Yes, bearded dragons can eat carrot tops. However, they should limit their intake. Carrot tops contain oxalates that are harmful to your bearded dragon.
Bearded dragons are omnivores, meaning their diet consists of both plant and animal matter. Feeding them vegetables can be a good way to supplement their usual food, but it’s important that the vegetables are prepared correctly.
Carrot tops contain high levels of oxalates, which are chemical compounds with high concentrations in some plants. While they’re not necessarily “harmful” for animals, people typically don’t include them in their diets due to health concerns. This is because many animals have difficulty digesting the chemicals properly. Fortunately, there are plenty of other foods suitable for your bearded dragon. Check out the vegetables list for bearded dragons.
Valuable Nutrients in Carrot Tops
Carrots are loaded with nutrients your bearded dragon needs. The leaves contain calcium, manganese, magnesium and beta-carotene. They also provide fiber, essential fatty acids and hundreds of other vitamins.
It’s best for you to feed your beardie the leaves raw. This way it can digest the nutrients most effectively. Be aware that some nutrients dissolve in water; therefore, if you must wash them before feeding them to your lizard, do so quickly and only use cool water.
Bearded dragons can eat carrot tops in moderation due to their high oxalate levels. However, they shouldn’t make up more than 5% of their daily diet because too much oxalate is unhealthy for them. If they eat too much, they can form obstructions in the digestive system.
If you want to feed your bearded dragon carrot tops, take care not to offer them more than once or twice per week.
Benefits of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Carrot Tops
Many people do not realize that the leaves of carrots are indeed edible. However, it is important to be aware that eating too much can actually damage your bearded dragon’s health.
Carrots are known for being an excellent source of many essential vitamins and minerals. They help promote healthy internal organs, strong bones, stable nervous system function, proper kidney function and a properly functioning immune system. The tops may not provide as many nutrients as the root itself but still offer benefits to your bearded dragon’s health.
As for feeding them to your beardie, there are some reports suggesting that they will attempt to eat them occasionally. It has been noted, however, that during the early stages of growing their need for calcium becomes higher which has resulted in feedings of carrot tops.
Risks of Feeding My Bearded Dragon Carrot Tops
Carrots themselves are known for being one of the healthiest vegetables to offer your bearded dragon. However, like many other vegetables, they have a high amount of oxalates which can be quite harmful to your lizard if eaten in too large amounts.
Since it is unknown how much oxalate a carrot top holds, it’s best to keep any feedings rare and minimal so as not to damage their digestive system over time. The tops should only be offered once or twice per week at most.
Vegetables List
Alternative Foods for Bearded Dragons
Since the tops of carrots contain high levels of oxalates, there are other foods you can feed your bearded dragon. Some examples include:
- dandelion greens
- kale
- collard greens
- bok choy
- mustard greens
- Spinach is known to be one of the more popular vegetables to offer them but should only be given once or twice per week at most because it contains a high amount of oxalates like carrot tops do.
Even though carrots are extremely healthy for humans to eat regularly, their benefits aren’t as pronounced in animals including our beloved pets. This means that while they may not necessarily harm your beardie if eaten occasionally, feeding them too often can result in health issues over time.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Carrot Tops? – The Conclusion
Carrots are one of the healthiest foods you can offer your bearded dragon. However, like all other plants, they do contain oxalates which can be harmful in large amounts.
If given in moderation, however, carrot tops likely won’t hurt them; but it’s best to avoid offering them to your bearded dragon very often. They should only be given once or twice per week at most so as not to damage their digestive system over time.