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Can Blue Tongue Skinks Eat Spinach?

Spinach can be harmful for blue tongue skinks in large amounts so you should keep consumption to a minimum or avoid feeding it altogether.

Despite being a nutrition-packed dark leafy green, spinach has an extremely high content of oxalates which bind to calcium and prevent it from being properly absorbed.

Blue tongued skink and Spinach
Blue-tongued Skink vs Spinach

Calcium deficiency can lead to a variety of diseases from tail rot to metabolic bone disease which is potentially lethal for reptiles.

One cup of raw spinach can contain 700-800 milligrams of oxalates, which is way too high for safe consumption by blue-tongued lizards.

Takeaway: don’t feed spinach to skinks

Spinach contains insane amounts of oxalates, a compound that can prevent calcium absorption.

Consuming spinach regularly may lead your skink to experience calcium deficiency or, in the worst case, metabolic bone disease, which is potentially lethal to reptiles.


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Ingredients: Insects (hisser roaches, crickets, superworms), Rabbit (Ohio raised New Zealand white or California white breed, includes entire carcass) organic green beans, collard greens, dandelion greens, endive, 100% natural collagen casing.

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Can Blue Tongued Skinks Eat Spinach?

No, spinach is not recommended for blue tongued skinks.

While spinach is a nutrition-packed dark leafy green, it has an extremely high content of oxalates which bind to calcium and prevent it from being properly absorbed.

Overconsumption of spinach can lead to calcium deficiencies in the long term.

Why Is Spinach Bad for Blue Tongued Skinks?

Spinach is not recommended for blue tongued skinks due to its high content of oxalates.

Oxalates are compounds that bind to calcium and prevent it from being properly absorbed by the skink’s body. 

One cup of raw spinach can contain 700-800 milligrams of oxalates, which is way too high for safe consumption by blue-tongued lizards. 

Regular consumption of spinach may lead your skink to experience calcium deficiency or, in the worst case, metabolic bone disease, which is potentially lethal to reptiles. Therefore, it’s best to avoid feeding spinach to skinks.

What Other Vegetables Can Blue Tongued Skinks Eat?

Blue tongued skinks can safely eat a variety of vegetables such as bell pepper, carrots, tomato, pumpkin, sweet potato, cucumber, turnips, and cauliflower.

Dark leafy greens like kale, collard greens, dandelion greens and mustard greens are normally a good choice, spinach being the exception.

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