My whole life I was convinced cucumber was a vegetable but I was mistaken and it’s actually a fruit, so I hope you also learnt something new today or maybe you’re smarter than me and already knew it! Cucumber is one of my favorite snacks on a hot summers day I find them so refreshing and they cool me down instantly.
If you’ve landed on this page I’m going to assume you don’t care about my favorite snacks and just want to know if cucumber is safe for your parrot to consume. Enough wasting time let’s get into it.
Can parrots eat cucumber? Yes parrots can eat cucumber there’s nothing toxic you need to worry about as a parrot parent, in fact it’s encouraged you feed it to your bird. Cucumber is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that provide them with an array of health benefits. Fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium and manganese are all packed inside cucumber to make it a healthy crunchy snack. It’s also composed of 96% water which is great for keeping your parrot hydrated.
Cucumber Benefits For Parrots
We know cucumber is good for our parrots, but just how good is it? Let’s take a closer look at the nutritional content.
One medium unpeeled, raw cucumber has the following :
| Calories | 30 |
| Protein | 3g |
| Carbs | 6g |
| Fat | 0g |
| Fiber | 2g |
Keeps Your Parrot Hydrated
Cucumbers are an excellent way of keeping your parrot hydrated all while feeding them some quality nutrients at the same time. This is because cucumbers are made up of 96% water.
If you’re having a hard time getting your parrot to drink water try feeding them some cucumber next time!
Fiber
Fiber is needed in your parrots diet to ensure their digestive system is running smoothly.
It does this a number of ways :
- Less chance of constipation – foods high in fiber make your parrots stools softer for easier travel.
- Improved bowel health – less chance of hemorrhoids and colorectal cancer.
- Weight loss – foods high in fiber are typically more satiating meaning they will keep you parrot full for longer.
Fiber can also make your parrot live longer, along with controlling their blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
If you’re looking for other foods to incorporate into your parrots diet to add more fiber foods like brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, raspberries, lentils, broccoli, beets and carrots are all great options.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is important for your parrots cells, it helps with the repair, maintenance and growth. It’s also important for helping them absorb iron efficiently and the formation of collagen.
Other notable health benefits of vitamin C include :
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antioxidant that helps protect their cells from disease
- Lowers blood pressure
- Boosts the immune system to help fight disease
- Helps with eye health
The importance of vitamin C in your parrots diet should be obvious now as that’s just some of the benefits it brings. However vitamin C doesn’t work on it’s own you need to feed your bird a variety of different vitamins and minerals for it to work properly.
Vitamin K
Cucumber contains some vitamin K too. A vitamin important for helping your parrots body heal cuts. When your parrot gets a cut vitamin K is what works to close the wound over and heal it.
If your parrot is deficient in vitamin K they might bleed excessively due to them not being able to heal the wound properly.
Magnesium
Magnesium is important as it every cell in your parrots body has magensium in it and needs it to function correctly.
Magnesium is also needed for :
- Uses food to convert it into energy
- Needed to help your parrots muscles contract and relax
- Sends messages to the nervous system and the brain
- Creates protein from amino acids
Nuts, pumpkin seeds, spinach, edamame and banana are all safe and contain alternative sources of magnesium if you need some ideas.
Manganese
Manganese is needed for regular brain and nerve function. It also helps your parrot with absorbing calcium along with regulating their blood sugar.
Other health advantages include :
- Helps with blood clotting
- Sex hormones
- Plays a role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism
- It’s needed to make certain enzymes
Pine nuts, spinach, pineapple, blackberries, raspberries, grapes and strawberries also contain manganese safe to feed your parrot.
Potassium
Potassium is a great mineral for reducing your parrots blood pressure and helping them with water retention. It also helps them with nerve signals, muscle contractions and fluid balance.
Bananas, beets, beans, lentils, spinach, broccoli and squash are all other foods high in potassium you can feed to your parrot.
How You Should Feed Cucumber To Your Parrot
Before anything it’s important to wash your cucumber first before serving to your parrot. This is because they main contain pesticides or dirt that your parrot could do without eating.
The simplest and most convenient way to give cucumber to your parrot is to chop it up into slices and give to your bird.
Cooking the cucumber is also an option but doing so it’ll lose that crunch that parrots enjoy so much – along with some nutrients that will be burned away during the cooking process.
What Other Foods Can Your Parrot Eat?
You know cucumber is 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, blueberries 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!
Cucumber For Parrots – Final Thoughts
Cucumber is a safe nutritious snack to add to your parrots diet, along with providing them with some hydration too. When giving to your parrot it’s common practice to cut them into thin slices and let your parrot enjoy.
Remember as cucumber is a fruit it shouldn’t be a staple in your birds diet as fruits and vegetables should only make up around 20% of their diet.
I hope you have found this article useful and your feathered friend enjoys this new addition to their diet.