Can bearded dragons eat thyme? You’ve probably heard that beardies shouldn’t eat herbs. so you ask this question and wonder if you can add thymes to their diet.
Fortunately, bearded dragons can eat thymes without sustaining health risks. You can thus get the nutrients it carries to boost your pet’s immunity and add flavor to their meals.
However, beardies should only eat thymes in moderation to avoid health issues like gastrointestinal problems.
Thus, I searched more about thyme to understand more about feeding it to bearded dragons. I also looked for details about selecting the correct type of this plant and how to serve it properly to the reptile. Then, I gathered all the helpful info in this post as a guide.
Can Bearded Dragons Eat Thyme?
Yes, it is safe for bearded dragons to eat thyme. Thyme adds flavor to meals, and its’ vitamins and minerals improve your beardy’s health. However, serving it in the right proportion to your pet helps avoid health problems. For example, only do it once a week, and never give your beardy wild herbs.
What Benefits Can Bearded Dragons Get from Thyme?
Mixing thyme into your beardy’s diet offers these primary benefits:
1. Add Variety to Your Pet’s Meals
The minty flavor of this herb introduces a different flavor to your scaly friend’s meal. It helps them better enjoy their food, which is vital to boost their appetite.
Improving your pet’s appetite encourages them to eat different food types to consume vital nutrients from multiple food sources and meet their health requirements.
However, like humans, reptiles also have personal food preferences and may dislike the taste of this herb. Don’t force your pet to eat if they reject this food option.
2. Offer Essential Nutrients
While this plant doesn’t contain many nutrients, it carries a few vital substances helpful for your beardies’ health. This benefit is crucial as bearded dragons are prone to different ailments, like Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD).
It contains a healthy amount of vitamin C that can boost your pet’s immunity against diseases. It also has B vitamins and minerals like iron, manganese, and copper, supporting your pet’s overall health and growth.
However, as mentioned above, the nutrients in this herb could be insufficient for the reptile. So, it’s better to only serve it as a complement to your pet’s primary meals.
What are the Risks of Feeding Thymes to Bearded Dragons?
This food option is generally safe for beardies. However, improperly feeding them to your pet may pose crucial health risks like:
1. Nutrient Deficiency
Feeding too much of this minty herb to your scaly friend keeps them from fulfilling their daily nutrient requirements.
This plant contains significantly lesser nutrients than other veggies in your pet’s diet. Too much of it will thus make your pet’s stomach full and leave no room for other nutritious food.
So, focus on feeding them nutritious veggies while serving small amounts of thyme.
2. Toxicity
While small amounts won’t cause harm, too many herbs and spices could be toxic to your reptile and cause different health issues. This plant has acidic contents that may trigger gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and severe dehydration.
3. Poisoning and Infection
Another critical risk your pet may get from consuming herbs is exposure to harmful parasites and chemicals.
Infection may happen if your beardy eats any wild plant that may carry disease-causing bacteria. On the other hand, poisoning may occur if the plant has harmful chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers.
It’s thus crucial to avoid feeding wild thymes to your scaly friend. Instead, only select cultivated herbs from reliable sources.
What Type of Thymes Can Bearded Dragons Eat?
Bearded dragons can eat the most common types of thyme or the one with small purplish flowers. You can even feed some of its flowers aside from the leaves. However, avoid those with different colored flowers, as they can harm your pet.
Moreover, feed fresh herbs to your scaly friend instead of dried products. While generally safe in small amounts, dried plants contain excessive amounts of additional minerals that could be toxic for dragons.
And as mentioned above, avoid feeding wild herbs to your reptiles to prevent poisoning. Plants in your garden or on regular farms may carry harmful chemicals and parasites that can cause sickness.
How Frequent Can Bearded Dragons Eat Thymes?
Some reptile breeders say that beardies can eat small amounts of the minty herb once every day. However, it’s better to go for the safer option of only feeding it to them once a week.
This schedule can keep your pet from experiencing the adverse effects of consuming too many herbs. And it’s also enough to keep your dragon’s appetite by serving minty-flavored meals occasionally.
How to Prepare Thymes for Bearded Dragons to Eat?
Preparing this herb for a beardy’s meal is easy; as long as you will remember these tips for your pet’s safety:
- Select the best type of thyme for your dragon. As mentioned above, choose those with purple flowers, only buy cultivated herbs from stores, and prefer fresh plants instead of dried products.
- Thoroughly wash the herbs or their flowers and cut them into tiny pieces. Instead of serving it directly to your dragon, it’s better to sprinkle a small amount on their regular meal to add flavor.
- Prepare enough water in your dragon’s enclosure, so they can quickly have a drink after eating.
- Don’t force your scaly friend to eat if they reject this food item. You may instead introduce small bits of this plant once every few weeks and observe if the reptile starts eating it.
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Conclusion
So, can bearded dragons eat thyme even if it’s an herb?
Yes, they can consume this plant as it generally won’t cause crucial health problems to the reptile. It could even improve their appetite and overall health.
However, the wrong type and amount of this plant may harm your scaly friend. Thus, it’s better to be careful when serving it in their meal.
