Can a Bearded Dragon Eat Potatoes?

Potatoes are not a threat to bearded dragons, and they can eat potatoes but very rarely. Potatoes don’t have any nutritional value and not much taste either. Your dragon needs loads of vitamins and minerals to grow, but Potatoes don’t provide anything for your Dragon to grow.

Are Potatoes good for Bearded Dragons?

Potatoes are not particularly good for bearded dragons. They do not harm if eaten occasionally or by accident, but they don’t have enough vitamins or minerals for your Dragon’s overall development. Hence, it would be best not to make potatoes a staple food or give them daily to your dragons. Make sure you do not give your Dragon raw potatoes. Raw potatoes have more chances of causing a sick stomach in dragons. 

Potatoes do have a little calcium and phosphorus and lots of water. This makes potatoes seem like a good food. But the nutrient amount is not ideal for your bearded dragon. You Bearded Dragon needs a lot of calcium in its diet to grow and live well, which the potatoes don’t provide. When dragons are in the wild, they like to eat a wide range of food like fruits, vegetables, roots, and insects that essentially provide them with their necessary vitamins. But since you have a dragon at home, you have to make sure you feed them well so that they don’t miss out on any vitamins. Therefore, potatoes are not recommended and should rarely be given.

Nutritional Value of Potatoes

There are many nutrients available in potatoes, but these provide significantly fewer benefits to your beloved pet’s health.

The various nutrients that you can find in Potatoes are as follows.

Every 100g of Potatoes have

How do you feed potatoes to your Bearded Dragon? 

-If you have made up your mind to feed potatoes to your dragon, then you have to first make sure that the potatoes you buy are of good quality. See if they are heavy and hard enough. If they are heavy and hard, it means that they have lots of water and are good. Potatoes already don’t provide much, and rotten potatoes might cause more harm.

-You should cut up the potatoes into small pieces and cook the potatoes. Be very particular about cooking the potatoes because raw potatoes do more harm than cooked potatoes. They are also easy to eat when they are soft. 

– Once you have your cooked potatoes, you can mash them or cut them into pieces and put them into your dragon’s food dish or tank. Remember to peel the potatoes before you serve them to the Beardie. 

-If you are putting the potato pieces into the tank, clean up the remaining pieces. Hidden potatoes can start to rot, and they may begin to smell. This might cause discomfort to your pet. Rotting potatoes also might gather fungus, which might cause issues if ingested by your pet dragon. 

-You must give the potatoes as an extra treat to the bearded dragon. Never use potatoes as alternate to the Dragon’s live food, regular water, and other nutrient-rich foods. Though Potatoes are tasty for humans, they can cause stomach issues in some dragons. Also, they are not nutrient-rich at all for Bearded dragon’s growth. 

-If you are feeding your bearded Dragon Potatoes for the first time, make sure that you watch your dragon eat it. You would come to know if he likes potatoes or not. 

FAQ (Frequently asked questions)

1. Can you give potatoes to Baby Bearded Dragons? 

You can give potatoes to baby bearded dragons, but it is better if you don’t feed potatoes to baby dragons. Baby dragons are growing up, and they need a lot of nutrients to grow into a healthy adult. The food they eat now as a baby is much more important than what they eat when they are adults. Babies need a lot of calcium and protein to grow, and potatoes don’t provide that. Therefore, even if you feed potatoes to your Bearded Dragon’s baby, feed them once a while and not daily. Be sure to cook and mash the potatoes so that the baby can eat them without choking or a problem. 

2. Do Dragons like potatoes?

Most dragons do not like potatoes, but they might just eat it for the sake of it. Some Dragons wouldn’t touch raw potatoes at all and might eat mashed potatoes. Some might like it the other way round. Be sure to keep a watch on your bearded dragon if you are experimenting with potatoes for the first time. Remember that potatoes can cause stomach issues and indigestion in dragons. 

3. How much potatoes should I give to my dragon?

As little as possible. Bearded dragons mostly don’t care about potatoes. There is no point in giving potatoes either because they are devoid of any nutrients. But if you are giving them potatoes, give them very tiny portions twice or thrice a month. The lesser, the better. 

Other Food Items you can give your Bearded Dragon

Some other food items you can include in your bearded dragon’s diet are Raspberries, peeled bananas, parsley, and sweet potato. However, they like live food more. Hence, make sure to give them crickets, waxworms, mealworms, and other small insects.

Conclusion

Potatoes aren’t really recommended for bearded Dragons. They might cause your dragon to become sick. Beardies don’t like potatoes that much anyway. But very tiny portions sometimes aren’t harmful either.