Birds
What Can Parakeets Eat? #Berries #Peanut Butter #Bread #Honey #Popcorn
If you have a parakeet as a pet, you indeed need to know how can it adjust to a new home. In that case, one of the things you need to know is what to feed them. They are lively and curious to the core, and willing to experiment with practically everything that you treat them to. While that would rather be an easy option that makes it easy to take care of their dietary requirements, it should also be noted that you need to feed them those items that make them stay healthy and get balanced food.
Contents
- 1 What Vegetables Can Parakeets Eat?
- 2 What Fruits Do Parakeets Eat?
- 3 Some Occasional Special Treats For your Parakeet
- 4 Can parakeets eat strawberries?
- 5 Can parakeets eat peanut butter?
- 6 Can parakeets eat asparagus?
- 7 Can parakeets eat grapes?
- 8 Can parakeets eat bread?
- 9 Can parakeets eat apples?
- 10 Can parakeets eat tomatoes?
- 11 Can parakeets eat tomatoes?
- 12 Can parakeets eat carrots?
- 13 Can parakeets eat watermelon?
- 14 Can parakeets eat egg?
- 15 Can parakeets eat blueberries?
- 16 Can parakeets eat bananas?
- 17 Can parakeets eat celery?
- 18 Can parakeets eat cabbage?
- 19 Can parakeets eat cantaloupe?
- 20 Can parakeets eat cockatiel food?
- 21 Can parakeets eat sunflower seeds?
- 22 Can parakeets eat kiwi?
- 23 Can parakeets eat cheese?
- 24 Can parakeets eat honey?
- 25 Can parakeets eat parsley?
- 26 Can parakeets eat popcorn?
- 27 Can parakeets eat cauliflower?
- 28 Can parakeets eat cucumber?
- 29 Can parakeets eat pears?
- 30 What is Toxic to Parakeets?
- 31 Provide a Balanced Diet For Your Parakeet
- 32 Concluding Thoughts on Parakeet Diet
What can parakeets eat? A parakeet does eat seeds, pellet food, and a host of fruits and vegetables. They can eat a variety of fruits and vegetables that include green leafy vegetables such as kale and cabbage. Parakeets also eat some human food that includes eggs and chicken. Other worthy food additions for a parakeet can consist of foods rich in sugars and fat such as chocolate, avocado, apple seeds, and seeding grasses.
Having understood the overall eating habits of a parakeet, let us explore how you can plan the diet of your pet parakeet so that it gets access to balanced food and a proper diet.
What Vegetables Can Parakeets Eat?
Parakeets are fond of leafy vegetables. That would include broccoli leaflets, dark leafy green vegetables, and spinach. Other additions for a better degree of quality food to feed the parakeets would include chopped carrots, sweet potato, and other vegetables.
Vegetables tend to be great appetizers and should be an integral part of the parakeet diet. Kale and spinach have always been treated to be an essential part of a parakeet vegetable diet.
Some of the vegetables that you can feed your parakeet can include:
- Broccoli stems and florets
- Brussel sprouts
- Butternut squash
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Celery and its leaves
- Cucumber
- Green lettuce
- Green peas
- Kale
- Mustard greens
- Parsley
- Peppers
- Pumpkin
- Radish
- Radishes
- Raw green beans
- Spinach
- Squashes
- Sweetcorn
- Sweet potatoes and yams
- Turnips
- Watercress
What Fruits Do Parakeets Eat?
Fruits can be an excellent treat for your parakeet. However, you need to make sure that the fruits you feed them are highly nutrient. Any kind of fruit should be right enough for the parakeet. A few good fruits that your parakeet can eat include apples, tangerines, melons, bananas, and other tropical fruits.
A few good fruits that can be fed to a parakeet can include the following great options :
- Plums
- Pomegranate seeds
- Apples
- Bananas
- Cherries
- Grapefruit
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Lemons
- Mango
- Melons
- Nectarines
- Apricots
- Banana skin
- Oranges
- Passion fruit
- Papaya
- Pear
- Persimmons
- Pineapple
- Raisins
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Tangerines
- Tomato
- Watermelon
Some Occasional Special Treats For your Parakeet
The fruits and vegetables apart, sometimes even those little budgies need to be treated special like we humans want to. You can feed a few special treats as per your preferences. It can be one of the excellent options as a training reward. Do note that these treats can only be occasional.
Some good options that you can serve as the occasional treat to your parakeet can include:
- Parsley
- Pasta
- Bread
- White rice
- Cake
- Beans
- Boiled egg
- Chilies
- Coconut
- Meat
- Scrambled eggs
- Toast
The parakeets in the wild may not like human food. However, the birds in captivity would love human food, albeit sparingly. However, make sure that you do not feed them human food to a higher extent.
