Parrots need a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet to maintain a happy and healthy lifestyle. They should make up around 15-20% of your bird’s whole diet. Fruits and vegetables add a lot of volume to your bird’s meals for such low calories, along with providing them with much-needed vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. The health benefits fruit can bring are well known however are all fruits safe for our feathered friends? What about cherries? Let’s find out.
Can parrots eat cherries? Yes, parrots can eat cherries, they are a delicious and highly nutritious food you can add to your bird’s diet. However you need to remove the pit of the cherry before serving, this is due to the little kernel in the center containing a chemical called amygdalin which is toxic to your parrot. Once the pit is removed your parrot can reap the benefits of cherries like vitamin C, antioxidants, potassium, fiber, and other things we’ll outline.
In this article, I’m going to cover the benefits of cherries and other things you need to be aware of before you feed cherries to your parrot.
Cherry Benefits For Parrots
We know cherries are good for our Parrots, but just how good are they? Let’s take a closer look at the nutritional content.
According to the USDA, one cup of fresh cherries contains:
| Calories | 95 |
| Protein | 1.6g |
| Carbs | 24g |
| Fat | 0.3g |
| Sugar | 19.2g |
| Calcium | 20mg |
Full Of Antioxidants
Antioxidants are plentiful in cherries, this is due to the high concentration of plant compounds found in cherries. These substances are needed for combating oxidative stress. This is caused by free radicals in the body which are atoms that cause damage to cells leading to faster aging and have been linked to diseases like cancer.
Other foods that contain antioxidants that you can feed to your parrot are any other kind of berry like strawberries or blueberries, kale, beans, and spinach all of which are safe for your parrot to have.
Improved Heart Health
Cherries are full of antioxidants like polyphenols, flavonols, anthocyanins, and catechins. These substances work together to help your parrot’s body reduce inflammation and keep the heart healthy by protecting against cell damage caused by free radicals.
There is also potassium in cherries, a mineral useful for regulating blood sugar, keeping a healthy heartbeat, and removing sodium in the body – all of which work together to keep your parrot’s cardiovascular system in good condition.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is crucial for your parrot’s immune system, without enough of it they would get sick often due to their immune system not being able to fight off harmful bacteria.
It’s also important for your parrot’s skin health, which you may not notice over their beautiful feathers.
Potassium
Potassium is a mineral that’s also found in berries it helps your parrot with a variety of different functions :
- Regulating blood pressure
- Helps with their muscles
- Improved digestion
- Keeps a healthy heart rhythm
- Removes sodium from the blood
Along with berries, other safe foods containing potassium that you can feed to your parrot are bananas, lentils, potatoes, spinach, broccoli, and dried fruits.
Fiber
Fiber plays a role in how well your parrot’s digestive system performs. It helps with reducing the chance of constipation as more fiber in the diet increases the size and weight of your parrot’s stools, leading to an easier chance they get passed through.
Also as foods high in fiber are typically more filling, fiber in your bird’s diet can act as a weight maintainer because your parrot won’t be as hungry meaning they won’t overeat.
How You Should Feed Cherries To Your Parrot
Feeding cherries to your parrot shouldn’t be very complex as they are small and once you’ve removed the put of the cherry you’re good to go and can add a couple into their daily meal.
However, because cherries have a sweet and sour flavor you might have a hard time getting your parrot to eat them.
What I have found success with is adding a couple into my parrot’s water bowl that way he can dunk them under and pick them out which he seems to prefer over them being fed to him normally, give it a try!
Are There Any Risks To Feeding Your Parrot Cherries?
Briefly covered in the introduction, there is a risk to feeding your parrot cherries. The pit in the middle needs to be removed as it’s toxic for parrots (and humans too). This toxin is called Amygdalin which your body then converts to cyanide if ingested.
There are several ways to remove the pits without damaging the berry as a whole. My favorite is the chopstick method.
Remove the cherry’s stem and hold the fruit between your fingers. Place the smaller end of a chopstick in the stem hole. Push the pit out of the cherry with the chopstick, gently yet firmly.
If you have no chopsticks lying around then your next best option is using a cutting knife, which you definitely will have.
Place the cherry on a cutting board after removing the stem. Press down softly but firmly with the side of a paring knife until the cherry gives way somewhat. This helps loosen the pit. Do not press too hard or crush the cherry. Make an incision from top to bottom along one side of the cherry. Gently pull on either side of the cut to expose the pit and use your fingers to remove it.
Your parrot is now free to enjoy the benefits that cherries have to offer!
What Other Foods Can Your Parrot Eat?
You know cherries are safe for your Parrot to eat but if you’re like me then you’re always looking for new foods to improve your Parrot diet to create some variety and include vital things that aren’t already in your bird’s 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!
Cherries For Parrots – Final Thoughts
After removing the pit from the cherry, it’s now a safe delicious fruit for your feathered friend to snack on. Cherries offer many health benefits that your parrot will thank you for feeding to them, however as cherries are a fruit they should only make up around 15-20% of your bird’s diet.
I hope your parrot enjoys this new fruity addition to their diet!
