Fruits are one of the favorite foods that many birds like to eat, and Cockatiels also like to eat various foods such as fruits, veggies, seeds, insects, and many more. But what fruits do cockatiels eat that you can feed them easily?
Cockatiels can eat a variety of fruits, including bananas, apples, grapes, and berries. However, it’s essential to offer these fruits in moderation and alongside a balanced diet to prevent gastrointestinal issues. Additionally, certain fruits like raisins, persimmons, figs, and mulberries are toxic to cockatiels and should be avoided.
Do Cockatiels Like Fruits?
Yes, cockatiels like to eat fruits. Cockatiels are omnivores, which means they eat both plant matter and animal matter.
You can feed fruits to cockatiels in a whole form or pieces of fruits such as apple slices, oranges, grapes, melon balls, etc.
The calories in a piece of fruit will vary depending on what kind of fruit they eat. Cockatiels need to balance their diet with plenty of grains (birdseed), millet, or oats so that they do not develop gastrointestinal problems.
The best fruits to feed cockatiels are ripe ones. Bananas and grapes have a lot of sugar, so your cockatiels may get diabetes if you feed them too much of these fruits.
If you can’t find ripe fruits for your cockatiels, you can buy canned fruit juices (without added sugars) or frozen fruit puree.
What Type Of Fruits Can Cockatiels eat?
Some fruits are good for cockatiels. Here’s a list of the ones that you should feed them:
- Apples
- Apricots
- Berries
- Blackberries
- Cranberries
- Dates: Dried only, not fresh. They help with digestion and can cause constipation if not balanced with plenty of water.
- Figs: These are the best sources of natural fiber, protein, and iron. Most bird owners feed their flock apples, and they pick out these particular fruits. Figs are good for all birds, including other species like canaries and finches, because iron is essential to make hemoglobin and red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout their bodies.
- A fruit cocktail combines dried apple, banana, pear, and strawberry. Do not feed your cockatiel fruit cocktails because they contain too much sugar and water that can cause diarrhea, even if they are drained of all their juices.
- Fruit roll-ups (no added sugar)
- Grapes
- Nectarines
- Oranges (only feed them freshly squeezed orange juice. You can mix it with water in a 2:1 ratio.)
- Papaya: You should never feed your pet unripe papayas because the leaves and stems contain toxins that can paralyze your pet’s digestive system.
Best Fruits To Feed Cockatiels
Cockatiels need a healthy diet to stay happy and healthy. Fruit is one of the healthiest foods for cockatiels because it can provide your bird with abundant vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Below are some best fruits that you can feed to your cockatiels.
- Apple
Apple is one of the fruits that can be fed to cockatiels. You can offer your cockatiel apple slices, with the skin on or off. It is okay to feed an apple daily.
Apple is available in most grocery stores and can be fed as treats and other fruits in small quantities.
- Blueberry
Apart from being a food source, blueberries are excellent for your cockatiel’s health. It can help you gain control of your cockatiel’s appetite and also help combat obesity, which can be a problem for some heavy birds.
- Orange
The good thing about orange is that it is easily digestible and not very high in fat content. Feed oranges to cockatiels and place them where they can be accessible to your bird, but they may find it distasteful if they attempt to eat the seeds. Be sure to offer them in moderation, as too many give your bird an upset stomach.
- Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is an excellent food source and can be offered to your cockatiel daily. Cockatiels like cantaloupe because of its sweetness and high water content, which helps keep their bodies hydrated during winter.
- Mango
Mango is also a fruit that can be fed as a treat to your cockatiel. However, you should not feed mango every day because it may give your bird diarrhea if it eats too much.
- Papaya (ripe)
Papaya is a fruit that you can feed to your cockatiel. You can offer the fleshy part of the papaya, but if your cockatiel eats this, ensure it is not spoiled and be mindful of pesticides on it.
- Strawberries
Strawberry fruit is excellent for feeding cockatiels because strawberries contain nutrients such as Calcium, Phosphorus, and Iron.
Offer strawberries as a treat to your bird, but ensure you remove the green leaves because they are poisonous to birds.
You should only offer them one strawberry at a time because if you give your birds too many, they will cause diarrhea in birds. For example, if you feed a cockatiel 2 to 3 strawberries at a time, do not give them any more.
- Coconuts
Coconut is an excellent treat for your cockatiel and is nutritious for your bird to eat. Additionally, coconut helps keep birds hydrated in the summer when fruits are scarce.
However, if your bird eats too many coconuts and gets diarrhea or has an upset stomach, you should be mindful of whether or not you have been feeding it too much coconut.
- Large grapefruit or tangerines
Grapefruit is a food that can be offered to your bird. However, you should avoid offering grapefruit seeds to your birds because of the toxic effects on cockatiels.
You can offer sliced-up tangerines or a whole large grapefruit, with the skin removed and seeds removed.
- Bananas
One fruit that would be perfect for your bird is sliced bananas. Bananas have been suggested as being beneficial because they have an average nutrient content per 100 grams that consists of potassium (128 milligrams), fat (0g), carbohydrates (27g), protein (1.6g), sodium (3.7mg), calcium (15mg) and iron (1.2mg). If your cockatiels enjoy eating fruit, you can always try a mixture of fresh apples and peaches daily.
