Many people think peas are a vegetable however they actually belong to the legume family along with lentils, beans, chickpeas, beans, peanuts and lupins. We know parrots like picking the peas out of sugar snap peas and that lentils are safe for our parrots to have but what about peas? Even though they are part of the same family it’s still important to double check if they are safe for parrots to eat. Let’s find out.
Can parrots eat peas? Yes parrots can safely eat peas, they are a great source of nutrition for parrots to reap the health benefits from. They also enjoy the mental stimulation from breaking them out of the pods. Peas contain an excellent source of vitamin A, C, K, thiamine, protein and iron your parrot can benefit from. However many peas are soaked in salt so be sure to buy unsalted peas as the high salt content will be unhealthy for your feathered friend.
Pea Benefits For Parrots
We know parrots can eat peas but just how good are they? Let’s take a closer look at the nutritional content inside peas.
An 80g (cooked) serving contains:
| Calories | 63 |
| Fiber | 4.5g (grams) |
| Carbohydrates | 8g (grams) |
| Fat | 1.3g (grams) |
| Protein | 5.4g (grams) |
Great Source Of Protein
Peas contain a lot of protein your parrot needs as it’s important for many functions that go on in their body.
Protein is needed for your parrots muscles, feathers, skin and bones. It also aids with their immune system, metabolism, healing wounds and gives them energy.
Eggs, legumes, fish, meat and some insects are other safe alternatives you can feed to your parrot to give them that well needed protein.
Full Of Fiber
Peas are also fiber, a nutrient your parrot needs for it’s digestive system to function optimally, among some other health benefits.
Fiber is great for reducing constipation in your parrot, this is due to it making your birds stools softer and increasing the bulk of it. Both of these things combined work together for food to have an easier ‘passage’ out of your parrots body.
Fiber also has an impressive list of other health benefits :
- Helps regulate blood sugar
- Good for weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight
- Improved gut and digestion health
- May help your parrot live longer
- Lowers cholesterol levels
Beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts, strawberries, pears and raspberries are all additional sources of fiber that you can safely feed to your parrot.
Vitamin A
An important vitamin for the upkeep of your parrots skin and immune system. Parrots are often found to be deficient in this vitamin, typically those on an all seed diet.
Other health benefits of vitamin A include :
- Also an antioxidant that helps protect your birds cells from damage
- Great for keeping your parrots eyes healthy
- Helps to maintain healthy ear health
- Boosts the immune system to fight viral, fungal and bacterial infections
If your parrot displays the following they may be deficient in vitamin A : sneezing, increased thirst, nasal discharge, conjunctivitis of the eyes, weight loss along with a drop in the quality of their feathers.
To prevent a vitamin A deficiency feed your parrot foods like :
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Papaya
- Mango
Vitamin C
There’s also some vitamin C in peas your parrot can benefit from. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, this means it protects your birds cells from damage caused by free radicals, unstable atoms that cause disease. Vitamin C works to neutralize these unstable atoms and protects your parrot.
Not only does vitamin C protect your parrot from free radicals but there’s an impressive list of health benefits that make vitamin C a must in your birds diet.
- Great for the immune system to help them fight disease and infections
- Regulates blood pressure and blood sugar
- Anti-inflammatory
- Cleans heavy metals from your parrots system
- Prevents cataracts – these are grey areas in your parrots eyes that can hinder eyesight
Kiwi, cantaloupe, strawberries, peppers, papaya and brussels sprouts are all safe alternative sources of vitamin C different to peas.
Vitamin K
Your parrot needs vitamin K to help with blood clotting. When your parrot gets a cut and it bleeds vitamin K is the reason it clots and heals.
Vitamin K is also known for helping prevent against bone breaks and fractures along with regulating blood calcium levels.
Thiamine
Thiamine is responsible for the body turning carbohydrates into energy, this is what makes your parrot alert and playful.
It’s also important for heart, muscle and nerve function along with being needed for glucose metabolism.
Fish, seeds, nuts and lentils are all other ways for your parrot to get that vital thiamine in their diet.
Iron
Irons main focus in the body is to create hemoglobin, a protein that transports oxygen into the blood.
Without enough iron your parrot may be very lethargic and tired. Other benefits include :
- Immune system function
- Regulates body temperature
- Improved focus and energy
- Also helps with some abdominal processes
There’s also iron in foods like lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, pumpkin, spinach and kale.
How You Should Feed Peas To Your Parrot
Bigger parrots like to break the peas out of the pods and eat them that way as it provides them with some mental stimulation and they like the challenge of it. For smaller species it’s best to break the pods for them as their beaks won’t be strong enough to do it themselves.
Another option is to buy canned peas. This makes it easier to serve for you, however be sure to buy unsalted brands as the salt content in the salted kind will be harmful to your bird.
What Other Foods Can Your Parrot Eat?
You know peas are safe for your Parrot to eat and full of vitamins and nutrients 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!
Peas For Parrots – Final Thoughts
Good news for your parrot peas are a completely safe food for them to have all while providing them with that quality nutrition they need to have a long and happy life. Parrots can particularly benefit from vitamin A in peas as the content is high.
I hope you have found this article useful and your parrot benefits from it!