Can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots?
Carrot is healthy food for humans but is it good for bearded dragons? Can bearded dragons eat Carrots? Yes, bearded dragons can eat carrots and it is a healthy diet for adult beardies but still, you can feed it to baby bearded dragons as well as a treat only. Carrot contains a lot of beneficial ingredients such as vitamin A, beta carotene, fibers, and other minerals.
However, you should feed carrots to your bearded dragon once or twice a week. Avoid feeding carrots daily to beardies as it contains a rich amount of vitamin A and beta carotene, which can cause some health issues to your beardie. Thinking about how to feed carrots to bearded dragons? Don’t worry we’ll cover it in the next part of this article.
Related: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach?
How to feed carrots to bearded dragons?
Here is the complete guide about feeding carrots to bearded dragons. First of all, you should buy fresh, healthy, and organic carrots from your nearby grocery store or farm shop. After buying carrots, clean and wash them thoroughly with a brush. Now, grate the carrot with grater as it will not cause any chock to your bearded dragon and is easy to eat for him.
You can also do slicing of carrots but it can become a choking hazard for your bearded dragon so it is not recommended. But, if you are feeding a cooked carrot to your bearded dragon then you can do slicing of it and can feed to your pet. After grating the carrots serve it to your bearded dragon in a bowl, which is comfortable for your beardie. Moreover, you can also feed carrots to your pet with salad. It can also be a healthy diet for your pet.
How to feed carrot tops to beaded dragons?
If you are feeding carrot tops to a bearded dragon then you should clean them and chop them into small pieces and serve them to your pet.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Carrots for Beardies
Carrot is a great veggie for beardies but still, it has some benefits and some side effects. We’ll cover the major benefits and side effects of this veggie. So, let’s start with the benefits of this diet. How it can be beneficial for your pet?
Carrot Nutrition Chart
Raw – serving size: 1 cup slices = 128 g
| Name | Average Quantity per serving | % Daily intake per serve | Average Quantity per 100g | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (kJ/Cal) | 200/48 | 2% | 156/37 | |
| Protein (g) | 0.8 | 2% | 0.6 | |
| Fat, total (g) | 0.3 | 0% | 0.2 | |
| – saturated (g) | 0.03 | 0% | 0.03 | |
| Available carbohydrate (g) | 8.7 | 3% | 6.8 | |
| – sugars (g) | 8.4 | 9% | 6.6 | |
| Dietary fiber (g) | 3.6 | 12% | 2.8 | A source of Dietary Fibre |
| Sodium (mg) | 52 | 2% | 41 | |
| Vitamin A Equiv. (µg) | 1116 | 149% RDI* | 872 | A good source of Vitamin A |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 2 | 5% RDI* | 2 | |
| Niacin | 0.6 | 6% RDI* | 0.5 | |
| Potassium (mg) | 223 | 174 | Contains Potassium | |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.15 | 10% RDI* | 0.12 | A source of Vitamin B6 |
| Folate (µg) | 27 | 13% RDI* | 21 | A source of Folate |
Percentage Daily Intakes are based on an average adult diet of 8700 kJ. Your daily Intakes may be higher or lower depending on your energy needs. *Recommended Dietary Intake (Average Adult). Source: FOODfiles 2016
Benefits of carrots for bearded dragons
Carrot contains a lot of minerals, nutrients, vitamins, and fibers. It is a healthy veggie to feed your pet. Here are the major benefits of carrots.
Low in Sugar:
Carrots are low in sugar, which is good for beardies. If any food contains too much sugar then you should avoid feeding that food to your beardie as it can cause him diabetes, teeth issues, and much more. As carrots are low in sugar then it is safe to feed to your beardie.
Vitamin A rich veggie
Carrots contain a good amount of vitamin A, which is important for the vision, eyes, and the healthy immune system of the bearded dragon. Moreover, it is also great for the healthy skin of your pet.
Beta Carotene
Beta carotene is also an important ingredient for glowing skin. And carrots contain a healthy amount of beta carotene, which enhances the beauty of your pet.
