Can Bearded Dragons Eat Avocado? Can Be Deadly

Avocado is a favorite fruit in many households. This fruit is very versatile and can be used in the dipping sauce, salad topping, and making guacamole. While it’s safe for humans to eat, you may wonder if you can give some avocado to your bearded dragon.

Can bearded dragons eat avocado? Bearded dragons should not eat any avocado. Avocados contain persin, which is a toxin that is poisonous to most animals. Persin is mostly found in the skin and seeds of the fruit. However, a small amount of it can leak into the flesh of the fruit. If a bearded dragon eats one, they make starts to vomit, have diarrhea, and even die from it.

Is It Safe For Bearded Dragons To Eat Avocado?

Avocado is one of the fruits that tops the list that you should never feed your bearded dragon. This fruit contains a toxin known as persin. The toxin does a lot of harm to the bearded dragons, even death can occur from eating it.

If a bearded dragon is found to eat some avocado, most will start to develop health problems. Luckily, some bearded dragons are able to recover from it to regular health.

However, other bearded dragons may not be so lucky. Some are not able to recover and will die within hours after consuming it.

Depending on how healthy your bearded dragon is and how much avocado they ate, they may recover or may not.

Therefore, it’s best to avoid feeding them any avocado at all, even if it’s just a small amount of leftover from a meal you made.

What Else Makes Avocado Bad For Your Bearded Dragon?

Besides the toxin that the avocado contains, it also has other things that are bad for your bearded dragons. Below are some of it:

Has a lot of fat content. Avocado has a lot of fat in it. It has about 77% of its total calorie count! That means that more than 75% of the avocado’s calories come from fat.

Bearded dragons that are kept in captivity have weight problems. They can gain weight really quickly. By eating avocados, it will definitely make them obese. Obesity is bad for bearded dragons since it leads to serious health problems such as tooth decay, heart failure, and liver disease.

Lots of oxalic acid. Avocados have a high content of oxalic acid (also called oxalates). Oxalic acid is harmful to bearded dragons since it binds with calcium. This will prevent absorption into the bloodstream.

Since calcium is one of the main nutrients for bearded dragons, too many oxalates will cause skeletal damage over time. The term for this condition is called metabolic bone disease (MBD).

If your bearded dragons are suffering from this metabolic bone disease, they may have the following symptoms:

  • Bone fractures
  • Lethargy and weakness
  • Limb paralysis
  • Twitching or shaking limbs

If they are suffering from MBD, it’s important that you contact your veterinarian immediately.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Avocado Leaves?

No, bearded dragons should be fed any avocado leaves. Like most parts of the fruit, it has persin compounds. This is toxic to them and will cause them health issues.

As you are making avocados for yourself, make sure to dispose of all parts of the avocado, including the leaves. This will prevent them from having access to it.

What to Feed Your Bearded Dragon Apart from Avocados

Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit is a fruit that’s rich in nutrients. It’s a good source of vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, and iron. All of these are beneficial for bearded dragons. However, dragon fruit is also high in sugar. Too much sugar in their diet can lead to obesity, heart problems, and other health issues. To prevent any issues, it’s best to feed dragon fruit to your bearded dragons in moderation.

Watermelon

Watermelon makes a great summer treat for your bearded dragons. It has a few key vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. Watermelon should only be fed to the bearded dragons in small amounts. This fruit contains a high amount of water, which consists of about 92%. Too much water in their diet will cause them to have diarrhea and an upset stomach.

Raspberries

Raspberries are a small fruit that’s packed with nutrition. It’s a good source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium. All of these nutrients are important to the overall health of bearded dragons. While it has an abundance of nutrition, it also is high in sugar content. In small amounts, sugar is fine for them. When bearded dragons eat too much sugar, they can become obese and develop fatty liver disease, and other health problems. As long as you feed them raspberries in moderation, you won’t need to worry about any of these health problems.

Conclusion

Avocado should be one of the foods that are on your list to not feed your bearded dragons. While the flesh doesn’t contain any toxin, there’s a good chance some of it will get into the flesh as you’re cutting the fruit. Just a small amount could mean life and death for the bearded dragons. It’s better to be safe than sorry.