Milk is supposed to be healthy as it contains almost all the vitamins excluding vitamin C and all other nutrients. It contains good amount of proteins and some amount of fat. Calcium is available in milk which is greatly needed for the bearded dragons.
Milk is liquid in form and contains lots of hydration. So it will hydrate the body and will make the bearded dragon feeling healthy.
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Can Bearded Dragons Drink Milk?
But the fact is, milk or any other dairy food is not suitable for bearded dragons.
Here are the reasons why milk is not good for bearded dragons :
The stomach of the bearded dragons is not fitted to digest milk so the milk will not be processed by it. If you make the dragon drink milk, it will vomit it out or have a severe digestion problem. Not only milk, but other dairy products like cheese, butter or yogurt are not suited for bearded dragon.
Milk and other dairy products contain high amount of fat. You must not keep any item which is high on fat in the diet of bearded dragon. As they live a hard life in the desert area, which is their native place, they are not fit for consuming fat rich or sugar rich food.
They get to eat insects and that too after much hunting and hard work. So when you keep them in captivity do not feed them with kind of foods that they are not habituated to digest.
Why bearded dragons are incapable of digesting milk ?
One more reason that bearded dragons are incapable of digesting milk is that, this creature is a reptile and not a mammal. Mammals are used to with milk consumption as they primarily depend upon mother’s milk after their birth. Their system is ready to ingest milk, but that is not same with the bearded dragons.
If you are curious about why milk digestion is so difficult among bearded dragons, then the reason is there is absence of the enzyme in the digestive system of bearded dragon that helps to absorb the necessary nutrients from milk.
What happens if bearded dragons drink milk?
Thus when the dragon drinks milk, it can result into diarrhea. The gastrointestinal problem can only be solved if you take professional help from the veterinarians. So stay away from any kind of dairy product while feeding your bearded dragon.
So under any circumstance you should not make the dragon drink milk. It will not only offer the dragon no benefit but also it will make it suffer from severe illness.
In fact, if by any chance the dragon drinks milk accidentally when you let it roam inside your house, take it to the vet immediately.
What other food is suitable for bearded dragons?
We have a list of best food that owners can feed to Bearded dragon here.
Also, you can get to know what other foods are good for Bearded dragon in the food section.
Final Words
Bearded dragon owners are pretty aware of the fact that this reptile creatures need calcium in good amount. Sometimes when the dragons suffer from bone diseases, for which they need to be injected with calcium.
As milk is source of calcium for many, the owner may think of an easy solution and feed the dragon with milk. This article states clearly that it should not be done as bearded dragons are totally intolerant of milk consumption.
