As the spring unfolds its wings, and cockatiels sit back in their cage enjoying the sun rays coming through the window, they also start mating and laying eggs and that is the time when they need the balanced nourishment the most. While making a food list for your bird in this weather, apples will come up in your mind as well.
Can Cockatiels Eat Apples? Yes, Apples being healthy fruits can be a good treat for cockatiels. This feathery bird loves the juicy taste of apples but makes sure to avoid the health risks that may cause due to excess feeding apples. So before feeding, apples learn all about the benefits of this fruit along with how to feed them to your cockatiels.
In this article, we are going to make everything clear regarding this topic.
Can Cockatiels Eat Apples?
Yes, Cockatiels can eat apples. Apples are highly nutritious and cockatiels love the sweet taste of apples.
Cockatiels can almost eat every type of fruit that should be given to them after a gap of the period because an excessive amount of fruit can make your bird sick. Because different fruits have different amounts of sugars and irons. So it’s better you feed your cockatiels with the proper time span.
Is Apple Healthy for Cockatiel?
Fruits such as apples are considered to be the best healthy food for humans thus same is for birds, full of nutrition. Apples can be as healthy as your pet as they are for humans. By keeping in mind a few things you can feed this fruit to your bird easily and without any harm.
But avoid feeding the seeds of apple to your bird. They can cause choking and many other hazards to your bird. The sweet sugar taste of the apple is fascinated by the cockatiels and they love eating too much on small pieces of delicious apple. Therefore keep a portion of your bird from your apples as well they will definitely love them.
Apple Nutritional Values
Nutrient | Value |
Energy (calories) | 94.6 |
Fiber (G) | 4.4 |
Carbohydrate (g) | 25.1, including 18.9g of sugar |
Phosphorus | 20 |
Calcium (milligrams) mg | 10.9 |
Magnesium (mg) | 9.1 |
Vitamin C | 8.37 |
Potassium (mg) | 195 |
Folate (micrograms [mcg]) | 5.46 |
Choline | 6.19 |
Beta-carotene (mcg) | 49.1 |
Vitamin k (mcg) | 4 |
Lutein and zeaxanthin (mcg) | 52.8 |
Benefits of Apple
1. Fiber
Fiber is very helpful in managing blood pressure. With the help of fiber chances of many diseases are reduced and most importantly it reduces the risk of a disease called cardiovascular.
2. Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps you with decreasing the chances of heart diseases. Vitamin C makes your immune stronger so that your body can easily defend against diseases.
3. Potassium
Potassium helps your body with blood pressure problems. With the help of potassium, your blood vessels get relaxed.
How to Feed Apples to Cockatiels?
Apples while holding a lot of nutritional benefits can be beneficial for the health of cockatiels. You can feed apples to your feathery bird in many ways.
- Firstly, wash the apples so that all the germs and other insecticides could wash away. You can also soak them in water for some time to make them soft.
- Then peel them off with the help of a peeler and most importantly take out the seeds. You can also feed it along with the peels because peels are not harmful to the health of cockatiels. They do not contain any toxic materials.
- Then cut the apple into small biteable size pieces. You can put them in a pot or you can hang them with the help of a thread in the cage of your bird.
How Many Apples Can Cockatiels Eat?
Although apples are good for your bird but keep in mind to not overfeed your bird with apples. A slice of apple cleaned up washed and deseeded is enough for your bird. You can feed apples after every two to three days.
Organic apples should be a priority because they are grown organically and have low fructose compared to inorganic apples. Apple has a high level of sugar that might upset the stomach of cockatiels so we prefer the organic ones they are less sugary and sweet. Wash the apples deseed them properly to avoid harmful toxic elements, chop them and let your bird have some great time enjoying this treat.
How Often Can Cockatiels Eat Apple?
Baby cockatiels until they are 5 to 6 weeks cannot eat any kind of fruit so you can only give apples to your bird once it’s fully grown. Then you can give small chopped pieces of apples to your bird every day or every couple of days. One slice of apple is enough for cockatiels per serving.
Alternative to Apples for Cockatiel
Cockatiels certainly love to eat all of the fruits you feed to them. Some of the fruits that you can feed your cockatiels other than apples include pears, grapes, blueberries, mangoes, and papaya.
These fruits should be given in the chopped form. Wash them properly before feeding them and also deseed them. Also, keep in mind and observe which fruit your bird likes and which does not.
You will get an idea after you will observe your pet while eating fruit. But be aware to not feed seeds of any of these fruits to your pet because seeds of all the fruits contain cyanide that is a toxic element and can cause serious troubles for the belly and health of your pet. And also make sure you wash the fruits properly so that they are free of all the chemicals and pesticides.
Conclusion
Cockatiels are fruit-loving wonderful birds. They are also excited to try all kinds of fruits, and apples are one of them. Apples are highly nutritional and they add numerous benefits to the health of your bird. They contain all those elements that are necessary for the nourishment and growth of your bird. Always wash the apples properly and take out all the seeds because even a small amount of seeds can be destructive to the health of cockatiels. Then feed these chopped apples to your bird. They will definitely love this addition of apples to their food list.
A slice of an apple a day will keep the avian veterinarian away!
FAQ
1. What fruits can cockatiels eat?
Cockatiels can eat all kinds of fruits so feed them with fresh apples, blueberries, papaya, and bananas every day. You can also give them some honey once a month
2. Are apples bad for birds?
Apples are full of nutrition and are good for the health of birds, but always make sure to remove the seeds from the apple before offering it to your bird. Seeds present in the fruits are harmful to the birds.
3. Which foods are toxic for birds?
Never give your birds Alcohol, garlic, ginger, dried beans, pickle, mushrooms, chocolate, and high fat or sugar-containing foods. They are highly toxic for the birds.
4. Can cockatiels eat cucumber?
Yes, cucumbers are highly nutritional and filled with a lot of water their refreshing taste is loved by the birds.
Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by Lily Aldrin