Can Bearded Dragons Eat Asparagus? Our Vet Answers

Asparagus isn’t for everyone, but if you love it, you may wonder if you can share it with your reptilian friend. While asparagus is safe for bearded dragons, it isn’t recommended to be a staple part of their diet because it has more nutritional downsides than benefits.

Is Asparagus Healthy for Bearded Dragons?

Asparagus is one of the vegetables that are considered safe for Bearded Dragons. As babies, their diet comprises approximately 25% of vegetables and the remaining 75% is made of insects, but as adults, these percentages invert, and their diet should include more vegetables and fruits.

If your Bearded Dragon enjoys the taste of asparagus, you can give it to your pet as an occasional treat, preferably not more than once every other week. It should not be fed on its own but rather as a part of a salad.

In a strict sense though, asparagus isn’t healthy for your bearded dragon and they don’t reap its benefits the way humans do.

Why Shouldn’t Asparagus Be Served Daily?

While asparagus is generally safe for Bearded Dragons, they should only have it about once a week because it has a few drawbacks that you need to be aware of. A Bearded Dragon’s diet must maintain the correct phosphorus-to-calcium balance, with calcium levels being around twice as much for a normal adult in maintenance. This is one downside of asparagus; its calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is the inverse, at approximately 1:2.

Asparagus doesn’t provide enough calcium for the needs of a Bearded Dragon, which is why it is not suitable as a staple vegetable. Secondly, the phosphorus content will prevent the blood from absorbing the calcium. If your Bearded Dragon eats a diet with more phosphorus than calcium, they can be prone to metabolic bone disease (MBD).

MBD can cause the bones in their face and jaw to soften, the limbs to swell, tremors, and intense weakness, which is horrible for any Bearded Dragon to experience. Furthermore, asparagus contains oxalates, which inhibit calcium absorption and can also cause MBD.

To make matters worse, asparagus contains a moderate amount of oxalates, which inhibit calcium absorption and can also cause MBD.

A final point to consider is that asparagus is a natural diuretic; it promotes the removal of fluid from the body via urination. Therefore, though high in water content, it isn’t a good source of hydration for your pet, as it will likely have the opposite effect if fed in amounts that are too high for your pet.

All in all, these factors contribute to making asparagus a safe, but not a healthy vegetable for your bearded dragon.

Does Cooking Lower Oxalates In Asparagus?

The oxalic acid in asparagus exists in both soluble and insoluble forms, so if you boil the vegetable, some of the oxalate may leach out into the water.

Therefore, one cannot rely on a cooking method to significantly lower the amount of oxalates in asparagus because the amount of soluble oxalate varies and there’s no way to determine how much was actually lost in the cooking water.

Another disadvantage to boiling is that the asparagus itself will also lose other essential water-soluble nutrients, such as folate. Therefore, this method of compensation does not work for asparagus. You should instead opt for other vegetables for your dragon.

Final Thoughts

Asparagus can be an occasional treat for your bearded dragon if your pet enjoys the taste. However, while safe to consume, it isn’t a great vegetable for other health concerns.

Any potential health benefits asparagus could offer are offset by its nutritional downsides. Therefore, it is best to look for other vegetables for your dragon and only serve asparagus as an occasional treat if absolutely desired.

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Featured Image Credit: macroworlds, Shutterstock