit is exceedingly higher in phosphorus than calcium. Excess phosphorus in the diet is dangerous because it binds to calcium, making it unavailable for absorption.
Lack of calcium in the body leads to metabolic bone disease, a common and fatal disease in bearded dragons.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Peaches?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat peaches, but you must feed them rarely as a treat and in small amounts. Peach fruit is among the safest fruits for the beardies to eat, and it provides a reasonable amount of minerals and vitamins.
If your bearded dragon eats the right amount of peaches, it will benefit from a couple of nutrients. First of all, peaches are relatively high in fiber that is good for digestion, and prevents constipation.
Secondly, peaches provide vitamins A that helps in good vision and good eye health, and vitamin C, responsible for strengthening the immune system. Thanks to the low sugar content in peaches, it makes them more ideal fruits for bearded dragons.
Generally, peach fruit can make an excellent and flavorful salad topper or serve as a healthy treat. Despite that, there are various reasons why peaches are not safe for bearded dragons to eat every day.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Peaches?
Giving your bearded dragons a few pieces of peach fruit once a week or every other week is fine. There are so many reasons concerning peaches that make them unsafe to be used as staple foods for bearded dragons.
For instance, peaches contain goitrogens. If you don’t know, these are compounds present in foods and tend to interfere with the thyroid function by inhibiting iodine absorption. Feeding your bearded dragon foods high in goitrogen negatively impacts the thyroid gland.
The glands tend to enlarge and start to malfunction, resulting in hormonal imbalance and other related health issues. Also, peaches have three times phosphorus more than calcium.
Due to excess phosphorus and the presence of goitrogens in peaches, you need to limit these fruits in your lizard’s diet. Note that peaches are pretty low in calcium, and as you know, the beardies need adequate calcium for good health.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Canned Peaches?
If you have a bearded dragon, you should aim at feeding fresh and ripe fruits at all times. Talking of canned peaches, these are fruits that you need to keep them off from your bearded dragon’s diet.
Canned peaches have preservatives and other chemicals that are harmful to bearded dragons. They also provide minimal nutrients compared to fresh peaches. It is also necessary to avoid feeding your lizard frozen peaches as they also have low nutritional value.
Vet comment: Preservatives and flavors cause allergic and inflammatory reactions in the epithelial cells and tissues. They can effect the coat of pet. Some preservatives are also carcinogenic and can cause cancer.
It is always advantageous to buy fresh and raw foods for bearded dragons because they are well-packed with nutrients and don’t cause any health concern. You should always aim to be safe, and you will not be sorry for anything.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Dried Peaches?
Feeding dried peaches to bearded dragons isn’t a good option at all. One most common thing about dried fruits is that they always have a lot more sugar than fresh fruits, and peaches are no exception.
Bearded dragons don’t need to eat foods that are high in sugar because they lead to various health problems, including but not limited to fatty liver disease, obesity, and diarrhea.
Also, dried peaches are not high in nutrition as fresh peaches. In dried form, the peaches lose essential nutrients like vitamins A and C, plus water that are essential to the beardies.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat the Skin from Peach Fruit?
Before considering feeding fruit skins, you need to remember that bearded dragons have a poor ability to chew foods, especially those with a hard texture. So, it is important to ensure that you give only soft foods.
If we look at peach skin, it is slightly rougher in texture and can make your lizard friend choke. I would therefore recommend you not to feed peach skin to your beardie.
Another reason why you need to avoid peach skin is because of chemicals or pesticides. There is spraying of peaches in the field to keep pests away, and the skin tends to absorb these chemicals. It may be hard for a bearded dragon to digest the skin.
Even though you wash the fruit, some chemicals may remain on the skin, and your dragon eventually eats them. Also, never feed the peach pit because it is hard, and the lizard cannot chew it. The peach pit also has cyanide, and this substance is harmful to bearded dragons.
How to Prepare Peaches for Bearded Dragons?
When preparing peaches, you need only to follow a few steps, which are pretty easy to follow. Check them below.
- Start by selecting or buying the right peaches for your lizard; look for fresh and ripe peaches.
- Wash the fruit to get rid of any available dirt or chemicals.
- Peel the fruit and remove the pit.
- Slice the peach into the right size for your lizard pet.
- Use about 3-4 pieces of peach fruit as a salad topper. It’s time for the dragon to eat the meal.
Wrapping Up
That is all about peaches. You are now aware that peaches are safe for bearded dragons to eat but in a limited amount and occasionally.
But you need to avoid the pit and skin from peach fruit, plus canned, dried, and frozen peaches. Excess peaches are harmful to the beardies because of goitrogens and too little calcium.