Do you own a bearded dragon? Then one question you’re probably asking is can bearded dragons eat carrots?
Every responsible pet owner desires to provide a good life for their buddy. For bearded dragons, a healthy and proper diet will go a long way to help with this goal.
As much as carrots are cheap and commonly available, and pack a lot of nutrients, you want to be sure that they are safe and okay for your dragons.
Contents
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots?
Typically, bearded dragon enjoys carrots a lot and it’s a good thing. This is because the veggie is nutritious. There is no reason why your reptilian buddy should not be partaking in this abundance of nutrients.
So the answer to the above question is YES. More than its nutritional value is its combination of sweet taste and bright color.
These attributes doubtless put carrots in the unique spot on the list of foods your dragons should be fed. Despite the nutritional value and benefits provided by this wonderful veggie, there are still many caveats to keep in mind.
To this end, moderation comes into play. More will be said about this further down this post.
Health Benefits Of Carrots For Bearded Dragons
Other than the crunch and delicious value, carrots store a goldmine of nutrition. Some of the benefits you stand to get from these nutritional heroes are as follows:
Vitamin A
Carrots are a great source of vitamin A. This vitamin is in turn an essential part of any bearded dragon’s diet.
Primarily, vitamin A helps to maintain the vision and eye health of your beardies. The presence of vitamin A helps to prevent eye infections and vision loss.
But, care must be taken here when supplements will be involved. We’ll discuss more of this later.
Potassium
Potassium is a mineral your dragon requires, and this they can get from snacking on carrots.
Adequate potassium helps to strengthen your bearded dragon’s muscles. This will help when expressing their natural instinct of climbing.
Vitamin B6
This is another great addition to the list of nutrients essential for your bearded dragon. More than just helping to improve health, it enhances their skin quality.
It helps your bearded dragon to maximize the intake of foods like fat, carbohydrate, and protein.
Vitamin C
Every animal at some point in its life will get hurt. At such times, they need vitamin C to help their body to heal.
Vitamin C also helps to boost the immune system of your dragon. This way, it keeps them from incessant sickness and far away from illness. It also helps to keep their eyesight healthy.
Calcium
Calcium is probably the most important nutrient your beardie is going to need. The simple reason is the role it plays in the bone growth of your bearded dragon.
The absence of this mineral is likely to cause your reptilian buddy to develop Metabolic Bone Disease.
Vitamin K
If your beardies must stay healthy, they need to be provided with vitamin K. One other function is helping the body to absorb calcium.
We already know that calcium is one of the most important nutrients your lizard friend needs. This vitamin is also involved in improving blood clotting or coagulation.
Fiber
Carrots are a great way to top up the total fiber intake of your bearded dragons. This way, you’ll be minimizing their risk of conditions such as constipation or impaction. Fiber helps the digestive function of your dragons.
The absence of fiber in their diet could mean difficulty in digesting some of the insects you feed them, because of the outer shell.
Water Content
As beardies get older, most of them begin to consume less water from their primary source.
Feeding them with carrots is a great way to supplement their consumption of water. This way, you’re helping to prevent any dehydration issues. (1)
Are Carrots Good For Bearded Dragons?
We have already established that carrots are a goldmine when it comes to down nutrients for bearded dragons. But, there are a few things to be mindful of when adding them to their diet.
Vitamin A Toxicity
Vitamin A no doubt does a lot of good for your bearded dragons. One of the best sources of this vitamin is carrots.
But, you want to be careful with the number of carrots you provide your beardies if you are also involving supplements or multivitamins of the said vitamin.
This combination is usually not healthy because it raises the amount of vitamins beyond the recommended limit which leads to toxicity issues.
It is recommended that if you are already feeding supplements of vitamin A to your beardies, carrots should either be avoided or given in strict moderation.
If you want to feed them lots of carrots, then you must do away with any form of supplements.
Oxalates
Almost every veggie has oxalic acid – particularly with green leafy vegetables such as parsley, spinach, and romaine. Carrots are not left out of the list.
This oxalic acid tends to bind to calcium and thus preventing the absorption of calcium. The more carrots you feed your beardies, the more oxalic acid present in their system. The more of this oxalate content, the less calcium is available to your dragons.
Knowing how much calcium and carrots mean to your beardies, you may not want to do away with any of them. The solution will be to moderate the number of carrots your bearded dragon consumes.
How Do I Feed My Bearded Dragon Carrots?
Now that we are certain that carrots are safe for your bearded dragons, you need to know to prepare them for maximum benefits.
I recommend that the skin of the carrot should always be removed. This is especially true if you’re not sure of the source. This helps to get rid of any pesticide it must have come in contact with during the farming process.
An alternative is to thoroughly wash under running water for about 30 minutes. The above should be observed even if you will be boiling the carrots.
This is followed by chopping the carrots into small pieces that they can easily consume and not be choked in the process. You may want to use a grater for this, so the pieces are finely done.
In the case of boiled carrots, slicing, or chopping is okay. Next will be to place the carrots in your dragon’s dish and put them inside the enclosure.
It is important to note here that you only present fresh carrots to your beardies. That means you only want to prepare just enough that they can consume, except if you have a refrigerator to keep them. Carrots tend to rot easily once chopped.
How Often Should You Feed Carrots For Bearded Dragons?
As much as carrots are nutritious and healthy for your bearded dragons, they really can’t be a staple to their diets for reasons already discussed.
After all, out in the wild, they hardly would come across them, so why be so keen on feeding them to your bearded dragon on regular basis.
About 10 to 15 times a month should be okay for feeding your dragons with carrots. This way, there are no chances of going overboard and your beardies still get to partake of the plenty of nutritional value carrots provide.
Final Words On Do Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots
It is true that even as omnivores; there are certain foods that should be avoided as they are not safe for bearded dragons.
Fortunately, that does not apply to carrots. The benefit this veggie brings to the table is second to none. But, even though they are safe, it is recommended that they be consumed in moderation to avoid issues with vitamin A, as that would be unpleasant for your beardies.
Actually, too much of any food tends to be harmful, but particular attention should be given to vitamin A consumption especially if supplements and multivitamins are included in their diet.
Ultimately, you should get your vet involved if you observe any serious unusual behavior with your lizard buddy.
Are you already feeding carrots to your reptilian buddies or still considering? You probably have questions you may want to ask. Kindly drop them in the comments section below.
Did you like “Can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots?”? We would greatly appreciate it if you would share this on your favorite social media channel.
Be the first to comment