Can Bearded Dragons Eat Potatoes
Introduction
Potatoes, mash them, boil them, and stick them in a stew. Every meal is a few good tatters to boost the meal’s deliciousness by a few marks. Most households have a few potatoes lying in there somewhere, and most dragon keepers have wondered whether or not they’re good for their dragons.
Bearded dragons need to stick to a balanced diet of plants and insects. When it comes to their diets, it’s not enough to give them whatever as long as it’s a mix of these two things. You need to know whether the things you put in their meals are good for them.
So, can bearded dragons eat potatoes? Yes or no? This article will teach you everything you need to know about feeding potatoes to your scaly pal.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Potatoes?
So, can they eat them? Yes, bearded dragons can eat potatoes without any problems. These are not toxic for your beardie. But, they can’t have these too often. Not only are they not very nutritious, but they are not very tasty either.
Your dragon needs to eat a lot of food loaded with nutrients, and potatoes do not meet this requirement. This will fill your dragon up fast, but they won’t benefit as much compared to other vegetables better suited for their diets.
For your reference, here is an article on other vegetables that bearded dragons can eat.
Are Potatoes Good for Your Bearded Dragon?
They may be able to eat potatoes, but these are not particularly good for them. These are harmless if eaten occasionally, but there are not enough vitamins or minerals necessary for your dragon’s overall health and development.
Potatoes may be very affordable, but they shouldn’t be a staple part of their diets. Also, unlike other vegetables, these shouldn’t be given to your dragons uncooked. Raw potatoes have a big chance of causing stomach issues for your bearded dragon.
What Are the Nutrients in Potatoes that a Bearded Dragon Needs?
Several nutrients are in potatoes, and some of these are necessary for a growing bearded dragon. For every 100g of potatoes, there are:
- Calories
- Carbohydrates
- Starch
- Fiber
- Protein
- Fat
- Vitamins C, E, and K
- Iron
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
These may seem like really good things, but there’s a glaring issue you need to know about. The phosphorus-to-calcium ratio in a potato is way off the ideal levels for bearded dragons. There is almost 4.5 times more phosphorus than calcium in each serving of potatoes.
Food with much more phosphorus compared to calcium will lead to problems. The phosphorus will bond with calcium and prevent it from being absorbed into the dragon’s bloodstream. And, since the ratio is way off, balancing it with another food with a lot of calcium may not be enough.
If you feed potatoes to your dragons too often, they may develop a metabolic bone disease that is dangerous for your pet. This disease weakens their bodies and can lead to much worse if left untreated.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Potatoes?
Potatoes have too little calcium in them. It has too much phosphorus, and since you need to cook them before serving, it also has too much water. These three alone are big enough of a problem as they are, but potatoes barely have any nutrition in them.
If you need to feed your dragon, only give them a small serving of mashed potatoes in emergencies. And, only give it to them once a month at most. Mix other raw vegetables and insects in with the potatoes to make them more nutritious. Adding these varieties should be enough to make the meal rewarding and beneficial for your dragon.
Pro-Tip: You can balance the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in the meal by adding a sprinkle of calcium supplements to them.
Can Baby Bearded Dragons Eat Potatoes?
You can give potatoes to your bearded dragons, but it is better to avoid this altogether. Baby dragons are still growing, and they need a healthy amount of calcium in their diets to stay healthy. And, the phosphorus in a potato stops the calcium from being absorbed into the bloodstream.
The meals a baby bearded dragon needs to eat are much more important than what they eat as adults. They need proper nutrition, and mashed potatoes cannot meet that requirement. It is better to explore other options instead. To get started on what food your beardie can eat, you can refer to this article.
Does A Bearded Dragon Like Potatoes?
Bearded dragons rarely like potatoes. They probably won’t eat it unless they are really hungry. This is mainly because of how little taste there is in a potato, and the texture isn’t as enticing compared to crunchier vegetables. Bearded dragons can’t eat raw potatoes since they are too hard, and mashed potatoes aren’t much better.
How to Prepare Potatoes for Your Bearded Dragon?
If you need to give your bearded dragon potatoes, you need to take a few more steps before giving the meal to them.
- Buy organic potatoes. To make these things a tiny bit better for your bearded dragon, try to only give them organic potatoes. This is the best way to avoid feeding your dragon unnecessary pesticides or herbicides sprayed on most store-bought potatoes.
- Wash them thoroughly. It would be best if you washed potatoes thoroughly, especially since there’s a chance that these have grains of soil stuck on their exteriors. This will also remove every foreign material that may be lingering on the exterior of the potato.
- Boil and mash them. Boil the potatoes and mash them after. These will help your dragon eat the potato easier and faster. It will also reduce the risk of it getting stuck in your beardie’s intestine.
- Serve them up. Put the mashed potatoes in a bowl and give them to your dragon. If possible, add a few other vegetables to make the meal more nutritious.
Pro-tip: Put their food in this feeder to make their meals more enjoyable!
Conclusion
Overall, bearded dragons shouldn’t eat potatoes. They can have them, but they are not nutritious enough to meet their daily dietary needs at all. But, if you need to give them to your dragon, make sure to cook them first before you serve them.
Only give these to your dragons occasionally, or not at all. There are better choices out there, and your dragon will like other vegetables more.
