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Can Bearded Dragons Eat Onions? (Is it safe?)

If you are a Bearded dragon lover and careful about what you feed him (Click here for the to keep him housed & feed well), you may be wondering what foods he can consume, safely. In this article, I will confirm if onions are a viable consideration.

 Can bearded dragons eat onions? No bearded dragons should not be eating onions. This is because they are highly acidic, have high phosphorus to Calcium ratio, toxic and are potentially dangerous for their digestive system.

Now that you understand the risk that onions pose I will now explain what the ideal calcium to phosphorus level should be for them if onions are an issue for other pets if they respond in the same manner as we do to onions (will they cry) and much more. Keep reading to learn more.

 What is an onion?

An onion, according to Wikipedia is also known as Allium cepa L (Its scientific name). It is also part of the Allium family. It is also closely related to the following vegetables: chives, shallots, and leeks. They are also commonly referred to as the bulb onions or the common onion.

 Will onions make a Bearded dragon cry?

 If you are familiar with onions then you have probably heard the rumors that they make humans cry, right?

I can confirm this from personal experience. Anytime onions are involved in my cooking, I quickly find my eyes literally streaming with eye water as I cut into the layers of their flesh.

Interesting fact: there is a clever way to cut an onion to avoid this happening by the way. But, that is a different story.

But, back to Bearded dragons, this is not the same for them. You will not make them cry in the same way as us humans. However, their reactions to onions is a lot more severe.

 Yes, they won’t cry from onions but they stand the chance of causing some serious health issues instead. In fact, a member of this forum claims that they had near-fatal issues mixing onions with their bearded dragon.

What about red onions (are they safe)?

You may be thinking to yourself, you now understand that onions are not a good idea for your bearded dragon. But, you may also be wondering what about other variations of onions, such as red onions? To satisfy your curiosity, I’m going to clarify this for you.

 The short answer is no, red onions are not good for your Beardie. Red onions, along with the common onion we discussed earlier, are to be avoided at all costs.

To be honest, from a nutritional standpoint, red onion is really not much different as the common onion. In fact, the only real difference is their appearance and taste.

Red Onion Appearance

The red onion has white flesh, similar to the common onion, with the addition of red outer skin. In addition to this, they have a sweet taste, in my opinion. And (serving suggestion) are quite good when served up with foods such as barbecued burgers.

 ….But, back to my point, they are not ideal for bearded dragons.

 Why are red onions bad for your Beardie?

 Similar to common onions, red onions have high phosphorus to calcium ratio. Ideally, for a bearded dragon, you want a ratio of 2 to 1 calcium to phosphorous ratio.

However, these onions have a higher ratio of phosphorus. Meaning more phosphorus than calcium, which is not ideal. Therefore, they should be avoided.

The reality is there are many different foods that can be given, so there is no real need to even consider giving onions to them.

 Are onions toxic to other pets as well?

 You may be thinking to yourself, you understand that onions are toxic to your lizard, but do they affect other pets or is it just lizards? For that reason, I’m going to explore this thought with you now.

 In fact, onions are generally not good for most pets. In particular cats, dogs, and lizards. For cats and dogs, onions can cause some serious problems.

This is because the compounds in the onion can negatively affect their red blood cells circulation. Therefore, onions need to be avoided at all costs, not just for your lizard.

Are there other vegetables that your bearded dragon should avoid? 

Yes. There are other vegetables to avoid. Your beardie should not be eating iceberg (or romaine) lettuce. Or, even spinach for that matter.

 The reason for this is the high water content in these vegetables. Even though they are not necessarily dangerous to your bearded dragon they offer no nutritional benefit.

 In addition to this, they can cause elimination issues such as loose stools. And, can potentially lead to diarrhea issues. Which, can then lead to other nutritional problems down the line.

 Can Bearded dragons also eat meat?

 Yes, bearded dragons can eat meat in the form of insects. For example, Dubai roaches, crickets, etc. They can also eat mealworms and super worms. However, with super worms and mealworms, you need to be a little bit careful.

 The reason being, mealworms have tough skin. Meaning they should only be considered for Adult Bearded dragons. The same goes for Super worms. Which are even bigger than the mealworms, which can cause even more challenges for smaller bearded dragons.

Related Questions:

In this section, I will be answering some questions that are related to Bearded dragons, food & onions. If you have other questions you need answering, please drop a comment below.

Q: Should you pick up a bearded dragon?

 If you are an owner of a bearded dragon you may be wondering if it is really a good idea to continuously pick him up. For this reason, in this section, I’m going to explain if this is a good idea or not (Click here to see if Bearded dragons like to be handled).

 The short answer is Yes; you can handle bearded dragons. But, it is not natural for them to trust humans in this way. Fortunately, they are well natured and won’t give you much hassle. They can easily be trained to be handled, but it will take some time for them to get used to you.

 Q: Can bearded dragons be fed bananas?

Yes. they can be fed bananas (click here to see if Bearded dragons eat bananas and the risks involved) but you need to be careful with the number of bananas you give them. The reason for this is, bananas have high phosphorus to calcium ratio.

In the previous section, when we discussed onions, I explained that the ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio for a bearded dragon is 2 to 1, remember?

Bananas have a high phosphorus level, which is beyond this ratio. For that reason, it is not a good idea to give them bananas as their daily staple.

This doesn’t mean that you should necessarily avoid them completely but it is not ideal. Think of bananas as a treat rather than part of this staple diet. This is similar to how rose petals should be treated for your Beardie.

Q: Can bearded dragons be fed purple kale?

You may be wondering about other vegetables such as purple kale. Are they a good idea for your bearded dragon or should they be avoided as well? For that reason, I’m going to give you an answer in this section.

Purple kale is an interesting looking vegetable and stands above the other kale variations, in my opinion. But is it a good idea for your bearded dragon?

Unfortunately, it also has high phosphorus to calcium ratio. In addition to this, it also contains a high water content. For all those reasons above it is not the ideal food for your bearded dragon and should be avoided.

Q: Can you feed your Bearded Dragon Wild Insects?

In the attempt to reduce costs some lizard keepers consider farming wild insects to feed their lizard’s insatiable hunger. But is this the right thing to do? Let me explain…

The short answer is no, wild insects is not a good idea. But you may be thinking, why? Well, it comes down to traceability.

What do I mean? Well, with wild insects you have no idea where they have come from, right? Meaning they have no traceability. This introduces a risk to your Beardie.

The risks include potential parasites and diseases which are often not visible to the naked eye. So, the best option is to keep them away from your lizard.