Your Parrots diet is a crucial element in it’s life. The better quality it’s diet the better quality of life your bird is going to have. Their diet should consist of pellets and seeds along with fruit and vegetables. One fruit you should consider adding into your Parrots diet are blueberries.
Blueberries are a very popular berry with a sweet fruity flavor. But the million dollar question you’re here trying to answer as a Parrot parent… can Parrots eat blueberries? Yes Parrots can eat blueberries they are completely safe for them infact blueberries contain many vitamins and nutrients your bird will benefit from. These include things like Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Vitamin B6.
Blueberries are also 84% water meaning your Parrot can stay hydrated will enjoying a delicious snack at the same time!
In this article I’m going to cover the various benefits of blueberries, how you should feed them to your Parrot and many other things you might need to know.
Blueberries Benefits For Parrots
We know blueberries are good for our Parrots, but just how good are they? Let’s take a closer look at the nutritional content.
One cup of fresh blueberries contains :
| Calories | 84 |
| Protein | 1.1g |
| Carbs | 21.4g |
| Fat | 0.4g |
| Sugar | 14.7g |
| Fiber | 3.6g |
The first thing you might notice is the high amount of carbs, don’t panic carbs are good for your Parrot. Carbs provide your Parrot with energy and keeps them active enough to play with you! Many people think of carbs and immediately worry but they aren’t as bad as you think. Like most things in life though moderation is key so don’t go overboard.
Another thing is that blueberries contain quite a bit of sugar and although they are natural sugars it’s important to limit them to keep your Parrot healthy.
Let’s take a closer look at the vitamins in blueberries.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays a large role within Parrots it has many benefits like boosting immune system, lowering blood pressure, keeps the cardiovascular system in check by cleaning plaque from your birds blood vessels and keeping cholesterol from oxidizing and many other things.
However the problem? Parrot utilize a lot of vitamin C just from being alive so it’s important to feed them foods rich in vitamin C like blueberries to counter this.
Other foods that provide an excellent source of vitamin C for your Parrot are :
- Peppers
- Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts
- Strawberries, mango, pineapple and kiwis
Vitamin K
Along with vitamin C, berries are an excellent source of vitamin K. This is essential in any Parrots diet as it’s essential for synthesis of prothrombin, this means it helps fight against blood clotting along with making your birds bones stronger. Vitamin K also provides additional support to your Parrots immune and regulatory system.
Deficiency in vitamin K can lead to an increase of blood spots in eggs, hemorrhages in the legs and breast along with blood clots so it’s vital your Parrot gets enough vitamin K in his or her diet!
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is also found in blueberries and plays an important role in brain development, keeping the immune and nervous in check and maintaining good cardiovascular health.
Other foods you can find vitamin B6 in are : poultry, chickpeas, potatoes and bananas.
How You Should Feed Blueberries To Your Parrot
Before preparing many fruits and vegetables it’s important to clean them properly to rid them of any possible dirt that can make your Parrot sick.
Place berries in a colander (strainer) and dip the colander in a larger bowl of cold water. (Because blueberries are so delicate, running them under the water may cause breakage) Swish the berries around and drip dry!
REMEMBER- Make sure to rinse berries ‘as you go’…rinsing them all at once can cause them to absorb the water and become mushy too soon!
As they’re pretty small in size blueberries provide no choking hazard to your bird so there’s no need to cut them up like some other foods.
Are There Any Risks To Feeding Your Parrot Blueberries?
Blueberries contain no immediate toxic that are going to be life threatening to your Parrot. However there are smaller risks like the blueberry containing pesticides which can make your bird sick, so make sure to buy organic blueberries and don’t let your Parrot eat blueberries in a location you’re unaware of as it could be contaminated by other animals.
What Other Foods Can Your Parrot Eat?
You know blueberries are safe for your Parrot to eat but if you’re like me then your always looking for new foods to improve your Parrots diet to create some variety and and include vital things that aren’t already in your birds diet.
So what other foods can your Parrot eat?
- Fruit & Vegetables
Foods like asparagus, broccoli, carrots, peppers, bananas, blackberries and pineapples are all fine and encouraged for your Parrot to eat.
- Nuts
Things like almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts can be fed to your parrot. Just be wary of the fat content in some of them so they may need to be treated as a snack for your Parrot. We don’t want them getting fat!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can African Grey Parrots Eat Blueberries?
Yes African Grey Parrots can eat blueberries, infact it’s encouraged they eat blueberries over different types of Parrots. This is due to African Grey’s being susceptible to calcium deficiency and blueberries contain vital calcium that they can benefit from.
Blueberries For Parrots – Final Thoughts
To conclude, blueberries are a great addition to your birds diet. The vitamins and nutrients packed inside them make them a great snack however just make sure they are organic so your Parrot can receive the highest quality nutrients.
I hope you don’t mind a blue juicy mess because that’s what your going to get although it’s totally worth it for the benefits your Parrot is going to receive from blueberries.