Can You Feed Frozen Food to Bearded Dragon?

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If you are like us, you may love eating frozen foods. You’d prefer frozen passion fruit over fresh passion fruit and frozen nectarines over fresh nectarines. But can you feed frozen food to bearded dragon? Or is it safe for bearded dragons to eat frozen fruits?

Well, yes. Bearded dragons can eat frozen food—both veggies and bugs. However, to be on the safe side, it’s not recommended to give them frozen food. Bearded dragons are native to Australian deserts, where the environment is warm, not cold. Bearded dragons can become too cold when given frozen food.

How Often Can You Give Frozen Food to Bearded Dragons?

Occasionally. That’s because fruits can lose many nutrients when frozen. Bearded dragons need a balanced diet consisting of bugs, insects, and fruits. Additionally, they must have calcium in their diet. They get most of their calcium from the food they eat. Without enough calcium, bearded dragons can develop metabolic bone disease. 

How Often Can a Bearded Dragon Eat Frozen Food?

As mentioned before, bearded dragons shouldn’t eat frozen food excessively. Each bearded dragon is an individual, some may even become ill after eating frozen food.

Can You Give Ice Cubes to Your Bearded Dragons?

No. Bearded dragons shouldn’t be given ice cubes. That’s because ice cubes can get stuck on their tongue. Also, since bearded dragons can become dehydrated quickly, some owners make their beardies drink water by putting ice cubes in their water bowls. However, this isn’t a safe method to hydrate bearded dragons. There are better ways to hydrate a bearded dragon including misting their food and bathing them.

Can Bearded Dragons Get Brain Freeze?

Since bearded dragons depend on external temperature to regulate their body temperature, they don’t get brain freeze even after consuming frozen foods. Brain freeze occurs when something cold enters one’s body. In turn, the body responds by warming up. So rest assured, even if your bearded dragon eats frozen food, they won’t get brain freeze.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Ice Cream?

No, bearded dragons shouldn’t eat ice cream. Beardies are lactose intolerant. They lack the enzyme necessary to break down lactose in their digestive system. Additionally, ice cream contains high levels of sugar and fat, which are detrimental to beardies. Since they don’t move much in captivity, eating sugary food can make them obese. 

Signs that indicate your bearded dragon is obese include:

•  Thick tail
•  Bulging body
•  Large and round belly
•  Skin folds under the neck, abdomen, and limbs
•  Large cranial pads

But in case your bearded dragon eats ice cream, then you might have to consult a vet.

What are Some Frozen Food You Should Never Give to Your Bearded Dragon?

Here is a list of frozen fruits and vegetables that you should never give to your bearded dragon:

•  Avocado
•  Lettuce
•  Beet greens
•  Mushrooms
•  Rhubarb
•  Wild Plants
• Citrus Fruit
• Yogurt

What are Some Frozen Fruits and Vegetables You Can Give to Your Bearded Dragon?

While it’s always recommended to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to your bearded dragon, for your convenience, it’s okay to give them frozen fruits and vegetables.

Expert tip: During freezing, because of the removal of moisture, sugar concentration in fruits increases. So, beware while providing sugary fruits in frozen form. Eating too much of them can make them obese. Also, see how much amount of sugar you’re giving to your bearded dragon. If your beardie is eating too much of sugary fruit, save frozen fruit for later.

The good news is that there are still some veggies and fruits that your bearded dragon can safely eat even in frozen form.

1. Frozen Beans

Fresh beans are packed with calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, C, as well as K. Fortunately, even in frozen form, beans don’t lose these essential nutrients. Just ensure you are freezing the beans yourself. Store-bought frozen beans often contain added preservatives and salt that can increase a bearded dragon’s blood pressure.

2. Frozen Berries

Instead of buying frozen organic berries, prefer non-organic frozen berries. They have less pesticide residue, and no nutrients are lost even in frozen form.

3. Frozen Cherries

Canned cherries are preferable to frozen cherries because of the negligible preservatives in the former. However, before giving frozen cherries to bearded dragons, make sure to thaw them.

How to Freeze Food for Bearded Dragons?

It’s completely okay to give frozen food to bearded dragons occasionally. But what are the steps you should follow to freeze their food?

Well, make sure to follow the steps below:

1. Buy fresh food – bugs and vegetables from farmer’s markets.

2. Wash the food with fresh water. Make sure the water is dechlorinated, as bearded dragons can’t digest chlorine. Even a small amount of chlorine can make them sick.

3. Cut everything, including fruits and veggies that are large in size. As a rule of thumb, cut every veggie and fruit into a size that’s not bigger than the space between a bearded dragon’s eyes.

4. Store fruits in air-tight containers. According to some experts, microorganisms in the air can accelerate the decomposition process, causing food to discolor and dry after freezing.

Which Nutrient is Lost in Frozen Fruits?

According to the University of Minnesota, Vitamin C is the only nutrient that’s lost during freezing. Another study conducted by the University of California found that vitamin C was reduced to 46.1% after 3 months of freezing. This means it’s not a viable option to give frozen fruits that contain vitamin C. Some fruits that contain vitamin C include:

• Oranges
• Grapefruits
• Lemons
• Tangerines