skip to Main Content

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach

Is it Safe for Pet Beardies to Have Spinach Leaves?

As you already know, spinach is one nutrient-rich food for us humans. It consists of fibre, antioxidants, key minerals, and plenty of vitamins to boost our overall health and well-being. 

So, it’s clearly established that spinach is GOOD FOR HUMANS! 

But one question which constantly bugs owners of bearded dragons is –Can They Feed Spinach to Their Cute L’ll Pet Critters?

To be perfectly honest, they can provided it is done infrequently in moderation and in small servings. This is because too much of spinach feeding can lead to serious health complications in your pet bearded dragon. Worse case scenarios being; it can make them extremely sick or even make them die!

Of course, being its doting owner, you don’t want that to happen. 

Let’s Dig Further…!

For your pet beardie, you don’t need to ignore serving this nutritional-filled leafy green vegetable completely. But as you feed them, you also need to remember their specific needs, preferences, and requirements. 

That’s why respective reptile experts and vets recommend keeping it in moderation. According to them- while humans can leverage from the countless health-benefiting components of eating spinach frequently, the same doesn’t apply to your pet beardie. Spinach, despite being rich in nutrients, also consists of a high dose of a compound known as Oxalates. 

When you excessively feed them spinach, oxalates binds their calcium and other key minerals needed for their health survival. Eventually, their health will deteriorate over time, weaken them to the point of no recovery and make you regret deep down for feeding them in the first place!

A Closer Look at the Necessary Nutritional Content for Your Pet Bearded Dragon

As a pet owner, you very well know that bearded dragons are omnivorous- meaning they eat a combination of plants and animal-based food (namely in the form of insects, crickets, and bugs).

Respective experts, however, explain that the best diet for a bearded dragon should be 50% animal and 50% plant matter! Initially, they start off as carnivorous. But with age and maturity, they become more partial to plant matter. The right amount of minerals and vitamins always plays a crucial role in their overall biological functions. 

Some of them include as follows –

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin D3
  • Iron
  • Calcium
  • And small concentration of B-vitamins

To the naked eye, it may seem that their need for minerals and vitamins being similar to humans. But in reality, bearded dragons require each of these key minerals and vitamins in their appropriate proportions. So ensuring variations in their diet is crucial for their healthy survival!

Coming back to spinach, these green leafy vegetables pack a decent concentration of Iron, Vitamin A, Calcium, and B-vitamins. And if you carefully feed them infrequently in small servings, then they will most likely benefit from it.

To Make You Better Understand Here Are Some Irrefutable Nutritional Perks Of Feeding Spinach (In Moderation) To Your Pet Beardie!

Spinach Contains No Sugar –

That’s good news, especially considering bearded dragons thrive on low-sugar diets. Too much sugar, particularly on a frequent basis, can potentially make them suffer from diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease; even severe heart failure, 

Contrary to these ill-occurrences, spinach contains no sugar. And that’s why you can occasionally add a few leaves in their diet every couple of months.

Spinach Has More Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio –

Field reptile specialists’ state- beaded dragons, should not eat food which is rich in phosphorus. The reason being phosphorus binds with their existing calcium and stops it from properly being absorbed by their blood. 

Keeping in mind that calcium is an essential component for their long-term and healthy survival, repeated consumption of phosphorus-rich foods could cause MBD- Metabolic Done Disease, and painful death. 

MBD is a terrible condition which is common in most dragons. This disease causes their little limbs to warp and paralyze- preferably due to receiving plenty of oxalates. 

Some of the Commonly Noticed MBD Symptoms in These Lizards Include As Follows –

  • Tremors or shaking of limbs 
  • Their rear leg swelling up
  • Signs of paralysis 
  • Fatigue or physical feebleness 
  • Growth getting stunted 
  • Softening of their face and jawbones 

No way should you let any of these utterly painful symptoms take place in your l’ll pet critters. Fortunately, you can prevent them by feeding your pet beardie the right nutritional diet properly sprayed with vet-recommended calcium supplements!

Fortunately, if you stick to feeding your pet beardie spinach leaves in moderation, then you won’t to worry about any such health complications. Spinach anyway consists of more calcium than phosphorus. This makes it very much safe for your pet dragon’s consumption.

What Other Perks Come About By Feeding Them Spinach In Moderation?

Besides these afore points, including a few spinach leaves in your pet beardie’s diet (infrequently, of course) can result in these underlying health benefits.

  • It will provide them the iron which will regulate the proper circulation of oxygen to all their key body organs
  • The presence of fibre in spinach will smoothen your pet beardie’s digestive process
  • The existence of folates in spinach will aid in their proper cell functioning and optimal tissue growth
  • Vitamin K1 in spinach will control the clotting of blood
  • And the presence of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Beta carotene will help fortify your pet beardie’s immune system, their reproduction capabilities and foster their healthy growth

Mind you; all these health benefits can come about only by feeding your pet bearded dragon a few spinach leaves either every month or once every 2 months. 

That said, before you consider including spinach in your pet bearded dragon’s diet, the wise move would be to consult first with a reptile vet and even possibly get your l’ll dude checked out.  They will certainly recommend you the proportion and frequency of spinach you can feed them with a combination of other greens and vegetables for their optimal growth and maturity!

(MOVING ON…) How To Properly Feed Spinach to Your Pet Beardie?

If you intend to feed your pet beardie spinach, then field reptile experts and vets recommend doing it in the following ways.

  • Look to procure organic spinach every time
  • Make it a point to properly wash the spinach to remove any existing dirt or potentially harmful pesticides from entering their diet-sensitive body
  • Look to chop the spinach leaves properly (mainly to prevent choking accidents) prior to putting them into your pet beardie’s food bowl. Simply put finely chopped raw spinach as they deliver more nutritional goods than when cooked
  • You can also include other greens, vegetables, and tiny bits of fruits (as an occasional treat once every month) to their diet salad

In Words Of Reptile Experts; You Can Follow This Typical Nutritional Salad.

  • Spinach
  • Collard greens 
  • Watercress 
  • Turnip greens
  • Green beans 
  • Dandelion greens 

They further recommend including these vegetables when looking to mix up your pet dragon’s diet. They include as – pumpkin, celery stalks, cauliflower, green peas, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, beets, asparagus, broccoli, etc.

However, exercise extreme caution when feeding them mustard greens, kale, and cabbage! Simply because each they come with a high concentration of goitrogens and have the potential of suppressing your pet beardie’s thyroid gland- which is mainly the organ that aids in regulating their metabolism.  

Moreover, adding fruits to the mix is also a probability you can resort to when feeding your pet dragon. That said, you need to ensure these fruits don’t constitute any more than 10% of their diet. And that they are fed once, preferably once a month!

SURMISING… 

YES… you most certainly can feed spinach to your pet bearded dragon. But albeit in moderation and over infrequent periods! Everything is about maintaining the appropriate balance in your pet dragon’s diet. 

Follow the stated information properly when feeding spinach to your pet bearded dragon. And if you notice any signs or symptoms of potential infection, illness, or disease, don’t hesitate in taking them to the nearest reptile vet care for proper diagnosis.

This Post Has 0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top
×Close search
Search