Can Bearded Dragons Eat Purple Cabbage?

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can bearded dragons eat purple cabbage

There are many ideas about what food bearded dragons should eat. The truth is that they eat a variety of vegetables, fruits and insects.

That said, they can eat green, red, and purple cabbage, though in low quantities. More of that in a moment.

 

 

Are cabbages healthy for bearded dragons?

 

You can feed your bearded dragon green, red and purple cabbage. Yes, you can even feed it purple cabbage because it’s good for them.

 

The best-known health benefit of cabbages is that they are high in vitamin K. Bearded dragons need vitamin K to enhance blood clotting to prevent excessive bleeding when they get injured.

 

But that’s not all. Purple cabbages have other health benefits since they also contain vitamin C, and Vitamin A and E.

These vitamins help them to fight off infections and boost their immune system. Plus, they contain minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, and iron.

 

They are also rich in water, which is important especially when your bearded dragon is in its shedding phase.

In truth, purple cabbages have more benefits than drawbacks which make them a desirable snack for your bearded dragon.

 

 

Is purple cabbage harmful to bearded dragons?

 

Purple cabbages are not harmful to bearded dragons. However, you need to ensure that they don’t feed on too much of it because they have goitrogens.

See also  Can Bearded Dragons Eat Yellow Peppers?

 

Known to cause adverse health issues while affecting kidneys, the liver, and thyroid glands in bearded dragons, it’s obvious that goitrogens are not in any way good to bearded dragons.

 

Having said that, a little bit of purple cabbage will not harm them. They can eat it as a food item or as a salad.

You can even mix it with other veggies and fruits they enjoy eating to make the meal more nutritious for them.

 

 

Risks of overfeeding cabbage to bearded dragons

 

As mentioned before, bearded dragons are not supposed to feed on purple cabbages in excessive amounts. Doing so can expose your cute dragon to the following risks:

 

  1. Calcium deficiency

 

As you more than likely are aware, calcium is needed by your dragon to ensure the growth and development of strong and healthy bones.

Cabbages, however, have an unsafe ratio of calcium to phosphorous, especially when consumed in abundance, which hinders the absorption of calcium.

 

 

  1. Risk of obesity of teeth loss

 

Did you know that cabbage has a significant amount of sugar that is known to adversely affect bearded dragons? Well, now you know.

When fed to bearded dragons in large quantities, the substantial amount of sugar in purple cabbages can potentially destroy your adorable dragon’s teeth or contribute to obesity.

 

 

  1. Iodine deficiency

 

Purple cabbages are also known to have goitrogenic properties. What this means for your bearded dragons is that eating purple cabbages in large amounts can result in symptoms that are close to those of iodine deficiency. This, as a result, has a negative effect on the functioning of thyroid glands.

See also  Can Bearded Dragons Eat Ladybugs? (The Risks!)

 

 

So, can you still feed purple cabbages to your bearded dragon?

 

Purple cabbages are, indeed, safe for bearded dragons, taking into consideration that lots of people who own bearded dragons feed them on these cabbages.

 

What’s important is that you feed your bearded dragon purple cabbage sparingly. You shouldn’t give them more than 25% of their daily food allowance in one go, and ensure that they have access to clean water.

 

In short, there is no harm in feeding your bearded dragon purple cabbage. You can even give them a little bit of it from time to time since it has some health benefits.

In our next article, we explain how easy it is to take care of a bearded dragon as a pet.

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