Bearded dragons are the collective name given to a group of species under the Pogona genus.There are six valid species under the Pogona genus. They are Pogona henrylawsoni, Pogona microlepidota, Pogona barbata, Pogona minor, Pogona nullarbor, and Pogona vitticeps.There is an additional species in the Pogona genus named Pogona mitchelli, but it is not considered valid. All of these species, valid or invalid, are types of lizards. The body of the bearded dragon is flat and broad. The entire body of this lizard is covered in scales that look like spikes.The spikes under its face make this lizard look like it has a beard. These animals flare up their beards and bodies when they feel threatened, endangered, or enraged. This is done as a sign of warning. If a bearded dragon sees another one doing this, it can show a gesture that resembles a wavering of the hand. This is done as a submissive signal.On the other hand, if a bearded dragon bobs its head, it means that the animal wants to assert its dominance in front of the other bearded dragon among other male members. Such behavior is seen mainly in adults. Young bearded dragons hardly ever exhibit such actions. It is the adults who are highly territorial. These dragons can be of various colors like brown, black, and yellow, among others.These animals are often called “beardie” as an abbreviation of their name. Although they may sound scary, many people keep these animals as pets in their homes. They tend to thrive quite well in captivity. Among all the different species of this animal, the central bearded dragon or the Pogona vitticeps is the most common one that people keep in their homes. A bearded dragon can have many foods as their diet. So can bearded dragons eat parsley?Yes, among the various foods these domestic creatures can eat, parsley is one of them. Even though they can include parsley as part of the foods they eat regularly, how many times can the bearded dragon eat parsley in a week? Keep reading this article to know the answer to this and much more fun facts about their eating habits!How often can bearded dragons eat parsley?The amount of and frequency at which a bearded dragon can have parsley varies from one bearded dragon to another. Feeding parsley to your bearded dragon depends on your bearded dragon’s diet. There are a few steps you can take to understand the interval at which your bearded dragon can eat parsley.It is always a good idea to check your bearded dragon’s tolerance towards parsley before giving it a significant amount. For this, feed your bearded dragon a small amount of parsley to check its initial reaction as they eat this high-calcium food. After you have made sure that your favorite bearded dragon is not allergic to parsley, you can then feed parsley to them on a more regular basis. You should introduce this high in calcium food to the diet of your bearded dragon in small amounts at first.The maximum frequency at which you can let bearded dragons eat these vegetables is at one week’s interval. If your bearded dragons do not react well to parsley, they can be fed this calcium-rich diet only once a month. On the other hand, if you do not wish to include parsley plants in your bearded dragon’s diet, you can use this plant as an occasional treat for them.Since parsley plants are rich in various nutrients and vitamins, it is advisable not to feed these vegetables like mint to bearded dragons too often. By doing this, you can ensure that your bearded dragon is getting all the vitamins and nutrients in moderation while still keeping its diet healthy.Another reason not to feed your beardie a high amount of parsley is that this plant is high in oxalates. Oxalates bind calcium and other such minerals in fresh greens. As a result, oxalates can make it difficult for this high in calcium plant to be absorbed by stopping the calcium from breaking down. This can also result in kidney stones in bearded dragons. Can baby bearded dragons eat parsley?Both adults and baby beardies alike can eat parsley. A beardie of any age can consume these greens. These plants have high contains vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. The quantity of calcium is particularly high in this plant.Like any growing living being, young beardies require calcium so that they are at the peak of their health and so that they grow. There are various advantages of feeding your beardies parsley. The high amount of calcium in these vegetables outweighs the phosphorus, making this a healthy food for your pets.However, it is essential to be careful while feeding your baby bearded dragons parsley. At times, experts may ask you to steer clear of feeding parsley to your baby bearded dragon altogether. Some studies show that the disadvantages of the oxalates present in these greens trump the advantages of calcium, protein, and other vitamins they contain. Oxalates bind calcium within the green vegetable, leading to health issues like kidney stones. If the calcium does not get broken down, the baby beardies will not benefit from the nutritional goodness of parsley. This would make feeding parsley to them pointless.For a bearded baby dragon, parsley might be difficult to chew on. To avoid the nutritional hazards of parsley, you can feed your beardie alternatives like mustard greens, swiss chard, bok choy, kale, spinach, dragon fruit, berries or other fruits, vegetable, and fresh, leafy greens.How should bearded dragons eat parsley?There are various ways to make your bearded dragons eat parsley. How each bearded dragon wants to be fed parsley varies widely. Some bearded dragons have a high tolerance level and a good metabolism rate. This allows them to eat their greens whole. On the other hand, other bearded dragons might have trouble chewing or digesting this vitamin-rich food. However, you choose to give parsley to your bearded dragons, make sure to wash the parsley since anybody could have touched this green before you bought it. Once the wash is done, you can take a cue from the following ways in which parsley can be fed to your bearded dragons:The easiest way to prepare foods for your bearded dragons is by cutting or chopping up the parsley into small pieces.An intelligent way to include parsley in your pet’s meal is by making such finely chopped pieces out of the parsley that it goes unnoticed by your pet. You can sprinkle these pieces on the pet food for your dragon. You can also leave it in the pet tank for them to enjoy at their own time.You can make a salad for your pet using parsley. Making such a salad is quite easy. You can add other fruits and vitamin-rich vegetables like kale, spinach, bok choy, swiss chard. You should also add some fiber-rich food to make it a balanced diet. Sprinkle some salt and sugar on this, and your salad is good to go.When you give parsley to your pets, ensure that you do not give them a large amount. No matter in which form or meal you include this vitamin-rich plant in your pet’s diet, it should be in a small quantity, for instance, 100g. Additionally, never feed parsley to your pet more than once a week.Nutritional Information Of ParsleyParsley is rich in vitamins like Vitamin C, K, and A. Besides vitamins, parsley has different minerals and nutrients, making it a highly nutritious food. However, parsley also contains something called oxalates. Unlike other nutritional contents of parsley, oxalates are not considered to be a beneficial element as it causes diseases in bearded dragons. While spinach has 0.54 dr (970 mg) of oxalates, the quantity is double for parsley at 0.96 dr (1700 mg). Kale only has 0.01 dr (20 mg) of oxalates. Parsley contains phosphorus, too, which can cause unwanted health conditions when present in large quantities. There is 0.03 dr (58 mg) phosphorus per 3.5 oz (100 g) of parsley. Despite these, parsley makes healthy food for bearded dragons. Here is what per 3.5 oz (100 g) of parsley contains:Parsley has 0.07 dr (138 mg) calcium.Fiber content is 0.11 oz (3.3 g).Parsley contains very less amount sugar, only 0.03 oz (0.9 g).Rich in protein, parsley has 0.10 oz (3 g) of it.
Bearded dragons are the collective name given to a group of species under the Pogona genus.
