Can Bearded Dragons Eat Bread? 4 Risk | Full Guide

Bearded dragons are medium-sized lizards most commonly found in warmer and dryer regions. Bearded dragons make great pets for beginners. As pet owners, we should know how to care for them and be informed about what foods are harmful to them and what are beneficial. Can bearded dragons eat bread? Is bread good or bad for them? What do bearded dragons eat? We should ask ourselves all these questions to find out if it is safe before feeding them something.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Bread?

Bearded dragons cannot and should not eat bread. You should never feed bearded dragons bread, and this is not the food they can eat. Some people assume bearded dragons can eat small quantities of bread, but no, they can’t. 

It is because bread is processed food made from many ingredients that a bearded dragon can’t digest. A few of these include milk, wheat, sugar, salt, and yeast, and all these substances are unnatural. 

Bread has very little or no benefits at all. Bread is a complex carbohydrate and is full of starch and gluten. Bearded dragons are not used to eating such foods, and their digestive system can not break down the grains bread is made from. 

Bread is also high in phosphorus and low in calcium. It is not ideal because high phosphorus blocks the calcium from getting absorbed by the body, and bearded dragons need a lot of calcium in their diet. Because of these reasons, bread can be harmful to them if eaten.

A healthy diet for a bearded dragon should include insects, fruits, and vegetables (apples, blueberries, butternut squash, bok choy, Dubai roches, etc.). They have a wide variety of foods they can eat because they are omnivorous creatures.

4 Risks of Feeding Bearded Dragons Bread

1: Inadequate Nutritional Value

Bread is only full of carbohydrates and fats, making it very high in calories, which is not good. Too many carbohydrates and fats can cause health and heart issues. Feed bearded dragons only what foods are rich in vitamins and minerals. Baby and juvenile bearded dragons need ample nutrients to support their growth.

2: Constipation

If a bearded dragon eats bread, it swells inside the stomach and can become hard, making the beard very hard to digest and pass through the intestines. It can further develop into constipation. Constipation causes a build of feces that can cause stomach aches and a loss of appetite.

To avoid constipation, give your bearded dragon foods plenty of fiber. Fiber is very good for getting rid of constipation, and dietary fiber makes stools easier to pass through the intestines and out as poop. 

Another good way to prevent constipation is to get your bearded dragon to exercise. Exercise is a great way to keep your bearded dragon physically fit. 

For exercise, you can buy a leash and take your bearded dragon on a short walk. Surprising, bearded dragons are amazing swimmers too. You can get a small kiddie pool and fill it with water, and let your bearded dragon free in the water and watch it swim.

3: Dehydration

Hydration is essential for bearded dragons. But once the bread gets consumed, it absorbs water from the body for digestion. It can cause dehydration. It is dangerous because bearded dragons don’t drink much water, to begin with, and feeding them food that takes in additional water from their bodies is not good.

Some of the signs of dehydration are :

• Wrinkled skin
• Lethargy
• Sunken eyes
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite 

4: Can Becoming a Choking Hazard

Bread is dry food. If eaten in big bites, it can become hard to swallow. It can block the windpipe and stop your ability to breathe. It can be dangerous for bearded dragons because they don’t chew their food and swallow the whole food in small gulps. Bread can become sticky with saliva and make it difficult to swallow. It can result in the food becoming stuck in your throat and your bearded dragon choking on the food. 

Symptoms of Bread Poisoning in Bearded Dragons

Ingesting bread can cause various side effects that can quickly turn into bread poisoning in bearded dragons. Miner symptoms include cramps, indigestion, and worse symptoms can be constipation or even poisoning. 

The symptoms of bread poisoning in bearded dragons are:

• Vomiting
• Drooling
• Diarrhea 

What to Do If Your Bearded Dragon Ate Bread?

If your bearded dragon happens to eat some bread. In that case, you should immediately rush to an emergency veterinary hospital and get your bearded dragon checked out and treated for bread poisoning ASAP! If you do not treat this immediately, your lizard’s consequences can be fatal. 

Conclusion

Now that we know the answer to the question, can bearded dragons eat bread? We can conclude bearded dragons cannot eat bread. Bread is bad for them and is very dangerous if consumed, and it is because bread is made from many processed ingredients and baked. Bearded dragons cannot digest these foods and can eat simple foods like insects, fruits, and vegetables. 

Bread can cause many issues like constipation, dehydration, choking, and, worst of all, bread poisoning. Nothing is worse than taking care of a sick pet. Always research and look up information on any foods before feeding them to your bearded dragon. 

FAQs