Can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots? Things You Should Know

A lot of people in the bearded dragon community especially new owners wonder if bearded dragons can eat carrots. The short answer is yes, but there are a few things you should know.

Yes, bearded dragons can eat carrots. Known for their health benefits for humans, carrots are also nutritious for bearded dragons. However, beardies should not eat them more then once or twice a week.

For a better understanding of how carrots fit into a dragon’s diet, you need to read this post.

Adult bearded dragons typically eat 80% plants and 20% insects. You can definitely add carrots to their diet. It can, however, only be fed once or twice a week. It can also be fed to baby bearded dragons, but not on a regular basis.

How Often can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrots?

To be on the safe side, you should not feed your bearded dragon carrots more than once or twice a week.

Although carrots have many health benefits, bearded dragons cannot eat them as a staple food because they do not contain a sufficient amount of calcium.

Although carrots are not part of dragons’ diet in the wild, they do offer some great health benefits:

• Vitamin A and beta-carotene in carrots help to boost the immune system, promote healthy skin, and improve vision.
• Also, it contains fiber, which assists in digesting the exoskeleton of insects like Dubia roaches.

Raw Carrot Nutritional Stats

(% indicates the amount of HUMAN daily intake for reference only)
Carrot Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz.)

Nutrition	Amount
Energy	173 kJ (41 kcal)
Carbohydrates	9.6 g
Sugars	4.7 g
Dietary fibre	2.8 g
Fat	0.24 g
Protein	0.93 g
Vitamin A equiv.	835 μg (104%)
beta-carotene	8285 μg (77%)
lutein and zeaxanthin	256 μg
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.066 mg (6%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.058 mg (5%)
Niacin (vit. B3)	0.983 mg (7%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.273 mg (5%)
Vitamin B6	0.138 mg (11%)
Folate (vit. B9)	19 μg (5%)
Vitamin C	5.9 mg (7%)
Vitamin E	0.66 mg (4%)
Calcium	33 mg (3%)
Iron	0.3 mg (2%)
Magnesium	12 mg (3%)
Manganese	0.143 mg (7%)
Phosphorus	35 mg (5%)
Potassium	320 mg (7%)
Sodium	69 mg (5%)
Zinc	0.24 mg (3%)
Fluoride	3.2 µg

Carrots have a balanced ratio of phosphorus and calcium, making them safer for beardies than most plants.

Calcium plays an important role in the development of bearded dragons’ bones and their overall health.

Phosphorus is a mineral that binds to calcium, so it doesn’t enter a bearded dragon’s bloodstream.

A high phosphorus intake can lead to metabolic bone disease in bearded dragons.

Just like we mentioned above, although carrots have many benefits, they cannot be used as a staple food for beardies. This is due to its low calcium, and high vitamin A content, which may lead to health problems since bearded dragons are known to be highly susceptible to vitamin A toxicity.

Do Carrots Cause Vitamin A Toxicity in Bearded Dragons?

If your bearded dragon is already receiving Vitamin A or beta carotene supplements, or multivitamins that may contain Vitamin A or beta carotene, you should consult your veterinarian before feeding it carrots. When these supplements are combined with a diet high in Vitamin A, your dragon can become toxic.

By themselves, carrots are unlikely to cause Vitamin A toxicity. They may, however, cause uncomfortable symptoms of vitamin A toxicity if taken along with vitamin A supplements.

Beardies with any of the signs below may suffer from Vitamin A toxicity, also known as hypervitaminosis A.

• Swelling
• Decrease in energy 
• Weight loss
• Dehydration

You should consult a veterina