Can parakeets eat strawberries?
Parakeets can have strawberries and any other similar berries that have seeds. In fact, in the case of other fruits, you may need to pull out the seeds to make it easy for the bird. Fruits like strawberry which have small seeds can be safer to eat.
You can feed them any type of berry that is consumed by humans. The parakeets love the fruit seeds, but they would also like the fruit. This includes other berries such as raspberry or blackberry.
Can parakeets eat peanut butter?
Peanut butter is an excellent food option for the parakeets. While the dairy products are not recommended for the bird, peanut butter would not be a concern. It can act as a great source of protein.
Some parakeets may not like the peanut butter. In such cases, you may consider smearing some peanut butter on a celery stick or other vegetable to make your parakeet get used to it.
Can parakeets eat asparagus?
Parakeets do eat a wide range of vegetables. This includes asparagus as well. In essence, asparagus can be a great option as it provides a huge amount of nutrients. However, it may be advisable to exercise caution when feeding the vegetable to your parakeet.
A high dose of asparagus can cause concerns such as a disturbed digestive system. However, it can be safe and in fact, a recommended food for parakeets if served in moderation.
Can parakeets eat grapes?
Grapes have been a huge favorite with birds all over the world, and this includes parakeets as well. Grapes have a high quantity of fructose and thus tend to be extremely sweeter. However, you should feed it in moderate quantity.
Grapes can be one of the excellent options for achieving a high degree of an energy boost. Make sure you feed it in a smaller amount. The heavy sugar content can lead to obesity and other health issues.
Can parakeets eat bread?
You can offer bread to your parakeets as a treat only. The food can only work only occasionally. Bread for parakeets should not replace the other food. It can only be served on an occasional basis.
Bread can be a great option as a whole meal and should be served only in moderation. Serve bread once in a week and in smaller quantities. Feeding bread may not provide it with the most needed nutrients, but you would find it to be a great treat.
Can parakeets eat apples?
Apples can be a great source of nutrients for your parakeets. Make sure though that you are serving fresh fruits to your parakeets. Cutting the fruit in small pieces would be one of the excellent options. Bigger apples or pieces can be unhealthy for the parakeets.
It may be advisable to warm up the apples before feeding it your parakeet. Remove the seeds of the apple before feeding it to the bird may be much desirable. Apple seeds contain cyanide and can be dangerous beyond a certain dose.
Can parakeets eat tomatoes?
Tomatoes are an excellent food option for the parakeets. However, they should not be fed in a high dose to avoid making them sick. Tomatoes consist of high acidic content and thus can cause a few health concerns beyond a certain dose.
Dried tomatoes can be a good option in many cases. However, make sure that tomato leaves and plants are never served to your parakeet. They can prove to be toxic.
Can parakeets eat tomatoes?
Tomatoes are an excellent food option for the parakeets. However, they should not be fed in a high dose to avoid making them sick. Tomatoes consist of high acidic content and thus can cause a few health concerns beyond a certain dose.
Dried tomatoes can be a good option in many cases. However, make sure that tomato leaves and plants are never served to your parakeet. They can prove to be toxic.
Can parakeets eat carrots?
Parakeets eat carrots and find it rather a better addition to serve their food requirements. But, we would recommend you to feed carrots in a moderate quantity. A better range of their food should consist of seeds and pellets.
Make sure that the carrots are uncooked. They would be healthiest in the raw than being cooked. The crunch offered by the raw carrots can prove to be an excellent option for the jaw exercises for the bird.
Can parakeets eat watermelon?
Budgies can eat watermelon. The watermelon is largely made of water, and it would make it one of the excellent options for cooling down your parakeet. It can also be a great option for staying hydrated.
Any kind of melon should be a great option for parakeets. You can even feed watermelon, honeydew melon and cantaloupe melon. It may be a good idea to remove the seeds if possible.
Can parakeets eat egg?
Parakeets can eat eggs. The white part of the egg would be a better option. Your parakeet would love nibbling at the egg. Of course, it may take a while for them to get used to the new food.
Egg and chicken are human foods, and thus it would be essential to take care of parakeet’s requirements before beginning to feed the eggs to it. Of course, you can be sure that your parakeet will soon accept it as the usual food.
Can parakeets eat blueberries?
Parakeets can eat blueberries. Your budgie will love the fruit just the way it likes strawberries. Blueberries have been considered to be one of the best berry options you can feed your parakeets. The best thing about the blueberries is that they are smaller and suit the parakeets really well.
