Can Sugar Gliders Eat Dragon Fruit? (What About the Seeds?)
Refreshing and light, dragon fruit, also known as pitaya, is known to taste similar to a kiwi or a pear.
As a testimony to how delicious a dragon fruit is; Dragon fruit is originally from the Americas, now however, it is grown in Asia, Australia and other tropical and subtropical climates all over the world!
We love dragon fruit, and we love our sugar gliders. But can we share our love of dragon fruit with our suggies?
Exotic fruits may seem to match our exotic sugar gliders, but just like we want to be sure that sugar gliders can eat kiwi and pears. It’s always good to make sure any new food is okay for your lovable companions, before sharing it with them.
So, what about dragon fruit? Can sugar gliders eat dragon fruit? The quick and easy answer is: Yes, sugar gliders can eat dragon fruit and dragon fruit seeds.
Dragon fruit isn’t the most nutrient dense treat, so be sure to only feed it to your suggies in moderation. And though it may look scary, don’t panic when red dragon fruit stains your sugar glider’s fur.
What Color of Dragon Fruit is Best For My Sugar Glider to Eat?
Dragon fruit comes in three main varieties. Dragon fruits with yellow skin and pink skin both have white fruit flesh. The dragon fruit variety with red skin has red flesh.
While sugar gliders are fine eating all three varieties, most owners prefer to only feed their sugar gliders white flesh. The red flesh of dragon fruit can dye your cute friend’s fur!
Fortunately for those of us in the U.S., dragon fruit with pink skin and white flesh is the easiest to find. In fact, due to its growing popularity most supermarkets now carry fresh dragon fruit.
None of the three varieties of dragon fruit contain everything your sugar glider needs for a balanced, healthy diet. So be sure to not overindulge them with dragon fruit, they’ll still need to be hungry enough to eat their main meal.
As a general rule, it’s always best to feed your suggies fresh produce rather than canned.
Can Sugar Gliders Eat Dragon Fruit Seeds?
It is true, many fruit seeds are toxic to sugar gliders. But what about dragon fruit seeds? Can sugar gliders eat dragon fruit seeds? What a pain it would be remove all those seeds! Luckily, dragon fruit seeds are fine for sugar gliders.
Being okay to eat and liking dragon fruit seeds are completely different though. Just like humans, some sugar gliders are pickier about what they eat than others.
Fortunately, sugar gliders who don’t like dragon fruit seeds simply eat around them and toss them to the side. So, you will still be able to feed your sugar glider dragon fruit.
The skin of the dragon fruit on the other hand is a little different. While your sugar gliders most likely will eat around the skin, you should still wash it well. The pesticides used in contemporary farming aren’t good for your sugar gliders at all.
And while they will avoid eating the skin, some sugar gliders might try a nimble before they realize they don’t like it. You don’t want your suggies to accidentally ingest pesticides.
Of course you can always remove the skin from the dragon fruit treat. Or even better, if possible, buy organic dragon fruit and don’t worry about it!
Summary: Can Sugar Gliders Have Dragon Fruit and Dragon Fruit Seeds?
Can sugar gliders eat dragon fruit? Can they eat dragon fruit seeds? In a word: Yes! Sugar gliders can eat dragon fruit and the seeds are just fine too.
Dragon fruit is a great treat for your sweet companions. Though they don’t provide a lot of the nutrition a sugar glider needs so keep dragon fruit to a treat rather than their full meal.
Though dragon fruit with red flesh is also okay to feed sugar gliders, it can dye their fur.
Even though you are not feeding the skin to your sugar glider, remember to thoroughly rinse it. You do not want to cross contaminate pesticides from the skin with the fruit you give your suggies. Pesticides are very harmful to sugar gliders.
Finally, always remember to watch the calcium to phosphorus ratio in your sugar glider’s diet.