When you are a bird/parakeet owner or aspiring to be one, a crucial aspect to learn about them is about what and what shouldn’t they eat.
Parakeets should not be restricted to seeds or grains alone though it’s a classic bird diet. They are birds of tropical lands, and so their diet should be variant rather than just seeds/grains. Fruits and veggies are amongst them.
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Can Parakeets Eat Vegetables?
Parakeets come under granivores but love vegetables such as finely chopped carrots, broccoli florets, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens such as Romaine lettuce or kale, and others.
How Do Parakeets Benefit from Veggies?
- Including the veggies provides sufficient nutrition.
- Veggies provide required vitamins such as B, C, A, E, and K.
- They are rich in iron, calcium, and fiber.
- They are rich in fiber and protein.
- Include the veggies slowly for wholesome nutrition.
- They make a balanced parakeet diet.
Suggested eat- Around half to 3/4th cup of veggies are recommended each day.
Can Parakeets Eat Carrots?
Yes, parakeets do enjoy carrots, and they can eat them in their diet. But, remember to keep them in moderation. You can treat them once in a while.
Their primary diet being pelleted, carrot, should be gradually introduced in little quantities to get their digestive system accustomed.
Fine chop or shred the carrot before giving it to them either individually or with other encouraged veggies.
Can Parakeets Eat Spinach?
Yes, parakeets can conveniently eat spinach as they are rich in vitamins A, E, and K. This is one of the dark leafy veggies that helps in providing nutrition to a parakeet.
Can Parakeets Eat Peppers?
Parakeets can eat hottest of peppers without any problem. These peppers can make you shed tears, but there’s no issue with parakeets. This is because capsaicin, a toxin in pepper, is insensitive to parakeets. They acts as a source of spreading the seeds.
Can Parakeets Eat Celery?
Parakeets can be fed with celery stalks to provide variance in their feed. Do not feed any leaves since they can be dangerous to parakeets. Celery stalks are good to munch with a crunch.
Can Parakeets Eat Cabbage?
Cabbage can be fed to parakeets but not raw as they cannot digest it actively. Hence, they should be cooked lightly. A teaspoon full is sufficient in each feed.
Can Parakeets Eat Broccoli?
Brocolli florets are convenient to feed parakeets. Broccoli provides a boost of vitamin B, C, A, calcium with nutrition. Do not feed raw florets. Cook them lightly for good digestion.
Can Parakeets Eat Bell Peppers?
Yes, parakeets can eat all kinds of bell peppers. However, do not feed them more and sprout their seeds before the feed. This is will enable them to eat to obtain whole nutrition.
Can Parakeets Eat Cucumbers?
Yes, parakeets can consume cucumbers and they are their favorites in veggies. However, do not feed them regularly. Cucumbers offer nutritional value to parakeets.
They can be included in their diet as they are abundant in Vitamins A, B, K along with minerals like potassium and magnesium.
Parakeet’s feather’s glow by eating cucumbers as it has silicic acid in it. Water content of cucumber is vital for its digestion and it is healthy. Avoid its seeds in the feed.
Can Parakeets Eat Corn?
Corn can be a fresh snack for parakeets. This is engaging to them with shredding, digging into them. Feed corn on cob with light cooked version.
Can Parakeets Eat Kale?
Kale is rich in antioxidants and nutrients that can boost immunity system of a parakeet. It is rich in calcium, fiber and iron with vitamin A, E and K.
Can Parakeets Eat Lettuce?
Lettuce can be eaten conveniently but not in everyday diet of a parakeet. They are packed with calcium, iron, fiber, vitamin C&K.
Can Parakeets Eat Parsley?
Parsley, like some other leafy veggies, is rich in calcium, fibre, iron, Vitamin C and K. It can be nutritious to a parakeet and can be included in their diet.
Can Parakeets Eat Romaine Lettuce?
Yes, you can feed romaine lettuce to your parakeet. However, avoid iceberg lettuce in the mix as it is watery. They make the droppings loose. It is rich in fiber, iron and calcium with Vitamin A, E and K.
Some Other Vegetables Can Be Eaten
- Alfalfa sprouts
- Sprouted seeds
- Dandelion leaves
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Asparagus
- Zucchini
- Cooked Beans
- Green beans
- Pea pods
- Sweet potato
- Bok choy
- Pumpkin
- Radish
- Squashes
- Turnips
- Yams
- Watercress
How Should These Fed to Parakeets?
Veggies should be shredded or cut very small to fed to smaller beaks. Except for yams, other veggies should be cooked lightly. Even sweet potatoes are exception as they would be convenient to eat after lightly cooked.
Some Veggies That Are Toxic to Parakeets
- Garlic or Onion- They are toxic as they have thiosulphate. This results in hemolytic anemia condition where their body can burst, cause stomach inflammation, gastroenteritis and intestines inflammation.
- Comfrey-Can result in liver damage in parakeets.
- Avocado- Can be toxic due to persin presence which can result in respiration issues, heart damage, weakness and death.
- Some plants of the veggies- Eggplants, potatoes and peppers are safe to eat, but their plants are toxic to parakeets. This is because of oxalate crystals present in their leaves that can result in kidney issues.
Some Veggies to be Avoided for Parakeets
They are not toxic veggies as above, but not recommended for parakeets. They can be taken in very minute quantities.
They are:
Mushrooms- Morel mushrooms can make them less toxic. They are not recommended for parakeets.
Tomatoes- Due to their high content of acid, it is best to be avoided for your parakeet. Dried tomatoes can be fed since the acid content is removed during the drying process.
Conclusion
Parakeets can eat vegetables as they provide them nutrition and minerals. Including veggies in the parakeet’s diet will have some food variation and balance in their daily food.
However, their primary food is seeds and grains. Ensure these veggies are cooked lightly to make them easier to eat and convenient to digest for a parakeet.
Include the above mentioned veggies and avoid the others to prevent them for any toxicity. By gradually introducing the variation of veggies, you ensure that your parakeet is having a healthy diet and adequate nutrition.
Veggies are boost of vitamins and minerals to your parakeet.
