Can Pigs Eat Dragon Fruit

CAN PIGS EAT DRAGON FRUIT

Pigs love fruits among all other things, dragon fruit being one of them.

For those, that might not have any idea as to what a dragon fruit is or what it might look like. 

Dragon fruit is a fruit with a pink outside and a white inside with back spots. Although, sometimes the flesh could be red as opposed to white. The fruit has always been in existence since the early 13th century. The texture of dragon fruits is said to be similar to that of kiwi. Although,  unlike kiwi, dragon fruit is not as sweet. This is why not all pigs might instantly fall in love with them. 

One great thing about dragon fruits is that it goes well in almost all recipes. Recipes like fruit salads, desserts, and smoothies. 

Additionally, dragon fruit is beneficial to all pigs including guinea pigs. 

To directly answer the question: Can pigs dragon fruit? Yes, dragon fruit is absolutely safe for pigs' consumption as long as it is kept to moderation.  It is excellent for them because it contains a lot of much-needed vitamins. Not only vitamins, but it also contains fibers and minerals. 

Health benefits of Dragon fruits

• Dragon fruits help with scurvy prevention because of their vitamin C content. The vitamin C content can not only help with the prevention of scurvy, but it also helps cure it. Scurvy is a known disease that is characterized by wounds on the body that do not seem to heal, fatigue, diarrhea, and weak joints. Therefore, pigs need a lot of vitamin C foods for good health. 

• Dragon fruits also contain vitamin A which serves as a good antioxidant for any organism. Antioxidants fight off free radicals that could be harmful to the body. It thus would make your pets healthier. Since the antioxidants tend to give your pet a stronger immune system and more energy. Vitamin A also has a way of improving the eyesight of your pet.

• In addition, dragon fruits are also made up of minerals, one of them being iron. Iron minerals are crucial. It is crucial for a healthier body and healthier blood. When animals are fed with iron-rich food there tends to not be any form of fatigue and their appetite would be normal. The deficiency of iron leads to anemia ( low blood level) basically. 
  
  
• Potassium content in dragon fruit also helps regulate food pressure to a normal level. Potassium generally helps with the cardiovascular system. It also helps create a water balance in the body. Per 100 grams of dragon fruits, the potassium content is about 192 mg.

• Luckily, dragon fruits are also low in calories which is good for pigs. Per 100 grams of dragon fruit, there is 51 calorie content. Pigs already have a lot of fats in their body. Food low in calories would be best for them. 

• The fiber content in dragon fruit is also great. Fiber helps to keep the bowel moving. It aids digestion and also prevents constipation. 100 grams of dragon fruits contain about 1.7 grams of fiber.

Why you should keep the feeding to your moderation

For elaboration on why you should always keep the feeding of dragon fruits to your pigs in moderation.

• Dragon fruits contain carbohydrates. 100 grams contains 12.38 grams of carbs. This is why excess eating might result in excess weight gaining. As much as dragon fruits cAn help control weight they could also help add on weight.
• 100 grams of dragon fruit contains 9.61 grams of sugar. Sugar is not well digested by pigs. Therefore, when they consume sugar in excess they might suffer from a series of health-related complications. 
• The calcium and phosphorus content in dragon fruit is a risk when consumed in a high quantity. It might result in a problem with the urinary bladder.

The right quantity per serving of dragon fruits should only be a few bites or a couple of scoops. It should only be fed to your pets thrice or four times a week. But remember a few bites. Cutting the fruit into 4 bite sizes is a great idea. Better still, you can mix them with other fruits which also helps create a variety. 

Can pigs also eat the skin of Dragon fruit?

No, you should not feed your pets with the skin. This is because the skin is hard, thus not edible. It also has spikey structures. Therefore, you can only give the fleshy part of the fruit to your pig.

My pig does not like Dragon fruits, what should I do?  

Firstly, I would assume that you have tried feeding them to your pigs and they did not eat them. Because you cannot know for sure that your pig does not like them until you try feeding some to them. 

All you have to do is to start slowly. Any new food you are trying to get your pet to like should be started slowly, once to twice a week should do. You could also try mixing the fruit with their other favorite food. That way, your pig starts to adapt to the taste. After a while, you can then toss them a tiny bit of the fruit alone. 

Note: Do not serve them in large quantities for the first set of time to avoid wastage. 

However, if you notice any negative reaction from your pet after they have consumed the piece of fruit, immediately visit a veterinarian. Better still, you might take your pig for a check-up after they have consumed the fruits, in case they developed any reaction toward the fruit. You can't say, your pig's system might not be designed for fruits like that. Just be safe. 

To sum it up, 

If your pigs have not already tried some dragon fruits, now is the time to get them some. The fruit is so nutritious which is the exact thing your pet needs. Not only for your pet, you also should try some.