The high vitamin C content in the blueberries would make them a great source of nutrients. They also have a high antioxidant content. They would not have digestive issues for the parakeet.
Can parakeets eat bananas?
Bananas can be a good treat to your parakeet. Since they are readily available, it would be rather easy to feed them with bananas. Ease of preparing them is yet another added advantage. They are easy to peel and feed.
Bananas do not contain seeds, and that should be yet another advantage offered by the fruit. Unlike apple seeds or other seeds which can be detrimental to the health of the parakeet, bananas can be quite effective in offering a better degree of efficiency.
Can parakeets eat celery?
Offering celery to parakeets should be harmless. While it may not be useful in adding any valuable addition to the nutritional content, it would act as one of the good options to increase metabolic rate.
The stingy part of the celery can be an issue. You may need to remove the stingy parts and ensure that it does not harm the parakeet. Adding celery to the food of your parakeet can provide you with a variety of food.
Can parakeets eat cabbage?
Leafy green vegetables can be a great food option for your parakeets, and that includes cabbage as well. Budgies love eating leafy vegetables, and the cabbage can be a great leafy vegetable. However, it may also contain high oxalic acids levels and should be moderated.
It would be a good option to provide your parakeet with raw cabbage. This would – as in the case of carrot – can act as an exercise for the jaws of your parakeet.
Can parakeets eat cantaloupe?
Cantaloupe is a nutritious food and parakeets can definitely eat it. Rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C, the fruit can be a great treat for your parakeet. However, it would need a little preparation before it can be fed to your bird.
You would need to cut it open and remove the seeds before feeding it to your parakeet. While the cantaloupe seeds may not be poisonous, they can cause a choking hazard. They would also need to smaller in size so that it would be easy to consume it.
Can parakeets eat cockatiel food?
You can feed some cheaper version of Cockatiel food to your parakeet. However, make sure that they do not exceed a specific dosage. They may contain high-fat content and may not be the right choice in high quantity.
You can use cockatiel food as a means to bring a variety in your parakeet diet. They should not be fed as a regular food option. Make sure that they are served as a treat.
Can parakeets eat sunflower seeds?
Sunflower seeds can be a good source of fatty acids, protein, and energy for your parakeet. However, it is advisable to make them a rare treat than a constant food. They can become addictive.
The sunflower seeds consist of high-fat content. That would mean you should take care to avoid exceeding a certain dose. In addition to being addictive, they would also be a cause for digestive system disturbance.
Can parakeets eat kiwi?
Kiwis can be an excellent food for your parakeet. You can just cut them into half and feed them to your parakeet. The kiwi fruit can be eaten even with the skin, and that should make it the right choice for your feathered friend.
What makes kiwis a great option to include in the parakeet diet is that they can be consumed with the seed intact. However, never feed it on a daily basis. Feeding parakeets once every three weeks would be the right choice.
Can parakeets eat cheese?
Parakeets would love cheese, and they are not toxic. But, it is advisable NOT to feed cheese or any other dairy products to your parakeet. Cheese contains a high amount of fat and may not be suitable for the digestive system of your bird.
Dairy products can cause diarrhoea in parakeets, and that should be one of the reasons why they should be avoided as much as possible. You can perhaps feed in small quantity and only occasionally.
Can parakeets eat honey?
Parakeets can consume honey, but the quantity should be limited to the best possible extent. In fact, every sort of sugary content should be avoided as sugar is never suitable for the birds, and that includes parakeets as well.
However, if you have an ailing parakeet, honey can be a great source to perk it up and provide the much-needed energy boost. Honey can provide energy and calories to fight the ailment.
Can parakeets eat parsley?
Parsley is one of the good food options for your parakeet. Offering the wet parsley can be one of the great options as your parakeet would bathe in the water when eating the grasses. You can definitely feed parsley to your parakeet.
You can either pick curly or Italian parsley. The bright taste of the parsley should be one of the strongest factors that would make it one of the best options for feeding your parakeet.
Can parakeets eat popcorn?
Popcorn is one of the rare human foods that you can share with your parakeet. However, the salty and peppered variety that we humans cherish may not be the one that your parakeet would love. You can serve either popped or unpopped variety that the parakeet can feast upon.
It may be a good option to serve the unpopped variety with a little boiling to make it comfortable for the parakeet. This will help soften the hard hull.
Can parakeets eat cauliflower?
Parakeets love leafy vegetables. While cauliflower may not be the best options in terms of leafy vegetables, but parakeets do love it. It should ideally be the best and safer vegetable for your parakeet.
