We’ve seen that bearded dragons will eat fruits like peaches, watermelon, strawberries, and even apples. But can bearded dragons eat spinach – the green leafy vegetable?
- Can spinach harm the bearded dragons or does it hold some significant nutritional value for them?
So, technically, YES – bearded dragons will feed on spinach as it’s not toxic to these pets and the leafy vegetables have some level of nutritional value.
But spinach has notable compounds that would make the vegetable unsuitable for feeding to the bearded dragons on a regular basis. So, we generally advise you to avoid spinach in the beardies’ diet.
Check these Bearded Dragon Feeding Guide.
Details: Can Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach?
Veterinarians consider that you don’t start or stop feeding spinach to your bearded dragon. But 1-2 spinach leaves won’t be dangerous to your pet.
- A section of the dragon pet keeps saying that they won’t feed their beardies with spinach to avoid the risk. I approve of this since spinach is instant necessary for the development of the pet.
So, I would recommend you consider other more nutritious and safer food or bites to feed your dragon compared to using spinach.
Dietary requirements for Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons will require a dietary balanced meal that included veggies, fruits, and insects.
The adult dragon will require 20% insects and 80% plants. But baby or younger dragons require 30% plants and 70% insects (meat) or even 50-50 as advised by the veterinarian.
- Bearded dragons are considered omnivores – and thus they’ll feed on both plant and meat foods. But their nutritional requirement will change with their age.
- So, if you’re checking out meat alternatives or sources to give your dragons, I would recommend trying some Nightcrawlers. Further, the plant-based dies must have mainly vegetables.
Feeding Spinach to Bearded Dragons? Any Benefits?
The benefits of feeding spinach to our bearded dragons include that it offers some level of nutritional value.
These are the nutritional values of raw spinach – this is per every 100 grams as noted by the Agriculture Department in the United States.
- Magnesium 79 mg
- Iron 2.71 mg
- Vitamin A469 µg
- Vitamin C28.1 mg
- Protein 2.86 g
- Fat 0.39 g
- Potassium 558 mg
- Phosphorus 49 mg
- Calcium 99 mg
- Sugar 0.42 g
- Water 91.4 g
- Fiber 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates 3.63 g
- Energy 23 kcal
1. Rich in Antioxidants & Minerals
Spinach is an antioxidant- and nutrient-rich vegetable as it comes with high levels of calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin K, vitamin C, and carotenoids.
- On anti-oxidants, spinach is a great source of antioxidants such as lutein which is considered to reduce the probability of macular degeneration and enhance eye health.
- Spinach contains a great blend of antioxidants and minerals that’ll help the dragon to evade heart problems as it reduces cholesterol levels.
The anti-oxidants and minerals will also strengthen the bearded dragon’s bones and tissue – keeping the dragon’s bonds strong and also healthy.
2. Suitable Vitamins Source
The beaded dragons will reap some significant vitamin quantities in the spinach – these include vitamins C, B-6, and A.
Vitamin C – The USDA notes that there are 28.1 mg Vitamin C in every 100-gram of spinach – these include either the semi-savoy spinach, flat spinach, or savoy spinach.
Vitamin C has a major role in the repair, growth, and development of body tissues. The vitamin will assist in absorbing iron, maintaining bones and immunity.
Vitamin B-6 – Vitamin B-6 in spinach will help animals create their antibodies – these aid in fighting disease & infections.
Vitamin B-6 will help in the development of the nervous and immune systems while minting excellent brain development while also keeping appropriate weight.
Vitamin A – Vitamin aids in the development of excellent vision – while also promoting the growth of a suitable immune system.
3. High Potassium Levels
Spinach equally has high potassium levels – notably, a single spinach cup will have as high as 167-mg of potassium.
- It would be great to notes that compared to amounts of potassium on a banana, spinach contains largely more. But how does Potassium help? Well, Potassium assists to keep normal fluid levels in the animal cells.
- Further, the nutrient will assist muscles in contracting and keep blood pressure at normal.
Besides, potassium will also assist in regulating the normal body fluid levels, muscle activity, and kidney function.
4. Suitable Phosphorus & Calcium Balance
Spinach will also offer a great Phosphorus & Calcium balance that the bearded dragons will love.
- This is especially important for the younger beardies that will suffer when calcium levels are low in their diet.
- Therefore, I recommend that you spray some supplements with calcium powder on the dragon’s food. Further, we’ve talked about phosphorous above, and this ingredient helps in binding the calcium for easier absorption.
Notable, metabolic bone disease (MBD) will arise in the dragon if it does not have adequate calcium in its body – 100 grams of spinach has phosphorus to calcium amounts of 49 mg and 99 mg.
5. Low Levels of Fat, Sugar, and Calories
The bearded dragon could also be affected by obesity and thus it’s important to control nutrients and ingredients that could contribute to this issue.
- For this issue, spinach will have low levels of fats, sugars, and calories – and thus it’ll be a great treat.
For hydration, the spinach also offers excellent water content that’ll largely benefit the bearded dragons.
Feeding Spinach to Bearded Dragons? What are the Risks?
1. Calcium and Oxalates
One of the challenges that will arise from feeding the spinach to your bearded dragons includes that there may be dangers of not getting inadequate calcium and high oxalates in the diet.
- This may occur when the dragons eat foods that have high amounts of phosphorous in comparison to what they have as calcium.
Further, the high levels of oxalic acids and oxalates in the spinach have proven to be problematic to bearded dragons.
2. Risk of Metabolic Bone Disease
Feeding spinach to your bearded dragons makes you risk metabolic bone disease.
- The under 2 years with the beardies may become calcium-deficient and this may contribute to them having deformed, weak, and soft bones.
When the diet has low calcium, vitamin D-3, while also having high phosphorus – and this may cause a high risk of MBD.
Conclusion
So, in summary, should I feed my bearded dragons with spinach? Well, spinach is an okay munch for your dragon as it has good calcium: phosphorous ratio.
- However, spinach has high oxalates that will prevent the absorption of calcium and this may trigger metabolic bone disease in the beardie.
Cheers!