Bearded dragons are one of the famous exotic reptile pets in many homes today, and because of good reasons. Most pet owners boast of their docile nature, cohabitation with other pets and kids, and ability to adapt to their new environment provided their terrarium is built properly. However, on the flip side, beardies are quite attention needing pets to keep.
There is no freestyling when you’re handling bearded dragons; you need to know everything about keeping a beardie to the last whiff majorly what they eat and how it affects them. So it’s nothing new if you’re wondering if your pet can eat mangoes. Since there are several things bearded dragons can’t eat for their safety.
Your beardie can eat mangoes and will absolutely enjoy them. Mangoes are rich in valuable nutrients that can boost your beardie’s health positively. Your dragon must eat them moderately, though, because too many mangoes can cause it to fall sick.
In this discussion, we’ll be reviewing mangoes and their risks alongside the benefits of feeding them to your bearded dragon. This is to ensure that you know the safest way to feed mangoes to your beardie so that you don’t put yourself or your pet in trouble. Let’s go!
Are Mangoes Good For Bearded Dragons?
Mangoes are considered treats for beardies, and can only be beneficial or good if they are fed accordingly. Too much mango and your pet will certainly need the vet. It’s crucial to understand the limits and dangers of feeding treats to beardies because it does get ugly when things are overdone.
Mangoes are good treats because of the nutritional value they present. Saturated with most of the vitamins and minerals your dragon essentially needs, your pet could gain an extra punch of value added to its daily count.
Here is the nutritional value of 100 grams of mangoes according to the USDA:
- Calories: 60
- Protein: 0.8 grams
- Fat: 0.4 grams
- Carbohydrates: 15 grams
- Fiber: 1.6 grams
- Sugars: 13.7 grams
- Vitamin A: 1262 IU
- Vitamin C: 36.4 mg
- Calcium: 10 mg
- Iron: 0.16 mg
- Potassium: 168 mg
Mangoes are nutritious fruits that provide vitamins A and C which are essential for your dragon’s well-being. They also contain minerals that are great for the heart, and fiber that is beneficial to the digestive system. As long as you feed your pet mangoes moderately as I’ve advised, these vitamins and minerals will be a great way to boost your dragon’s vigor.
5 Great Reasons Why Mangoes Are Good For Bearded Dragons
Mangoes are one of the few fruits that bearded dragons can eat, and for good reasons. They are fairly safe and provide valuable nutrients to your beardie even with the small amount it will consume. Here are 5 reasons why mangoes make good fruits for bearded dragons:
1. Mangoes Are High-Carb Fruits And Great Energy Sources
Mangoes are saturated with carbohydrates which are the starting points of energy. When these blocks are digested, they can be metabolized to produce energy in the form of ATPs.These ATPs are the fuel for which several metabolic functions take place in your dragon’s body.
Carbs in excess may be a serious problem leading to obesity and other organ failures, but the right amount is an easy ticket to acquiring energy through and through. It’s highly important to stick to the requirement so that you don’t cause your pet stomach problems.
2. Mangoes Are Great For Boosting Immunity
The Vitamin C in mangoes is significant and can positively improve the immunity of your dragon. If you’re seeking a fruit that will improve your dragon’s appetite as well, mangoes are the way to go! Your beardie needs its white blood cells to fight off diseases, when there is a shortage of white blood cells, your dragon will fall sick and be unable to recover.
White blood cells rely mostly on vitamin C to multiply and improve their capacities as cellular soldiers. By introducing mangoes to your bearded dragon, you can certainly improve its immunity to diseases especially if your dragon is recovering from an illness.
3. Mangoes Actively Aid Digestion
Another great attribute of mangoes is the spectrum of enzymes that collectively work to break down and metabolize complete compounds. Without normal and functioning enzymes, your beardie simply wouldn’t be able to make use of anything it eats. There would be no means of converting carbs to energy or proteins to amino acids that your dragon critically requires for its survival. So, send accolades to mangoes for possessing amylases, proteases, lipases, and cellulases for carrying the bulk load of conversion.
Added to this, mangoes contain fiber that provides bulk load to the digestive system. Since fiber is not digestible, it helps to stabilize the process and encourage safe excretion. It helps your dragon attain the proper poop consistency so that it doesn’t waste nutrients through diarrhea or get constipated.
4. Mangoes Are Good For The Eyes And Skin
Vitamins are essential for your beardie to perform different bodily functions and mangoes are loaded with them. Vitamin A assists in maintaining good eyesight, reproduction, boosting immunity, and anti-inflammatory function. Without vitamin A, your beardie will suffer from various eye problems and skin deficiencies that will later progress to lethargy and malnutrition.
5. Mangoes Are Rich In Antioxidants That Prevents Cancerous Cells
Antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene (which is synthesized from vitamin A) assist in neutralizing free radicals that are dangerous to the cells. Beardies, just like us, are exposed to radiation, pollution, or harmful chemicals that instigate the formation of free radicals. These free radicals are cell-triggering electrons that cause the formation of abnormalities such as cancers and tumors. Your pet needs to have a source of antioxidants to protect them from this problem, and thankfully, mangoes are a good choice!