Some parakeets may love the raw cauliflower while a few others would like cooked cauliflower. You may need to understand the preferences of your parakeet to understand what is best.
Can parakeets eat cucumber?
Cucumbers are one of the vegetables that parakeets love. The silicic acid that forms part of the cucumber can be a great option for a better feathering. It can also be a good option for keeping your bird hydrated.
However, cucumber can cause runny poops and thus should be avoided as regular food. It would be advisable to use it only for a few times a week and can be given as a treat.
Can parakeets eat pears?
Parakeets will love the fiber content offered by pear. Ripe pears contain a good amount of vitamin C. One of the excellent options that would make parakeets a great choice is it is quite easy to prepare. Make sure that the skin is removed as it may be a little difficult for the parakeet to digest.
You would also need to remove the seeds. The pear seeds can be poisonous. You can also chop it in small parts and make sure that they are comfortable for the parakeet and its small beak.
These were a few food items parakeets can eat. Now, let us see what is not good for parakeet health.
What is Toxic to Parakeets?
There are a few food items that may be extremely toxic for the parakeets and may play havoc with its health. Foods like avocados, mushrooms, chocolate, and tomato leaves and stems have been considered to be highly toxic and should be fed quite sparingly. Seeds of many fruits such as apples and nectarines should only be fed only sparingly.
Some of the food items that can be toxic to the parakeet and thus should be avoided. They can include:
- Chocolates – Chocolates consist of theobromine and caffeine. An overdose of the chocolate can cause hyperactivity and an increased heart rate. It may even cause issues such as seizures, and even death.
- Avocado – Avocado consists of persin, which is a fungicidal toxin. It can cause serious concerns if consumed beyond a certain dose. It can cause heart damage, breathing difficulty and weakness
- Frit pits and Apple seeds – Apple seeds contain cyanide and have been observed to be dangerous if consumed beyond a certain dose. It holds good for the parakeets as well. A few other fruit pits such as cherry pits, plum pits, apricot pits, and peach pits also contain cyanide.
- A Few Plants – While fruits and vegetables like potatoes, peppers, and eggplants are good for birds, but the leaves and plant parts can be toxic to your parakeet. They can cause kidney problems.
A few other food items that you need to avoid would include coffee, caffeinated tea, alcohol, fried food, salty food, avocado, chocolate, and dairy products.
Provide a Balanced Diet For Your Parakeet
It would be advisable to provide a balanced food for your parakeet to keep it in a better health condition. Forming a perfect balance with commercial food and a host of natural food can prove to be effective and efficient in ensuring better health for your parakeet.
Experts claim that the seeds should form not more than 10 percent of the total diet. They are known to offer not many nutritional elements. A significant portion of the diet should ideally contain pellets. That would provide a better degree of nutrients and vitamins. Make sure that you serve fruits and vegetables at least every alternate day while feeding them every day would be more practical. Fruits provide antioxidants and vitamins that may not be available through pellets.
Occasional special treats should only be served only sparingly. Once or twice a week should be enough. They are just a means of adding variety to your parakeet’s diet. They may not be extremely necessary for the health of your pet.
Well, these are all the eating habits of the parakeets, what is good for health, and what is toxic for them. Also, we have tried to provide you with a balanced diet for parakeets. Now, let us conclude our thoughts.
Concluding Thoughts on Parakeet Diet
Well, parakeets are cute bird varieties, and you would indeed find them one of the excellent options for keeping as pets. One of the much emotional birds, parakeets can be a worthy experience. Just that you need to be well versed in their living habits regarding what they eat or their sleeping habits and much more.
However, unless you are aware of what to feed to your parakeets, the bird keeping would not be fruitful. We assume the tips in this post should help you pick the best options on how to feed your feathered friend.
![](https://yardpals.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/YardPalsLogo.png)
-
Skunk4 years ago
What Does Skunk Poop Look Like? Images & Identifications
-
Turtles5 years ago
How To Take Care of Turtle Egg At Home?
-
Bunny5 years ago
How to Get Rid of Mites on Rabbits? #NaturalRemedies #Video
-
Horse4 years ago
How Much Weight Can a Horse Carry? #Clydesdale #Friesian #Mustang #Draft
-
Turtles4 years ago
How to Take Care of Snapping Turtle Eggs? #Incubating #Hatching
-
Bunny5 years ago
How Big Do Dwarf Bunnies Get? – Amazing Facts #Images
-
Bunny4 years ago
How to Potty Train a Rabbit in House? Tips on Litter Training
-
Turtles4 years ago
8 Basking Rocks/ Platforms for Turtles – A Perfect Guide