It’s every pet owner’s pleasure to feed his or her pet well. It’s nice to give treats and varieties of food to your bearded dragon. However, when doing so, one has to know what is healthy and what is not. A very common question many bearded dragon owners ask is, Can bearded dragons eat oregano?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat oregano. An occasional oregano treat for your bearded dragon would be great. Additionally, oregano contains a good amount of calcium, which is very good for bone formation in your bearded dragon. However, while you feed them oregano, you should look for other sources of phosphorus to balance the calcium-phosphorus ratio in the system of your bearded dragon.
In this article, we have provided you with all the important information that you need to know about the nutritional requirements of your bearded dragons and also the nutritional content of Oregon. Take your time and read through this article.
What is oregano?
The word oregano comes from two Greek words, “oros” and ganos.” “Oros” means mountain, and “ganos” means joy.
Oregano is a herb from the mint family (also known as the Lamiaceae family). It has been widely used by humans for thousands of years to add flavor to food and also medicinally to treat some health conditions.
Oregano was originally found in the temperate and warm areas of Eurasia and in the southwest and southern regions of the Mediterranean. However, it is widely naturalized in the temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere.
Oregano is a perennial herb, and it can grow as high as 80 cm (31 in), with opposite leaves with a span length of 1–4 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in). Oregano is also cultivated as an ornamental plant because it produces flowers in a variety of colors. Colors like white, pink, or light purple. Oregano produces an erect spike in summer and sometimes can be called wild marjoram
Can bearded dragons eat oregano?
Yes, bearded dragons can eat oregano. Oregano does not contain toxic chemicals that can harm your bearded dragon pet.
We will look at both the nutritional requirements of bearded dragons and the nutritional content of oregano so that we can get a better understanding of this subject.
Can bearded dragons have oregano oil?
Nutritional, Oregano oil and oregano herb contain similar nutritional values, so it’s basically the same thing.
Nutrition of Bearded Dragons
When they are little, bearded dragons are usually insectivorous (feeding primarily on insects), but after some time they are supposed to change into a more omnivorous (feeding on both insects and plants) diet. However, it is true that some captive bearded dragons may not want to give up their high-protein diet of insects.
At 9 to 12 months, you should gradually introduce a diet of vegetables daily and a protein insect meal around three times weekly. So basically, you can start feeding your breaded dragon oregano from 9 months old.
When it comes to bearded dragons, there are very important nutrients to look out for. They are the acidic, calcium, phosphorus, water, protein, fat, sugar, and fiber contents.
Some of these nutrients are required in a certain range of ratios to the others, while some are required in lower amounts and others in higher amounts. An imbalance in some of these nutrients can cause harm to your lovely pets. Let’s look extensively at these nutrients.
Vitamin D
Too much vitamin D is not good for your bearded dragons. Thankfully, oregano does not contain Vitamin D, so you wouldn’t have to worry about that. It is important to note that vitamin D is needed by reptiles for calcium metabolism. However, at high doses, it can cause serious diseases.
The best way for your gecko to get vitamin D is through adequate UV light. Additionally, it should be present in multivitamin supplements that can be given once a week.
Fats:
Bearded dragons should not be fed a diet filled with too much fat. It is extremely inappropriate. Thankfully, the fat content of oregano isn’t much, so you have nothing to worry about.
Protein:
Protein is necessary for younger bearded dragons, but they usually prefer to get it from insects. Protein sources for these lizards should be insect-based.
As an older bearded dragon transitions to a more omnivorous diet, it won’t need as much protein as it did when it was younger. Looking at the low levels of protein in oregano, we can quite say that it does not constitute a problem for your bearded dragons.
calcium-phosphorus ratio
The ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the system of your bearded dragon is very vital to their health. A disease called Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) can result from an improper ratio of calcium to phosphorus. It is recommended that any diet you feed your bearded dragon contains at least equal ratios of calcium and phosphorus. A higher ratio of calcium (2) to phosphorus (1) is okay, but you must make sure that there isn’t more phosphorus than calcium.
You might be wondering, “What goes wrong with such an imbalance?”
Whenever the calcium level is lower than the phosphorus level, the body will have to compensate for this imbalance, so it takes calcium from anywhere it can find it, which is usually in the bones. When too much calcium is taken out of the bones, it makes the bones softer and hence more fracture-prone. It also leads to the deposition of fibrous tissue as the body tries to strengthen the bones in the absence of available calcium. Calcium is also necessary for physiological functions, e.g., muscle contraction and blood clotting.
Oregano has a higher rate of calcium, so this should cause problems for your bearded dragon. Normally bearded dragons require calcium supplements, but oregano already provides calcium. However, since oregano does not have a sufficient amount of phosphorus, you can mix it up with other herbs to supplement for the phosphorus absence.
Here is a comprehensive nutritional profile of oregano (Origanum vulgare, dried leaves, values per 100 g) from the United States Department of Agriculture, National Nutrient Data Base
Energy 265 kcal (13%
Carbohydrates: 68.92 g (53%
Protein (9 g): 16%
Total Fat: 4.28 g (21%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Dietary Fiber 42.5 g 112%
Vitamins
Folates (237 g): 59%
Niacin (4.640 mg): 29%
Pantothenic acid: 0.921 mg (17%
Pyridoxine, 1.044 mg, 80%
Riboflavin, 0.528 mg, 40%
Thiamin 0.177 mg 15%
Vitamin-A (1701 IU): 57%
Vitamin C: 2.3 mg (4%)
Vitamin E 18.26 mg 121%
Vitamin-K 621.7 µg 518%
Electrolytes
Sodium 25 mg 1.5%
Potassium 1260 mg 27%
Minerals
Calcium 1597 mg 160%
Copper 0.633 mg 70%
Iron 36.80 mg 460%
Magnesium 270 mg 67.5%
Manganese 4.990 mg 203%
Zinc 2.69 mg 24%
Phyto-nutrients
Carotene-ß 1007 µg —
Crypto-xanthin-ß 7 µg —
Lutein-zeaxanthin 1895 µg —
Conclusion.
In general, A bearded dragon’s diet should consist of insects, vegetables, and occasional fruit. Oregon is a very good vegetable option for your pet; it has no toxic substances. However, owing to its high content of calcium with no corresponding phosphorus content, you may need to mix it up with other herbs. This is to ensure that your bearded dragon gets calcium and phosphorus in an appropriate ratio.