How To Prepare And Feed Mangoes To Your Beardie Safely
Before you can feed your dragon fruity treats, it’s important to know how to prepare them. Sometimes, not every part of the fruit is safe for your beardie to consume. Beardies shouldn’t eat the skin of mangoes. This is because mango skins require to be chewed properly, and your pet does not have the teeth for such work. If it eats mangoes with the skin, it will suffer from serious impaction at the end of the day.
Preparing Mangoes For Your Beardie
First, you must wash the mango thoroughly to get any pesticide or herbicide off. It’s normal for mango trees to be sprayed with chemicals to keep them fresh and plump, so you must ensure that your pet is not exposed to the chemicals.
After washing the mango, you can then peel the skin and take out the pit; all your beardie needs is the flesh of the fruit. You can then proceed to chop the flesh into bite-sized pieces for your pet to eat effortlessly. The pieces should fit between the eyes of your beardie if you require an accurate and safe measurement.
Feeding The Mangoes To Your Beardie
After the mango has been properly prepared for your beardie, you can then feed it to it appropriately with the proper measurement. The correct quantity is 10% of your beardie’s salad twice a month. Bearded dragons eat salads daily to replenish the necessary vitamins and minerals, and the amount of greens your dragon will eat depends on its age. If you know the amount of salad your dragon should eat, you can easily estimate how much 10% should be.
You can refer to the table below to match your beardie’s age to the amount of greens it should eat.
| Age (months) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 – 2 (Baby stage) | 30% greens, 70% grubs |
| 3 – 6 (Juvenile stage) | 30% greens, 70% grubs |
| 6 – 9 (Subadult stage) | 40% greens, 60% grubs |
| 9 – 18+ (Adult stage) | 70% greens, 30% grubs |
Putting it into perspective, the average-sized hand filled to a heap with shredded greens is a good measurement of how much salad an adult bearded dragon can eat. This is also because adult beardies eat more greens. So, a juvenile or baby beardie will require half of that amount a day. Out of these measurements, 10% would be much easier to take out.
3 Fearful Risks Of Feeding Beardies Too Many Mangoes
Too much of everything is bad, and sometimes fatal for beardies. If your dragon eats too many mangoes, it could fall terribly sick. Depending on how well-fed and cared-for a bearded dragon is, some minor illnesses could even result in it dying. Here are the dangers of feeding your pet too many mangoes:
Obesity
The sugar content in mangoes is too high for beardies to consume frequently or eat too much at once. Sugar is usually stored after the necessary amount has been spun into energy. If your dragon eats mangoes excessively, the stored sugar will cause your dragon to put on unhealthy weight. This will place pressure on its bones and respiratory system, causing them lifelong discomfort if the weight is not lost.
Low Blood Pressure
Bearded dragons suffer from low blood pressure when there is too much potassium in their systems. Mangoes are reservoirs of potassium which can only be of benefit if your dragon eats it moderately. In excess, potassium can weaken the veins lowering the pressure thereby causing the heart to work overtime. It’s a highly dangerous problem and is one of the causes of cardiac arrest in reptiles.
Metabolic Bone Disease
Metabolic bone disease is common amongst bearded dragons and can be a result of several issues including diet. If their diet contains an improper fraction of calcium and phosphorus – the phosphorus is more than calcium – your dragon will suffer from a decline in calcium levels and then metabolic bone disease. This is because phosphorus binds to calcium forming calcium oxalates thereby depriving your pet of getting any.
Calcium is one of the essential minerals beardies require because it contributes to building strong bones. Without calcium, the bones will grow brittle and deformed, restricting the regular function of your bearded dragon. MBD is quite a painful experience for beardies to endure.
Mangoes contain 23mg of phosphorus and 10mg of calcium. Since phosphorus supersedes calcium, it’s important to regulate how much your beardie eats them.
Does The Type Of Mango Matter To My Beardie?
The type of mango does not matter to your dragon as they all contain similar levels of vitamins and minerals. However, dragons have preferences, and since mangoes have different textures and tastes, your beardie may prefer one to the other. You can take out this experiment if you will, to see which one your dragon prefers. Just ensure that you don’t feed it too much in the process.
What matters is that the mangoes should be ripe and fed appropriately at all times.
Closing Remarks
Fruity treats are one of the many ways you can bond with your dragon; at least you’d share a common interest with your pet if it enjoys mangoes as you do! Many beardie owners have reported how much their dragons love mangoes, and maybe yours will, too. As long as you know how to feed them to your pet, you both will enjoy the ordeal.
If you notice a negative change in your beardie’s demeanor after you’ve fed it some mangoes, rush to the veterinary doctor immediately for evaluation. A diagnosis needs to be made before the problem escalates so that your beardie can recover swiftly or avoid a potential illness. Good luck and happy munching!
