Can Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach -

Pet owners are often curious or worried about the food that they are giving to their animals. They often wonder if the food is nutritious or even safe for their pet. So, Can Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach?

This is no different when it comes to Bearded Dragons or any other reptile. Especially with lizards that eat fruit and veg, it can be difficult to know exactly what to feed them.

Many species of lizards can eat a wide variety of fruit and veg but can Bearded Dragons eat Spinach? We are going to look at this in more detail in this article.

Why is it important to know what my Bearded Dragon can Eat?

As with all living creatures, Bearded Dragons have specific dietary requirements. They need to be fed an appropriate amount of protein, fats and carbs to sustain themselves.

On top of this, they need to receive an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals. While supplements can help to achieve this, it is always best to get as much nutrients from actual food.

Therefore, it is very important to not only understand what a Bearded Dragon can eat, but what nutritional benefit it can bring to their diet.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach?

Yes, a bearded dragon can eat spinach and this vegetable can be offered as part of a balanced diet for your pet lizard.

However, this vegetable should not be fed to your lizard every day as it can bind to calcium and prevent your lizard from absorbing this vital nutrient.

There are plenty of health benefits associated with spinach though, so you shouldn’t remove it from their diet completely.

Can Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach every day?

You should not feed your bearded dragon spinach every day. This is primarily because spinach is high in oxalates which can bind to calcium.

When oxalates bind to calcium, the mineral can’t be absorbed by the bearded dragon as efficiently as it should, which could lead to a calcium deficiency.

In extreme cases, those could lead to metabolic bone disease which is a very serious condition in these lizards that is incurable and can result in death.

Some of the symptoms of metabolic bone disease include lethargy, swelling of the face or limbs, twitching limbs and deformities.

This does not actually mean that spinach is bad for your lizard. It is actually healthy for them in small quantities, providing it is only fed on occasion.

What are the Benefits if Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach?

There are a number of benefits to feeding your bearded dragon spinach. The obvious one is protein, as spinach is very high in protein for a vegetable.

However, as a large portion of their diet is made up of insects, a bearded dragon will get around 99% of their protein from these insects so protein isn’t really an issue for them.

Spinach has a very good calcium to phosphorus ratio. Phosphorus can prevent the absorption of calcium so it is recommended to look for foods that have at least a 1:1 ratio but ideally a 2:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorus.

Spinach falls perfectly into that 2:1 ratio bracket making it a good choice for this added calcium boost (although the oxalates also play a part here).

Spinach is also high in other nutrients such as magnesium, potassium and iron. These minerals offer multiple health benefits such as growth and development, strengthening bones and helping to lower blood pressure.

What kind of Spinach can a Bearded Dragon Eat?

A bearded dragon can eat any find of spinach. While it doesn’t matter what kind of spinach to feed them, you should only offer them any kind of spinach on occasion.

There are many different varieties of spinach out there but they can be categorised into 3 primary groups. These are Savoy, Semi-Savoy and Flat Leafed Spinach.

All of these types of spinach are edible and can be fed to your bearded dragon. Flat Leaf Spinach is probably your best option though as it is the easiest to digest, is best eaten raw and usually comes pre-washed.

Baby Spinach is a type of Flat Leaf Spinach and is a great option for your lizard. This type of spinach has been picked in the early stages of growth, which results in small tender and sweet leaves.

How can Bearded Dragons Eat Spinach?

Before you feed spinach to your bearded dragon, it is important to give it a good rise to remove any chemicals or fertilizers that may be present on the leaves.

This should even be done if the vegetables come pre-washed as there is no way of knowing how well they were actually washed prior to packing.

If you are feeding large leaves, it is better to chop them into bitesize chunks to make it easier for your bearded dragon to eat.

Baby spinach is already very small so this can simply be washed and pulled apart before placing it in your dragon’s food bowl for them to enjoy.

It is recommended not to add calcium or mineral supplements to spinach. These supplements can bind to the spinach and make them difficult to digest.

What Fruit can you Feed a Bearded Dragon?

Fruit is an important part of a Bearded Dragons diet as it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals that aren’t easily obtained from other sources of food.

However, the drawback is that most fruit contain high levels of sugar which isn’t good for them. Because of this, it is estimated that around 10-15 percent of a Bearded Dragons diet should be made up of fruit.

Some of the different types of fruit you can offer them include strawberries, apples, pear, watermelon, grapes, blackberries and blueberries.

What Other Vegetables can a Bearded Dragon Eat?

Another important element of a Bearded Dragons diet is vegetables. Veg can make up a large portion of their diet.

You should offer a variety of different vegetables to ensure that the lizard is getting as much nutrients as possible.

Some of the vegetables you can offer include lettuce, kale, broccoli, bell peppers and watercress.

Do not feed them iceberg lettuce as this is almost pure water and offers no nutritional value for your lizard.

What insects can a Bearded Dragon Eat?

Insects will make up the majority of a Bearded Dragons diet. Not only do Beardies love insects but they also provide them with exercise as they chase the insect around their enclosure.

Crickets and Dubia Roaches are the most common insects fed to these lizards. However, variety is key here also and you should offer other insects also when possible.

Some other insects you can offer include mealworms, super worms, hornworms and silkworms.

Mealworms are often the go-to food item when it comes to feeding lizards. The problem is they are not very nutrient dense. To compare, hornworms contain 10 times more protein than the same number of mealworms by weight.