Can bearded dragons eat onions? If you are a new bearded dragon owner, you might ask the same question. In this post, I will share with you some facts about whether or not beardies can eat onions.
The truth is that bearded dragons can eat a variety of vegetables. Unfortunately, not all veggies are safe for them. In fact, not all vegetables that are safe for humans are also safe for bearded dragons.
So, can bearded dragons eat onions?
Bearded dragons cannot eat and should not be given onions. This is because onions have high acid content, water, and disproportionate calcium to phosphorous ratio. Both cooked and raw onions should not be offered to bearded dragons.
Every beardie owner would agree with me that bearded dragons’ food should have good calcium to phosphorous ratio, less water, and acid content.
Unfortunately, onions have all the harmful substances for bearded dragons. As a result, these vegetables are ruled out as food for reptiles.
To provide a better understanding of why onions are unhealthy for beardies, let’s look at the table below.
Related Article: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Mint? (Here’s What You Need To Know)
Table of Contents
Nutritional Facts of Onions
Onions have more nutritional content than what is listed in the table below. However, I only included the ones that are important for bearded dragons.
Nutritional value per 100g
| Name | Amount | Unit |
| Sugars | 4.24 | g |
| Vitamin C | 7.4 | mg |
| Calcium | 23 | mg |
| Phosphorus | 29 | mg |
| Water | 89.11 | g |
As you can see, onions have nutrients that may or may not good for bearded dragons. Let’s talk about each one of the constituents included in the table above.
Sugars
As you can see, onions contain 4.24g of sugar. In my opinion, this is not good for the bearded dragon. Sugars can have a negative effect on beardies’ health. This is because their digestive systems are incapable of breaking down sugar. Feeding food with sugar content may only result in health issues.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is important to develop a healthier and stronger immune system in bearded dragons. However, high vitamin C level makes food acidic. As you might already know, acidic foods are detrimental to bearded dragons.
For me, this is the second reason why onions are ruled out as food for bearded dragons. There are healthier veggies you can offer to your reptile. Choose them instead.
Calcium
Calcium is another essential mineral that bearded dragons need. The lack of calcium can be detrimental to beardies’ health. In fact, in most cases, bearded dragons with low calcium develop the metabolic bone disease.
Metabolic bone disease is a serious condition in bearded dragons characterized by weak and brittle bones. MBD causes several behavioral issues in beardies such as walking difficulties, loss of appetite, etc.
But the calcium content of onions is not healthy for bearded dragons. I will get back to this later. For now, let’s proceed to phosphorous content because these two are related.
Phosphorous
As you can see, onions also contain phosphorous, another essential mineral for bearded dragons. However, the only problem is that phosphorous is higher than the calcium content.
As we all know, beardies’ food should have ideal calcium to phosphorous ratio of is 2:1 or close to it. As you can see, the ratio for calcium to phosphorous is totally disproportionate. Phosphorous is higher than calcium. This is not good for bearded dragons.
Vegetables like onions are unhealthy for bearded dragons. The disproportionate calcium to phosphorous ratio can harm bearded dragons’ health. Again, choose healthier vegetables instead.
Water
Lastly, I can say that the water content of onions is way too high for bearded dragons. It is very important to remember that watery foods could potentially cause digestive issues such as diarrhea.
Overall, onions should not be fed to bearded dragons. I recommend that you go on a safer route. There are healthier food options for bearded dragons. Do not compromise the health of your reptile.
Related Article: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Rosemary?
Is There Any Form of Onions Healthy for Bearded Dragons?
Unfortunately, all types of onions are unhealthy and should not be given to bearded dragons. Also, both cooked and raw onions are ruled out as food for beardies. As an owner, make sure that you don’t feed your beardies onions under any circumstances.
If you are a new bearded dragon owner, this information should be taken into consideration. Always remember that bearded dragons are susceptible to unhealthy foods. This means that beardies can suffer from several health issues when eaten unsafe foods.
If your bearded dragon has unintentionally eaten onions, I suggest that you pay close attention to his/her behavior. If you notice any changes, bring your reptile to the vet.
Professional help is the best you can give to your beardie in a situation like this. As soon as you notice strange behavior after your reptile eaten onion, seek help from the professional immediately. Quick action in this instance is very important.
Other Foods That Are Dangerous to Bearded Dragons
When it comes to harmful foods, onions are just one in this category. In reality, there are a few foods that should not be given to beardies under any circumstances.
In this post, I will also share with you the harmful foods that you should not give to your beardies. The following are some of them:
Avocado
This may surprise you but avocado is harmful to bearded dragons. This is because avocadoes are high in substances that are not suitable for bearded dragons. Although these fruits are healthy for humans, for beardies, they are not. Needless to say that you should not feed your bearded dragon avocado.
Lettuce
Lettuce is not toxic to bearded dragons. The only problem is its water content. The water in lettuce is too high for beardies. If eaten in large amounts, it could potentially cause digestive issues such as diarrhea.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is something that you should not feed to your beardie. It is high in oxalic acid that could in turn cause many health issues in beardies.
Spinach
Spinach is another food that safe for humans but dangerous for bearded dragons. This is because spinach has calcium-binding substances that will inhibit calcium absorption which will ultimately lead to calcium deficiency. The lack of calcium can cause serious diseases in beardies including metabolic bone disease.
Also read: Can Bearded Dragons Drink Tea?
Final Thoughts on Can Bearded Dragons Eat Onions
Bearded dragons cannot eat onions. Onions have high acid content, water, and disproportionate calcium to phosphorous ratio. Although safe for humans, onions are definitely harmful to bearded dragons.
I suggest that you choose healthier foods instead. If your beardies accidentally eat onions, have them checked by a vet immediately. I suggest that you act quickly before anything bad happens.
I hope this helps. Thank you for reading.
Related Questions
Yes, bearded dragons can eat peppers as an occasional treat. If you give peppers to your beardies, make sure that it is not more than a treat. Some bearded dragons though seem not to like peppers.
Bearded dragons can eat tomatoes as an occasional treat. Too much tomato though can harm your reptile. So make sure that you closely monitor the tomato consumption of your beardie.
