Can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots? Yes, They do!

Can bearded dragons eat carrots or not? It is an interesting question, and you will be surprised to know what carrots can do for your beardie.

Typically, bearded dragons enjoy eating carrots, but most of the beardie owners are wondering whether carrots are safe to them and if they can be used as staple foods. Well, bearded dragons can eat carrots but only in low doses.

Carrots are incredibly nutritious and can be toxic to bearded dragons if you feed them in excess. So, it would help if you were pretty careful with feeding carrots to your lizard friend, make sure you use the right amounts and provide them as a treat.

Further in the article, we’ll cover the following sections:

• Can bearded dragons eat carrots?
• Carrots nutritional profile.
• How often to feed carrots to bearded dragons?
• Can bearded dragons eat raw or cooked carrots?
• Can bearded dragons eat carrots’ green tops? And lots more.

What are the Nutrients Found in Carrots?

Carrots are rich in essential vitamins, fiber, minerals and are among the best foods with high amounts of beta-carotene. They are famous for the beta-carotene compound, which is their superpower.

Below is the nutritional value of carrots contained in 100 grams, and the data is sourced from USDA.

• Water: 88.29g
• Energy: 41kcal
• Carbohydrates: 9.58g
• Dietary fiber: 2.8g
• Sugars: 4.7g
• Protein: 0.93g
• Fat: 0.24g
• Calcium: 33mg
• Phosphorus: 35mg
• Sodium: 39mg
• Potassium: 320mg
• Magnesium: 12mg
• Vitamin A: 835µg
• Vitamin B-6: 0.138mg
• Vitamin B-9: 19µg
• Vitamin C: 5.9mg
• Vitamin E: 0.66mg
• Vitamin K: 13.2µg
• Beta-carotene: 8285µg
• Alpha-carotene: 3477µg
• Lutein and zeaxanthin: 256µg

These are some of the nutrients found in carrots, and you can see for yourself how nutritious they are, including minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and carotenoids.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots?

Yes, the beardies can eat carrots, and they love these crunchy foods. Carrots supply abundant nutrients in bearded dragons and have several health benefits to them. The calcium to phosphorus ratio in carrots is in a safe range; you can feed them confidently

Vitamin A and beta-carotene have significant value to bearded dragons as they help in maintaining good eye health, skin health, bone development, and protein synthesis..

Beta-carotene is inactive, and it is activated to vitamin A for effective functioning. Carrots are relatively good for fiber, which keeps the digestive system working smoothly, and it makes the stool loose, thus preventing constipation.

If you supply your beardie with vitamin A supplements, you need to be cautious with feeding carrots. Giving carrots and vitamin A to bearded dragons can cause hypervitaminosis A if you aren’t watchful, and this can result in toxic symptoms.

So, avoid feeding carrots to bearded dragons as staple vegetables, but instead, use them occasionally and in limited amounts.

How Often to Feed Carrots to Bearded Dragons?

We have seen that too many carrots can be poisonous to bearded dragons, so, after how long should you feed carrots to your beardie, and what is the appropriate amount to give?

Letting your lizard eat carrots once or twice a month is fine, that’s a perfect duration, and this way, carrots will be of significant help to bearded dragons healthwise.

The best way is to include these vegetables as part of your beardie’s diet containing high calcium leafy-greens and live insects. Carrots alone will not supply sufficient calcium to the beardies.

Otherwise, instead of looking for numerous veggies and greens to cover all the minerals and vitamins needed by the beardies, it would be best if you use multi-vitamins. Some people use multi-vitamins, which is more manageable and cheaper.

Always use carrots in moderation when it comes to bearded dragons, and also importantly, use them as a rare treat.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots’ Green Tops?

Carrot leaves are also nutritious, and there is no problem feeding them to bearded dragons. Interestingly, carrot leaves contain six times more vitamin C than the root carrot.

Another reason why carrot green tops are suitable for bearded dragons is that they have plenty of vitamin A, potassium, and calcium.

Likewise, bearded dragons should eat carrot green tops in moderation the same way you would feed the carrot flesh.

Feeding carrot leaves to the beardies every day can be dangerous as they contain many oxalates, which can result in severe health issues.

Consider cleaning and chopping these leaves if you are looking forward to feeding them to your pet. Cleaning is essential to remove the chemicals like herbicides, pesticides, and perhaps harmful insects. Unchopped veggies can present chewing problems in bearded dragons.

Can I Feed Carrot Skin to My Bearded Dragon?

It is not safe to feed carrot skin or peels to bearded dragons at all. Carrot skin is rough and can present a choking risk in the beardies. So, you will need to peel the skin before you feed the carrots to bearded dragons.

Moreover, carrot skin may contain pesticides, herbicides, or poisonous insects that can be harmful to bearded dragons. It is safer if you avoid feeding carrot peels to your lizard, they don’t supply abundant nutrients anyway.

Should I Feed Cooked or Raw Carrots to My Bearded Dragons?

If you choose to use raw or cooked carrots, there is no harm; it is still okay since bearded dragons can eat them all.

But I would advise you to go for raw carrots because they are full of nutrients while, on the other hand, cooked carrots contain fewer nutrients. Cooking makes carrots lose many nutrients. So, it would be best if you settle on using raw carrots.

However, if you feel like using cooked carrots instead, then go for it. As I told you, they are not harmful; either way, it is just that their nutrients are diminished.

Sometimes, you may want to give frozen carrots to your beardie, which is still fine, but it would be best if you go for fresh carrots. It applies to all other veggies.

The only things I can recommend you to avoid are the canned carrots or any other canned food for bearded dragons. They are relatively low in nutrients. Anyway, why should you deny your beardie a chance to enjoy the dense nutrients in fresh food?

Can Bearded Dragons Eat All Species of Carrots?

Carrots come in different colors, including purple, orange, white, and yellow, and you might wonder if they are all safe for bearded lizards.

Well, all carrots, regardless of the color, are edible to bearded dragons, and they contain almost the same nutritional value.

Whichever carrot type you choose, make sure to feed them once or twice a month to prevent vitamin A reaching its toxicity level.

The Easiest Way to Prepare Carrots for Bearded Dragons

Now you know what carrots can do to your beardie, and it’s one of the best choice vegetables to include in your bearded dragon diet. Anyway, that is all done; it’s time to serve some carrots to your beardie. Here is a simple way to go about in your preparation.

• Pick only fresh carrots from the market or your farm and make sure you wash them properly with clean water before feeding.
• Peel the carrot with a clean mini peeler or kitchen knife. Removing carrot skin necessary at it may contain some chemicals like pesticides.
• You can slice the carrot into thin pieces, but it would be much better if you grate them as they are easier to consume that way.
• Include the carrot as part of a beardie’s salad. Let the pet enjoy the meal.

Wrapping Up

There you have it. I hope you have learned much about bearded dragons and carrots. Carrots are ideal vegetables for bearded dragons as they are incredibly nutritious.

All species of carrots are incredibly rich in vitamin A, which is their superpower nutrient. More importantly, carrots should only be used occasionally and never as staple vegetables.

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