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, seeds along with fruit and vegetables. One fruit you should consider adding into your Parrots diet are raspberries.
Raspberries are a very popular berry with a sweet juicy taste. But the million dollar question you’re here trying to answer as a Parrot parent… can Parrots eat raspberries? Yes Parrots can eat raspberries and they should be encouraged to eat them. Raspberries contain many vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants that your little bird will thank you for.
In this article I’m going to cover the various benefits of raspberries, how you should feed them to your Parrot and many other things you might need to know.
Raspberry Benefits For Parrots
We know raspberries are good for our Parrots, but just how good are they? Let’s take a closer look at the nutritional content.
One cup (123 grams) of red raspberries contains :
| Calories | 64 |
| Protein | 1.5g |
| Carbs | 14.7g |
| Fat | 0.8g |
| Fiber | 8g |
The first thing you should notice is that raspberries are an excellent source of carbs for your parrot, carbs will give your bird the energy to be as lively as possible ensuring they will want to play with you! Many people think carbs are the devil however like most things in life, they are fine in moderation just don’t go overboard.
Next up we can see raspberries are a great source of fiber for your Parrot. Fiber is important in your birds diet as it keeps their digestion health in top condition. It also slows down how quickly your Parrot digests food leading to them being fuller for longer! This can help keep your birds weight in check, we don’t want an overweight Parrot.
Along with this raspberries contain vital vitamins and nutrients, let’s look into them further.
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 raspberries 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!
Antioxidants
Vitamins C and E, selenium, beta carotene, lutein, lycopene, and zeaxanthin are all of antioxidants, and they are found in raspberries.
There’s also a thing called flavonoids found in raspberries, which have antioxidant effects. These things combined remove toxic substances called free radicals, if too many free radicals remain in the body this can lead to a number of health problems.
Calcium
Calcium is also present in raspberries. Low calcium levels are found to be very common in birds so make sure yours gets enough in their diet. The benefits of calcium include : helps to build and maintain the skeletal structure, support proper muscle movement and helps how nerves transmit messages to body parts.
Deficiency in calcium is called Hypocalcaemia. This can effect your Parrots heart along with reducing cognitive functioning and the way the body uses other nutrients.
African Grey’s especially can be liable to calcium deficiency so it’s vital their diet contains enough calcium.
How You Should Feed Raspberries To Your Parrot
Before you feed raspberries to your Parrot it’s important that they are prepared correctly. You want the raspberries you feed your bird to be as organic as possible. This ensures they get the highest quality nutrients along with reducing the risk of there being any harmful substances on the berry that you wouldn’t be aware of because they’re not organically grown.
Like some fruits and vegetables it’s recommended that you rinse them first with warm water to remove any possible bacteria on it that could get your Parrot sick.
If it’s a new food in your Parrots diet I would recommend to slowly add it in as if you feed them too much at once their digestion system will struggle,
Are There Any Risks To Feeding Your Parrot Raspberries?
There are obvious toxins found in raspberries that are going to be life threatening to your Parrot however there are some minor things you should be aware of.
Raspberries are a very rich food so don’t feed them too much at once as it could upset their little stomachs.
The other risks have been highlighted in the point above. Don’t feed your bird raspberries that are out in the wild and not organically grown. They could contain substances that you’re unaware of like faeces of other animals that have been around that plant previously.
What Other Foods Can Your Parrot Eat?
You know raspberries 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, 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
Can My African Grey Eat Raspberries?
African Grey’s can eat raspberries and it’s encouraged that they eat them even more so than other Parrot types. This is because raspberries contain calcium, something that African Grey’s are often deficient in. Raspberries also contain other vital vitamins and nutrients your African Grey will thank you for like Vitamin C, Vitamin K and other antioxidants that will improve your parrots quality of life.
Raspberries For Parrots – Final Thoughts
To conclude, if raspberries aren’t included in your Parrots diet then I’d recommend doing so. Raspberries are a delicious addition to their diet and contain so many vitamins and nutrients your Parrot will thank you for. However remember to make sure that they are organically grown so they are as clean as possible and contain the best quality of nutrients possible.