Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grapes?
Learn the answer to can bearded dragons eat grapes or not, and if so how often and how to prepare them.
Last Updated: March 26th, 2022
By: Steve
Table of Contents
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grapes?
Bearded dragons can eat grapes as an occasional treat. But grapes aren’t very good for bearded dragons. Grapes don’t offer much nutritionally, but they are a good source of water and do taste sweet. Grape seeds shouldn’t be fed to bearded dragons as they’re too hard. Seedless grapes are therefore a really good choice. Many bearded dragons do like grapes and mixing some sliced grapes into a salad for bearded dragons here or there will be unlikely to cause any drama.
We recommend not feeding too many grapes to your bearded dragon as they are very high in water content and sugar. Sugar can lead to digestive problems, obesity and tooth decay (just like in humans). Too much sugar also leads to obesity which carries a variety of health issues for your beardie. Too much water can lead to overhydration which makes a mess in your tank, potentially harbours more parasites and can cause problems with electrolyte imbalances.
We’ve seen other sources online state they’re also high in Oxalate content – but that’s just not backed up by the data (3.4mg/100mg is not a high Oxalate content). Though it is fair to say that dark grapes do appear to have a higher oxalate content than green grapes.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Grape Leaves?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat grape leaves. They’re actually better for bearded dragons than the fruit itself – although of course not as tasty. But they don’t contain as much sugar or water as the fruit – and there’s no risk of pips either.
As well as having less sugar and water, grape leaves provide bearded dragons with a great source of calcium, fibre and some protein. Full details of the nutritional qualities of grape leaves for bearded dragons can be found in the table below.
Advantages Of Grapes For Bearded Dragons
Disadvantages Of Grapes For Bearded Dragons
How Should Bearded Dragons Eat Grapes?
A grape or two can be added to your bearded dragon’s salad bowl to help entice them to eat the salad – though the chances are they’ll eat the grape and leave the rest. They can also be fed by hand as a treat and to help you bond with your bearded dragon through hand feeding exercises.
Grapes should be cut into smaller pieces, preferably halves or quarters depending on the size of the grape versus the size of the dragons head. We would use the same rule of thumb as we do for insects in that the width of the grape slice should be no wider than than the space between your bearded dragons eyes. To clear up confusion, this is the width of the grape slice should fit between your dragons eyes not the length. The length is irrelevant so long as the width is small enough.
If there are any seeds in the grape these should be removed. These will be harder to digest and aren’t as sweet. In isolation they probably won’t cause too much digestive drama but it’s easier to avoid that by just scraping them out and putting them in the bin. Bear in mind that seedless grapes can contain the occasional small seed, and cutting them in half is a good idea to check.
You can peel the grapes if you prefer, although if you do this, be aware that your bearded dragon may expect you to find a large leaf with which to also fan them…
How Should Bearded Dragons Eat Grape Leaves?
Grape leaves can be given to bearded dragons in much the same way as any green leaf as part of a balanced salad regime. They should be washed and then cut or shredded in to smaller strips and placed in your bearded dragons salad bowl with their other vegetables.
Grape leaves can be fed to bearded dragons regularly as they are high in calcium and plenty of other nutrients too. Grape leaves can be found in stores and are used in popular Greek (and Middle Eastern) dishes such as Dolmades. The grape leaves found in stores though do tend to be tinned and stored in brine or other preservatives. Depending on where you live you may be able to buy them fresh – or of course grow your own. Our American readers may have some luck with this website article for buying grape leaves online.
How Many Grapes Can Bearded Dragons Have And How Often?
Grapes should be fed individually (cut into small pieces though) and with a maximum of perhaps one or two per week, as a treat. They should not be fed grapes routinely, for the reasons listed above.
Nutritional Data For Grapes For Bearded Dragons
| Nutritional Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Water Content (%) | 84.3 |
| Fat (%) | 0.47 |
| Protein (%) | 0.81 |
| Dietary Fibre (%) | 3.9 |
| Carbohydrate (%) | 13.9 (high) |
| Calcium (mg/100g) | 37 (0.037%) |
| Potassium (mg/100g) | 203 (0.203%) |
| Phosphorous (mg/100g) | 24 (0.024%) |
| Vitamin A (ug/100g) | 3 |
| Vitamin C (ug/100g) | 6.5 |
| Oxalates (mg/100g) | 3.4 (Low) |
Nutritional Data For Grape Leaves For Bearded Dragons
| Nutritional Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Water Content (%) | 73.3 |
| Fat (%) | 2.12 |
| Protein (%) | 5.6 |
| Dietary Fibre (%) | 11 |
| Carbohydrate (%) | 17.3 (high) |
| Calcium (mg/100g) | 363 (0.36%) |
| Potassium (mg/100g) | 272 (0.27%) |
| Phosphorous (mg/100g) | 91 (0.09%) |
| Vitamin A (ug/100g) | 1380 |
| Vitamin C (ug/100g) | 11.1 |
| Oxalates (mg/100g) | Medium[3] |
Summary
In this post we asked can bearded dragons eat grapes? We discovered that the answer is yes, bearded dragons can eat grapes as an occasional treat. We also looked at how to feed grapes to your bearded dragon and discovered it was relatively easy to do this.
We learned that the nutritional value of grapes is really quite low. But as a nice, sweet treat for your bearded dragon every now and then, they’re a good option.
Grapes Frequency: OCCASIONAL TREAT.
Grape Leaf Frequency: REGULARLY.
For more information on other fruits that Bearded Dragons can eat, please see our Bearded Dragon Fruit category
References
1: US Department of Agriculture FoodData Central. Fetched on 6th February 2021 from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1103126/nutrients
2: Oxalate (oxalic acid) content of 750+ foods, with numbers from university and government sources – sourced from https://oxalate.org/ on 15th May 2021.
3: Heidi (2012), Low Oxalate Info, Guide To Low Oxalate Greens. Fetched from http://lowoxalateinfo.com/guide-to-low-oxalate-greens/ on 12th October 2021.
Featured Image by Shutterbug75 from Pixabay