{"id":532,"date":"2021-07-21T17:21:59","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T17:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beingreptiles.com\/?p=532"},"modified":"2022-10-26T07:54:16","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T07:54:16","slug":"do-bearded-dragons-eat-carrots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beingreptiles.com\/do-bearded-dragons-eat-carrots\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots? Benefits and Dangers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Carrots seem terrible because they’re so high in sugar and have been linked to obesity in some pets. However, carrots also contain beta carotene, an antioxidant that can help boost your pet’s immune system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bearded dragons eat carrots since they have nutrients such as beta carotene and vitamin A which are important to the health of the dragon. Carrots also have a good Ca:P ratio. Feed them carrots twice a week in small bits to avoid vitamin A toxicity and metabolic bone disease.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, while it’s not clear if carrots are bad or good for bearded dragons, there are too many factors to consider one way or another as to whether this common human food should be given to bearded dragons or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can bearded dragons eat carrots?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Bearded dragons can eat carrots about twice each week but not every day. Carrots are typically not on the menu for bearded dragons in their natural habitat, but they provide many nutritional benefits to help your dragon stay healthy and satisfied hence their inclusion when in captivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many benefits to feeding your bearded dragon carrots, such as improving their vision, helping them grow bigger, and making sure that they’re getting enough Vitamin A from fresh foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the benefits of carrots to bearded dragons?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The benefits of carrots to bearded dragons include nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin B-complex group of vitamins (thiamin, niacin and riboflavin), potassium, calcium and phosphorus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrots are very high in vitamin A which is important for your bearded dragon’s eye health because it helps to prevent night blindness. They also contain a lot of fiber that can help reduce intestinal blockages as well as regulate bowel movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vitamin K content provides bone support by aiding the absorption of minerals such as calcium and phosphorous into the bones from the bloodstream. They’re therefore great if you find you have an issue with your beardie not eating enough greens or vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrots are also rich in vitamin B complex groups like thiamine (B-I) which helps to convert food into energy, vitamin B-II which helps with metabolism and vitamin B-III (riboflavin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re not sure of how many carrots your bearded dragon should eat each day then a good rule of thumb is that they need around one medium-sized carrot per every 100 grams in their body weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if your beardie weighs about half a kilo (500g) then they’ll need around two carrots or so. In general, the best time to feed them this vegetable would be early morning before breakfast or late evening after dinner\/night feeding when no other foods are present because it can cause digestive issues like diarrhea if given at the wrong time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrots have a good ratio of calcium to phosphorus (Ca:P) of 1:0.9. This means that the bearded dragon will be safe from metabolic bone disease (MBD) which comes from the consumption of too much phosphorus and little calcium. It’ll also be safe from too much or too little calcium given that the two nutrients are balanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides that, carrots have just the right amount of vitamin A. The vitamin A content is not too high or low, which helps regulate the absorption of calcium and vitamin K. It also prevents vitamin A toxicity which is quite common in bearded dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ ALSO: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Tomatoes? Guide + Precautions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Carrots Nutritional Information<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Nutrient<\/strong><\/td>Amount<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Water<\/td>88.29 g<\/td><\/tr>
Protein<\/td>0.93 g<\/td><\/tr>
Carbohydrate<\/td>9.58 g<\/td><\/tr>
Sugars<\/td>4.74 g<\/td><\/tr>
Phosphorus, P<\/td>35 mg<\/td><\/tr>
Vitamin C<\/td>5.9 mg<\/td><\/tr>
Magnesium, Mg<\/td>12 mg<\/td><\/tr>
Beta-Carotene<\/td>8285 µg<\/td><\/tr>
Alpha-Carotene<\/td>3477 µg<\/td><\/tr>
Vitamin A<\/td>835 µg<\/td><\/tr>
Potassium, K<\/td>320 mg<\/td><\/tr>
Iron, Fe<\/td>0.3 mg<\/td><\/tr>
Sodium, Na<\/td>69 mg<\/td><\/tr>
Calcium, Ca<\/td>33 mg<\/td><\/tr>
Fiber<\/td>2.8 g<\/td><\/tr>
Total lipid (fat)<\/td>0.24 g<\/td><\/tr>
Energy<\/td>41 Kcal<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are the dangers of carrots to bearded dragons?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The reasons why you should regulate how much carrots your beardies eat include vitamin A toxicity <\/strong>and obesity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bearded dragons love to eat carrots and vitamin A can be toxic in higher doses. You want a happy middle ground where they get vitamin A without going overboard on it. In addition, bearded dragons who eat too many vegetables may become obese because of the high calorie content that is found within them (sometimes even more than what you would find in fruits). Obesity leads to other health problems for your beardie such as heart disease. For this reason, make sure not to go crazy with the veggies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vitamin A toxicity, also called hypervitaminosis A, occurs when your lizard pet gets more vitamin A than it naturally needs. If you’re already feeding the dragon vitamin A supplements, regulate the carrots as much as possible to avoid it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symptoms of vitamin A toxicity include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n