Cockatiels are seed-eating birds that also eat a variety of fruits. Cherries are among their favorites, especially because cherry is a juicy fruit. Although these fruits are healthy, eating an excess may affect your cockatiel in many ways.
Can cockatiels eat cherries? Yes, cockatiels can comfortably eat cherries. However, as a bird owner, you should handle cherries carefully as cherry pits are toxic. The pit has cyanide. Cyanide impedes oxygen utilization by the cells, affecting the bird’s health severely.
Essentially, these fruits come packed with nutritional components that enhance your cockatiel’s growth. But, they also have their downside if not fed properly and in the right proportions. You don’t want to harm your pet bird in the process, and that’s what this article enlightens you about.
Can you Feed Cherries to Cockatiels?
Cherries are fit for human consumption and a wonderful snack for cockatiels. They offer a plethora of impressive health benefits that we will tell you about. If you’re contemplating feeding your cockatiels a balanced diet, feel free to include cherries in your list of safe fruits.
However, like most attractive fruits, cherries contain a lot of natural sugar. While a few fresh fruits may not bring issues, overfeeding your cockatiels may trigger conditions like obesity. What your pet bird needs most is a balanced diet just like you and all other animals.
Unfortunately, some people neglect the nutrition part such that the birds only feed for survival. A cockatiel’s mainstay daily diet should comprise pelleted foods, commercial seed mixes, fresh leafy vegetables, and fruits. A combination of several fruits should account for about a tenth of the birds’ full diet.
Pellets should take up the highest percentage, followed by vegetables which ought to account for 30 percent. After this assessment, we can conclude that fruits supplement a bird’s diet. Feeding cockatiels more fruits will deprive the birds of the necessary nutrients that they should consume.
In your effort to strike a balance, you must also ensure the 10 percent fruit proportion includes all safe fruits. Alternative fruits to incorporate into the diet include pineapples, berries, and apples. Avoid most fruits’ pits and seeds because of the toxicity issue we talked about.
Cyanide is highly toxic and kills birds even when consumed in small amounts. Reading on, you will realize that cherries contain enough nutrients to sustain a cockatiel’s daily requirements. You may then wonder why we are insisting on limiting the quantities.
Well, according to USDA, a single sweet, raw cherry contains about 4 calories. Broken down further, a calorie contains 3 percent fat, 91 percent carbohydrates, and 9 percent proteins. That said, a single serving should not exceed three grams.
Also, avoid feeding your cockatiel cherries daily. Snacking on it from time to time will offer the required benefits while averting any potential consequences like cardiac arrest and kidney failure. Some clean, fresh water should also be available at all times.
Do Cockatiels Like Cherries?
A lot. Cockatiels like cherries because of their fruity taste and juicy nature. Your cockatiel will eat as many cherries as you feed it. As a prudent owner, ensure you limit the quantities no matter how much they seem to love them. After feeding them cherries, the droppings may have red traces, but this shouldn’t be a cause for alarm.
Health Benefits of Cherries
Cherries are tasty fruits high in vitamins C and A. They also contain high fiber and proteins for cockatiels. Moderate consumption of these fruits packs your birds with all the good things. Additional minerals in cherries include;
- Manganese
- Copper
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Iron
- Antioxidants to avert inflammation of any kind
How Much Cherries Should Cockatiels Eat?
The most that you should feed your cockatiel is 4 grams of organic cherries. Anything above that may pose health risks to your pet bird. The secret is in feeding the birds a variety of fruits.
How Do You Prepare Cherries?
Preparation is the easiest because the fruits are yummy. You only need to scrub the cherries thoroughly using warm salty water. After that, you then
- Remove the cherry pits
- Slice the cherries
- Serve in a bowl
While at it, remember that cherries are juicy and could spill easily. It’s advisable to do your prepping on an easy-to-clean surface. You may also have to wipe your pet birds after feeding.
Can you Feed Cherries to Baby Cockatiels?
Given that cherries are packed with nutrients, supplementing baby birds’ food with it will be a brilliant idea. But, you should shred only a piece about two to three times weekly. Hand-feeding is the most effective way to feed them, specially newborn baby cockatiels to avoid choking.
Video of a Cockatiels Eating Cherries
Here’s a video of a happy budgie feeding on cherries.
FAQs
We believe you’ve grasped a lot by now. Below are a few more essentials to top up with as we conclude.
Absolutely no. Cherries contain natural sugar and essential minerals. No single artificial sweetener should be used on your cherries.
Evaluate the droppings to ascertain its not blood traces. Mostly the stool comes with the redness from the cherries, which isn’t a sign of any problem.
Outro
Cherries are excellent immunity boosters that come with the ability to reduce oxidative stress. When fed appropriately, these fruits also boost your birds’ cell function. Your pet will remain healthy provided you feed them moderately.
Do you know if your cockatiels can eat cilantro or popcorn? Read our articles about it to learn more.
