Parsley is a leafy herb that comes from the Mediterranean, it has a bright bitter taste to it and is used in many dishes to emphasize the flavors of other foods in the fish. You can get four different kind of parsley : the flat leaf, curly leaf, hamburg and Japanese. However the most common is the flat leaf. It has more health benefits than you think, even just by sprinkling it into your meal. Does the great health benefits mean it’s safe for our parrots to eat? Let’s find out.
Can parrots eat parsley? Yes parrot can eat parsley. It’s completely safe for them and provides many things they can benefit from like vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin A. Along with this parsley contains other impressive things like antioxidant flavnoids and phenolic compounds. These things work together to make parsley a safe healthy food for your bird. However it’s not perfect as it contains oxalic acid in large quantities, so moderation is important.
For the rest of this post I’m going to explain the benefits in a little more detail and other important things so read on!
Parsley Benefits For Parrots
We know parsley is safe for our Parrots to eat but just how good is it? Let’s take a closer look at the nutritional values.
A 1/2 cup (30 grams) of fresh, chopped parsley contains :
| Calories | 11 |
| Protein | 1g |
| Carbs | 2g |
| Fat | <1g |
| Fiber | 1g |
Vitamin A
Parsley is full of vitamin A a fat soluble important for parrot health. It’s important for many processes inside the body including :
- Eye Health
- Maintaining a healthy immune system
- Proper organ support
- Helps with respiratory issues
Parrots on an all seed diet are more likely to to be deficient in vitamin A, this can cause issues with their skin and respiratory tract. To prevent this from happening you can feed your parrot foods like mango, papaya, spinach, carrots and sweet potatoes.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays a crucial role in your parrots body these things include :
- Helps boost the immune system to prevent harmful diseases and fight off bacteria
- Important for keeping your parrots skin in good condition – which you might not notice because of their feathers
- Works as an antioxidant to neutralize free radicals in the body – these free radicals can cause cancer and heart disease
Vitamin K
By far the most prominent vitamin in parsley is vitamin K.
It’s responsible for blood clotting and to make sure if your parrots gets a cut that they wont bleed excessively.
Rich In Antioxidants
Antioxidants are things that prevent cellular damage due to free radicals. They aren’t all bad as your parrots body needs a balance of antioxidants and free radicals for optimal health. The three main antioxidants in parsley are vitamin C, flavonoids and carotenoids.
Mainly filled with flavonoids, parsley can reduce the chances of getting things like heart disease and and certain cancers.
Vitamin C has many antioxidant effects like improving immune system health and protecting against chronic diseases.
Are There Any Risks To Feeding Your Parrot Parsley?
In parsley there is oxalic acid when given in large amounts. However as parsley is mainly used as a seasoning for food this wouldn’t be enough to do your parrot any damage.
Oxalic acid is a compound that binds to calcium to stop the body from processing it
What Other Foods Can Your Parrot Eat?
You know parsley 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Herbs Can Parrots Eat?
Parrots can safely eat parsley, basil, mint leaves, thyme and bay leaves.
Parsley For Parrots – Final Thoughts
Parsley is a safe additive to your parrots food, it contains many vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants however you need to feed it in moderation as it contains oxalic acid which can stop your bird from absorbing calcium if they are fed too much.
Parsley also shouldn’t be a staple in your parrots diet as it should mainly consist of pelleted foods, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
I hope you found this article useful!