Beardies are omnivores, and unlike most other reptiles living in the wild, they eat fruits and vegetables, too.A cantaloupe is filled with nutritional value, ranging from dietary fiber to vitamins and minerals of various types. However, irrespective of how healthy and well-liked a cantaloupe is, is it good for a beardie’s health to eat this fruit?Different reptiles you may have adopted as pets have different nutritional requirements. Even though cantaloupes are filled with nutrients, you must research before feeding them to your bearded dragon. Various research conducted over the years have concluded that even though these melons can be fed to bearded dragons, they cannot be a regular part of your bearded dragon’s diet. Your bearded dragon can eat cantaloupe in moderation once or twice a week at the most. Excessive consumption of cantaloupes would then lead to their cons outweighing all their benefits. Even though cantaloupes can be an occasional part of your bearded dragon’s diet, it is not necessary for your bearded dragon to eat it. Whether or not a bearded dragon likes cantaloupe is an experiment that has to be conducted with every individual bearded dragon. A bearded dragon might not happen to take a liking towards cantaloupe and you cannot force it to eat the fruit as it is not something that is critically essential for its existence. Even though bearded dragons need to consume more veggies than fruits ideally, they can have fruits like apples and grapes more than twice a week as they do not have drawbacks that other fruits do.If you enjoy this article, why not also read about can bearded dragons eat kale and can bearded dragons eat cabbage here on Kidadl?What are the health benefits of eating cantaloupe?Now that we know that bearded dragons can eat cantaloupe but with a few restrictions, let us find out what nutrients are in it and other health benefits it provides to a bearded dragon. Irrespective of how healthy this fruit is, do not make it a part of your bearded dragon’s staple diet. It is recommended to feed it only to adult beardies and not ones in their juvenile stage. At the same time, while you treat cantaloupe to your bearded dragon, make sure to avoid feeding seeds, stems, leaves or rinds. Feed only the fruit to your bearded dragon.There are several vitamins and minerals in these melons which bearded dragons can benefit from if they consume them in a regulated manner. Nutrients provided in 3.5 oz (100 g) of cantaloupe include 0.00031 oz (9 mg) of calcium, 0.00052 oz (15 mg) of phosphorus, 0.0094 oz (267 mg) of potassium, 0.031 oz (0.9 g) of fiber and 0.277 oz (7.86 g) of sugar. All of these nutrients are essential for the development of a bearded dragon in some way. The fiber especially helps in keeping the internal digestion balanced. The calcium in cantaloupes helps bearded dragons to strengthen their bones, teeth, and muscles. Consumption of potassium helps muscles to function properly and reduces chances of kidney disease. Vitamin C found in cantaloupes improves bearded dragons immunity and makes them more resistant to potential illnesses. Additionally, apart from all the nutrients it contains, a cantaloupe has a high water level content of almost 90.15%, and it is known to be at par with a watermelon. The high water content helps to keep your pet hydrated at all times.Can you feed bearded dragons cantaloupe stems and leaves?While bearded dragons can occasionally feast on cantaloupe, a lot of care has to be taken about what parts of the fruit they are fed. If they eat the wrong part of the fruit, i.e., the one which is unhealthy for them, it can be worrisome. At the same time, even when you treat your beardie with cantaloupe once a week, do not feed more than 3.53-5.29 oz (100-150 g). A monthly limit of 17.63 oz (500 g) and a weekly limit of 5.29 oz (150 g) has to be followed in order to avoid any side effects.When you treat your beardie with a cantaloupe, make sure to remove any stem or leaf from it and let your pet eat only the fruit. Leaves and stems of the cantaloupe contain alkaloids, which are harmful for beardie consumption. If bearded dragons consume these melons along with their leaves and stems, it can lead to upsetting your bearded dragon’s digestive system, and can cause severe hormonal imbalances, too. At the same time, these leaves and stems contain high quantities of water in them; if consumed, they can lead to diarrhea or watery bowel movements. Additionally, leaves and stems of cantaloupe have hair linings that aren’t very comfortable for beardies to consume and can be irritating later on. Lastly, these leaves and stems can be poisonous at times; if it’s a wild cantaloupe, stems and leaves can quite possibly kill your beardie when consumed.How do you prepare cantaloupes when feeding bearded dragons?It is important to take utmost care when you feed the cantaloupe to your bearded dragon. Any mistake along the process can lead to upsetting conditions. You first of all need to make sure that the quantity being fed isn’t more than 5.29 oz (150 g) at a time and that the cantaloupe is fresh. Use cantaloupe as an occasional food to change the diet once in a while or for a taste change only.As we move into the preparation stage, first things first, wash the skin of the fruit without fail; make sure that it is properly clean as you don’t want any pesticides ingested in your beardie’s body. These pesticides can not only damage the internal digestive system of your bearded dragon but can also harm its mouth. It is advisable to wash these fruits with hot water which is more effective in getting rid of any bacteria on the skin of fruits. The next step in the process is to peel the fruit carefully and remove the green part as it is acidic in nature and contains a lot of phosphorus which can upset the calcium to phosphorus ratio of your beardie. Once peeled, remove seeds from the fruit to keep your pet safe from any accidental choking. Chop the cantaloupe into small pieces that are no bigger than the size of a bearded dragon’s eye as it is easier for a beardie to eat smaller pieces. Once the cantaloupe is cut, press it gently to remove the excess water from it. Once done, your beardie can eat the cantaloupe.How often can you feed cantaloupe to bearded dragons?Cantaloupes can be consumed by bearded dragons when they are fed as an occasional treat; overconsumption of cantaloupes can cause illness in your bearded dragon. It is best to serve such fruits to your pet at most 5.29 oz (150 g), either once a week or divided in half and served twice a week in case of adult beardies. It is advisable not to feed this to younger beardies as they require more green vegetables than fruits such as cantaloupe.There are multiple underlying reasons why cantaloupes must not be consumed in excess by bearded dragons. The calcium to phosphorus ratio in cantaloupes isn’t optimum; an average of 3.53 oz (100 g) of cantaloupe contains more phosphorus than calcium. Bearded dragons, on the other hand, require more calcium in their diet to maintain a healthy body. If this calcium to phosphorus ratio is disturbed due to eating an excess of cantaloupe, it can upset the health of your pet and could possibly lead to digestion issues and diarrhea. Secondly, vitamin D is absent in cantaloupe which is an important point to take note of as vitamin D3 is required by bearded dragons to make calcium absorption possible. This calcium deficiency can eventually lead to metabolic bone diseases (MBD), and this is more common in juvenile beardies around the age of two years. Excess phosphorus in the diet can also cause this issue. Cantaloupe is known to be relatively high in sugar content, so overconsumption of cantaloupe can result in high sugar intake which will again result in high blood sugar, fatty liver disease and can also make your bearded dragon overweight. A disturbance in the blood sugar level can lead to various other health issues. Moreover, the consumption of too much sugar on a regular basis can also lead to tooth decay. Therefore, you must ensure the optimal quantity and frequency of feeding cantaloupe to your pet.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for can bearded dragons eat cantaloupe then why not take a look at can bearded dragons eat broccoli or bearded dragon facts?
Beardies are omnivores, and unlike most other reptiles living in the wild, they eat fruits and vegetables, too.
