Bearded dragons are omnivores, which means they are able to eat both plants and meat. In the wild, bearded dragons will eat insects and other small animals when they can get them. So can bearded dragons eat ham?
No, it is not recommended for pet owners to feed their bearded dragons ham because there is a chance that it could make your pet ill. Bearded dragon diets can vary widely depending on the age, and location of the animal.
In some cases, captive-bred adult bearded dragons may have access to a wider variety of foods than hatchlings or juveniles. Ham is made from cured pork or beef with salt and other spices such as paprika.
If not cooked properly, ham is often high in sodium content which can be dangerous for reptiles like bearded dragons. Therefore, feeding your bearded dragon ham is not recommended.
Should You Feed Your Bearded Dragon Ham?
Before you start feeding ham to your bearded dragon, make sure it is safe to do so. However, feeding ham to your beardie is not recommended.
It is important to note that, just like humans, some bearded dragons are more prone to certain health problems from eating certain food types. If you are unsure if your bearded dragon can safely eat ham, you should consult a reptile veterinarian or an animal nutritionist. Ham is not a part of a bearded dragon’s natural diet.
What Happens if You Feed Ham to a Bearded Dragon?
If you feed a bearded dragon ham, your pet may experience some side effects. The most common are diarrhea, vomiting and electrolyte imbalances in the body. Other serious side effects include elevated blood pressure, an ammonia build-up in the body and even liver failure.
Bearded dragons are highly susceptible to these adverse effects, because they are ectothermic (cold-blooded) reptiles, which means that they do not produce digestive enzymes to break down proteins and other nutrients.
Reptiles also metabolise different chemicals at a different rate than humans, which means that they are more likely to experience side effects if they eat contaminated products.
Can bearded dragons eat commercial bearded dragon diets?
Commercial diets are formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of a specific species of reptile. Therefore, they may not be suitable for your bearded dragon. Commercial diets come in a variety of formulations and are usually based on a diet that is high in protein, minerals and vitamins.
However, these diets are often high in added salt, which is dangerous for reptiles. Therefore, if you feed your bearded dragon commercial diets, make sure to check the ingredients and water them down with fresh water daily.
If you feed your pet commercial diets, you should also consider providing him with additional vitamins and minerals in the form of a multivitamin supplement or a homemade diet.
FAQ
What meat can a bearded dragon eat?
Some beardies will eat raw meat such as minced beef, lean turkey, or chicken breast. However, whether they should or not is up for debate; they can eat small amounts of meat in the wild, but they also get more exercise in general in the wild.
Can bearded dragon eat cooked meat?
While bearded dragons can eat cooked, lean meat like steak, chicken, and turkey, only feed it to your beardie unseasoned and as an emergency protein source if, for some reason, you are unable to get their live feeders
Can lizards eat meat?
Some lizards are carnivores (eat only animal products), some are herbivores (eat only vegetable and fruit) and some are omnivores (eat both meat and vegetables plus fruit). It is impossible to generalize what lizards eat, as different lizard species require different diets to be healthy.
Conclusion
Bearded dragons are omnivorous reptiles that can eat both plants and meat. However, feeding your pet ham is not recommended because it is likely to make your pet sick.
Many brands of canned and dry ham are not safe for reptiles, so if you do decide to feed it to your pet, make sure that you cook it properly and water it down with fresh water.
If you do decide to feed ham to your pet, you should also consider providing him with additional vitamins and minerals in the form of a multivitamin supplement or a homemade diet.
Now that you know the ins and outs of what bearded dragon food to feed your pet, you can start exploring the nutritional benefits of feeding your bearded dragon a natural diet.
Resources
https://reptilesupply.com/blogs/bearded-dragons/can-bearded-dragon-eat-raw-meat
https://reptilesupply.com/blogs/bearded-dragons/can-bearded-dragons-eat-steak
https://www.petmd.com/reptile/care/evr_rp_what-do-lizards-eat
My name is Brad and I am the main editor of BeardieZilla.com.
The only goal of this site is quite simply to be able to help you. To help you by the means of my experiment, of the relation which I maintain with my bearded dragon as well as some of my knowledge about beardies.
I hope that you will find answers to some of your most pressing questions here.
Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the blog!
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