Safe Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio:
However, carrots do not contain a large amount of calcium but it has safe calcium-phosphorus ratio. We should feed those foods to bearded dragons that contain more calcium than phosphorus. If the phosphorus is more than calcium then it can cause bone and skeleton diseases to your bearded dragon. It may also cause MBD, which is a very dangerous and common disease in beardies. And the good thing about carrots is that they contain more calcium than phosphorus. So, it is safe to feed.
Fiber:
Carrots also contain fiber, which is good for the digestive system of beardies.
Disadvantages of feeding carrots to beardies
Overfeeding of anything is harmful to beardies and humans as well. There is the same case for carrots. You should not feed too much carrot to your bearded dragon because it can cause him some serious health issues. Carrots contain a large amount of vitamin A and too much vitamin A can cause toxicity and health issues to your pet. Therefore, before feeding carrots to your bearded dragon make sure the diet of your bearded dragon.
If the diet of your beardie is vitamin A rich then avoid feeding carrot because it may cause toxicity and health issues to your pet. Moreover, the overdose of vitamin A may cause energy loss, dehydration, weight loss, and swelling to your pet. If you detect any kind of issues regarding the health of your pet then contact your vet immediately.
What color of carrots good for bearded dragons?
Carrots come in different colors such as red, white, orange, yellow. All of these carrots are safe for beardies and rich in nutrition. However, red carrots are known as more beneficial and healthy carrots for bearded dragons. Moreover, beardies love red foods such as watermelon, strawberry, cherries, etc.
Which carrots should be fed to beardies raw carrots or cooked carrots?
Beardies can eat both types of carrots it does not matter whether they are cooked or raw. But, raw carrots contain more nutrition than cooked. So, it is better to feed a raw carrot to beardies because it contains more nutrients. But, you can also feed cooked carrots.
Can bearded dragons eat carrot leaves?
Bearded dragons can eat carrot leaves as a part of their diet, but they should not be the main staple. Vegetables such as carrot leaves should be offered in small amounts and as a occasional supplement to a primarily insect-based diet. It is important to always wash and chop the leaves before offering them to your bearded dragon.
How often bearded dragons can eat carrots?
It all depends on the diet of your bearded dragon. If the diet of your pet is vitamin A rich then you should feed carrots only once a month to your pet but if you are giving a normal diet to your pet then you can feed carrots once or twice a week.
Adult beardies need 78% of plants and 22% of insects so you can feed carrots to adult beardies two or three times a week depending upon the health of your pet. But, you should not feed many carrots to young or baby beardies as they should be eating more insects than plants. You should carrots only once a week to baby bearded dragons.
Can bearded dragons eat carrot tops?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat carrot tops but they are not safe for them. Carrot tops contain oxalates, which can cause bone diseases to your bearded dragons. It is similar to phosphorus, which makes the bones weak and can cause MBD to beardies. But, if you still want to feed carrot tops to beardies then you should feed it only once a month.
Can bearded dragons have carrot juice?
Bearded dragons should not have carrot juice as part of their diet. Juice does not provide the necessary nutrients and fibers that are found in whole fruits or vegetables. Juice is also high in sugar, which can be harmful to bearded dragons in large amounts.
Can bearded dragons eat baby carrots?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat baby carrots as well as big carrots. But, you should feed the baby carrots to your pet after grating them. However, baby carrots contain less nutrition than organic carrots.
Conclusion
Bearded dragons can eat carrots once or twice a week. Carrot is a safe veggie for beardies. It contains a good amount of vitamin A, beta carotene, and fiber, which are good for the vision, skin, digestive system of beardies. Moreover, beardies can also eat carrot tops as a treat.
The calcium and phosphorus ratio is also safe in carrots. But, you should avoid feeding too much carrot to beardies as it contains a large amount of vitamin A, which can cause health issues to your pet. If you have any questions regarding carrots and bearded dragons then you can ask in the comment section.
