Sometimes it happens that your lizard gets to eat parsley that you have on your farm. In return, you may find yourself wondering if bearded dragons can eat parsley and if it’s safe.
Letting your beloved dragon eat the best foods is paramount for maintaining the lizard’s well-being and overall health. Bearded dragons have a couple of favorite snacks, but it is upon you to make sure you offer nothing but safe and healthy foods always.
Keep reading to know if parsley is good for the beardies and how often should you let your lizard eat it.
This article has been reviewed by Dr. Dilber. Read more about our knowledge control process here.
Contents
- Nutritional Information of Parsley
- Can Bearded Dragons Eat Parsley?
- How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Parsley?
- Can Bearded Dragons Eat Parsley Root?
- Can Bearded Dragons Eat Parsley Leaves, Flakes, or Stem?
- What Other Greens to Feed Bearded Dragons Instead of or Alongside Parsley?
- How to Serve Parsley to Bearded Dragons
- Wrapping Up
Nutritional Information of Parsley
100g of parsley has the following nutrients;
| Nutrients | Amount | Unit |
| Water | 87.7 | g |
| Energy | 36 | kcal |
| Sugar | 0.85 | g |
| Protein | 2.97 | g |
| Fiber | 3.3 | g |
| Calcium | 138 | mg |
| Phosphorus | 58 | mg |
| Iron | 6.2 | mg |
| Potassium | 554 | mg |
| Vitamin C | 133 | mg |
| Vitamin A | 421 | µg |
| Vitamin K | 1640 | µg |
| Ca:P ratio | 2.4:1 | – |
It is evident from the table that parsley is an excellent source of various minerals and vitamins. It also has got really good antioxidants to offer to the lizard pets.
The good thing about parsley, which makes it ideal for the animals, is the calcium to phosphorus ratio. Parsley has higher calcium than phosphorus, which means that the body will absorb calcium effectively.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Parsley?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat parsley, and it has a lot of health benefits for them. For instance, parsley is a powerhouse of vitamins A, C, and K. Bearded dragons greatly need these three vitamins, making parsley a viable food option in their diet.
Digging around parsley, we can see that it has high water content and is low in sugar. Bearded dragons don’t need to eat sugar-rich foods because they expose them to obesity, fatty liver disease, diarrhea, kidney problems, etc. High sugar also causes diabetes and urinary problems
On the other hand, Parsley stands out to be an ideal food for hydrating bearded dragons because of its high-water content. Another positive point about parsley is its high calcium content.
Calcium is incredibly essential to bearded dragons for growth and bone development. Females have a high demand for calcium for the proper formation of eggs. If the beardies don’t get sufficient calcium, they might suffer from metabolic bone disease.
You might also like: Complete list of common food can a bearded dragon eat that people usually ask.
How Often Can Bearded Dragons Eat Parsley?
Bearded dragons can eat parsley once a week or once a month in small amounts. This veggie is super high in oxalates, and this is an enemy of calcium as it binds to calcium and prevents its absorption.
Compared to kales and spinach, parsley is exceptionally high in oxalate, accumulating to 1700mg per 100g. So, even if parsley is rich in calcium, oxalate makes it a deficit if bearded dragons eat this veggie frequently.
Also, too much vitamin A is harmful as it makes the beardies vulnerable to hypervitaminosis A. Therefore, you need to be conscious when feeding parsley to your lizard friend to avoid overfeeding it.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Parsley Root?
When dealing with bearded dragons, I see it is best to stay away from parsley roots because of their rough texture, and the beardies will have a hard time chewing them. Parsley root can also cause allergic reactions, anemia, liver, and kidney problems.
Bearded dragons are not masters in chewing hard things, and this makes them prone to choking hazards.
It may be difficult to remove all the bacteria and chemicals in parsley roots when washing them, simply because they are in contact with soil all the time when growing. These chemicals will eventually enter into the beardies’ body and make them sick.
These are two common reasons and downsides about parsley roots as far as bearded dragons go. Thus, please don’t feed the roots since your beardie pet cannot eat them.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Parsley Leaves, Flakes, or Stem?
Parsley leaves and stems are great sources of various minerals and vitamins that can benefit your beloved pet. Yes, bearded dragons can eat parsley leaves and stems, but they cannot eat parsley flakes. When offering parsley leaves to the dragon, wash them carefully. because they may contain pesticides, bacteria, and fungi.
Parsley flakes contain added preservatives together with other ingredients that will react negatively to bearded dragons. That’s why you should avoid them.
When feeding parsley leaves and stem, make sure to blend them with other vegetables but never feed them alone. Mixing helps provide a healthy diet and allows the beardies to benefit from the parsley stem and leaves’ nutrients.
What Other Greens to Feed Bearded Dragons Instead of or Alongside Parsley?
If you want your dragon to eat healthy greens and don’t want to feed parsley, there are other food options to go for, thanks to the fact that the beardies eat various plant matter.
Below are the topmost veggies and greens that you can offer to your bearded dragon instead of parsley.
- Swiss chard
- Dandelion greens
- Kale
- Mustard greens
- Turnip greens and collard greens
- Bok Choy.
All these greens are good sources of calcium to bearded dragons, and they have a higher calcium level than phosphorus. That’s a positive point as far as bearded dragons are concerned because they will absorb calcium with no problem
How to Serve Parsley to Bearded Dragons
There is no need to worry about preparing parsley for your beautiful lizard, here are steps to follow that are fairly simple.
- First, you need to choose fresh parsley and always avoid those that are wilting. You can pick parsley from a plant in your garden or buy it from the grocery store.
- Then, wash the plant with clean water to ensure that no pesticides or dirt are getting into the dragon’s body.
- Chop the leaves finely into sizes that your dragon can grab and swallow easily.
- Mix about a handful of parsley with other veggies such as dandelions, bok choy mustard greens, etc.
- Time to feed your beloved dragon.
Wrapping Up
I hope you got it clear that bearded dragons can safely eat parsley but only as occasional foods. Parsley contains a pack of vitamins and minerals, and it also has a healthy balance between calcium and phosphorus as the beardies need.
Bearded dragons can eat parsley leaves and stems, but you shouldn’t feed them parsley roots and flakes. Excess parsley is harmful as it can result in various diseases in the beardies like a metabolic bone disease due to calcium deficiency.