- Pineapple
Another fruit that birds commonly enjoy is pineapple. Because of the high levels of vitamin C found in pineapples, vitamin C will help support your bird’s immune system in preventing disease.
When giving to your cockatiel, make sure to slice it up into small pieces so they can eat it more easily.
Other safe fruits for your bird include berries (strawberries), melons (cantaloupe), veggies (carrots), sweet corn, or popped popcorn kernels.
How To Feed Fruits To Cockatiels?
Fruits can be a great addition to your cockatiel’s diet. But fruits need to be served in specific ways for cockatiels to eat and get the most out of them. Below are some methods that you can use to serve fruits to cockatiels.
01. Wait until a cockatiel is hungry, and then offer them a piece of fruit. It will help cockatiels recognize that they need to eat and that there’s food on the table. Generally, if you wait more than 15 minutes after the last time they ate, you should offer them the fruit.
2. Cut into small pieces for small fruits like bananas and apples, so your cockatiel has something to hold in its beak while eating. For example, if you are serving an apple to your cockatiel, cut it into quarters so it is easier for them to eat with their beak.
3. Box toppers can be packed with fruit and some seeds for variety. It can be handy as cockatiels don’t seem to like the same fruit all the time, so it is nice to keep things varied.
4. You can also mash up the fruits or make them easier to eat in a food processor or blender. It depends on the type of fruit you serve and how much you want to do it. Mashed bananas and papaya are great examples of foods that you can mash.
5. Don’t be afraid to try other fruits as well. Cockatiels love oranges, apples, peaches, and berries of all kinds. You can mix it up with a healthy cocktail of different fruits to keep your cockatiel interested in eating them.
6. Keep some fruit more available than others so your cockatiel will try other fruits if the one they are used to isn’t there sometimes.
How Often Do You Feed Cockatiels Fruits?
Cockatiels can eat fruits two times a day. They are chatty birds, so they often need to eat more. They can handle eating a lot of fruits.
Fruits are their favorite food and are good for them since they’re very nutrient-rich. But if you find your cockatiel is not eating many fruits or struggling to eat all the fruit in one sitting, you may want to feed them more frequently or take away the ones that seem difficult for your bird.
If your cockatiel is not eating enough fruits, try increasing the number of times per day you give them their fruit or adding applesauce as an additional source of nutrients.
How Much To Feed Fruits To Cockatiels?
Cockatiels can be fed a variety of fruits as a healthy part of their diet. The best fruit types have high water content and are easy to chew or swallow.
Cockatiels can eat more than one fruit in a day. However, this extra fruit should not be offered continuously.
Most owners will typically offer no more than one serving of new fruit in an amount similar to that of their bird’s head per day, a serving being roughly the size of their bird’s head.
What Fruits Can Cockatiels Not Eat?
Cockatiels are seed-eating birds and also enjoy eating fruit, but they have a limited list of fruits that they can consume safely.
Some fruits can cause serious damage to your bird’s health and even lead to death. These toxic fruits include raisins, persimmons, figs, and mulberries.
When feeding your cockatiel fruits other than apples, you should remove the seeds from avocados or peaches as these items can produce gas which may cause discomfort for your pet bird.
Can Cockatiels Eat Bananas?
Yes, cockatiels can eat bananas. But before you line your bird up to the chopping board, there are a few important things to consider.
For one thing, cockatiels have specially designed grinding teeth that allow them to chew and digest food more easily than most other birds.
It means that your bird will have an easier time digesting bananas if they have never been specifically trained on them before.
Can Cockatiels Eat Apples?
Yes, they can. Apples are perfectly safe for cockatiels to eat, and apples are an excellent fruit to offer a cockatiel. They’re high in vitamins and fiber, low in sugar, and make a mess-free snack.
Feeding cockatiel apples is beneficial for the bird’s digestion system and helps pass any unwanted foods that might be stuck in their crop.
Can Cockatiels Eat Grapes?
Yes, cockatiels can eat grapes (especially during breeding season). However, they should not eat grapes exclusively since they need variety in their diet.
Grapes are high in sugar and not very nutritious when eaten exclusively, so cockatiels need a balanced diet of healthy kale, green beans, sweet potatoes, and blueberries.
If you have any doubts about giving your bird grapes as a treat, please stop feeding them grapes and talk to a veterinary doctor.
Conclusion
- Cockatiels enjoy a variety of fruits, including bananas, apples, grapes, and berries, which contribute to their positive growth.
- Feeding fruits to cockatiels should be done in moderation and alongside a balanced diet of grains and seeds to prevent gastrointestinal issues.
- Certain fruits like raisins, persimmons, figs, and mulberries are toxic to cockatiels and should be avoided.
- Cockatiels can eat fruits like bananas, apples, and grapes, but seeds from avocados or peaches should be removed to prevent discomfort.
- It’s important to offer fruits in small, manageable pieces and to monitor cockatiels for any signs of digestive distress after introducing new fruits to their diet.
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