As Parrot owners and lovers, we are always looking for the next best addition to our Parrot’s diet. Getting your bird’s diet right is crucial for their health and overall quality of life. If you as a human were to feed yourself nothing but processed food and pizzas you’d feel the effects of it on your health, and your Parrot is no different.
A fantastic way of improving your Parrots diet is to add more greens. Green vegetables tend to be packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber while being ridiculously low in calories. For example spinach.
If you’ve stumbled upon this page you’re probably wondering, can Parrots eat spinach? Yes, Parrots can eat spinach. It’s a super-food loaded with nutrients and vitamins all while containing a whopping 7 calories in a whole cup of the stuff. Not only can Parrots eat it, but it’s encouraged that they do!
Read on to find out more about why spinach is so good for your bird, its nutritional content, and other important things you might need to know about feeding your Parrot spinach.
Spinach Benefits For Parrots
We know spinach is good for our Parrots, but just how good? Let’s take a closer look at the nutritional values.
One cup of raw spinach :
| Calories | 23 |
| Protein | 2.9g |
| Carbs | 3.6g |
| Fat | 0.4g |
| Sugar | 0.4g |
| Fiber | 2.2g |
Spinach is also 91% so it’s also a great way to keep your Parrot hydrated while feeding them some quality food at the same time!
Let’s take a closer look at the vitamins and minerals inside spinach.
Vitamin A
Spinach is high in carotenoids which then gets turned into vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for vision, the reproductive system, and the immune system.
Vitamin A also plays a role in how the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs perform.
Other foods that contain vitamin A are carrots, sweet potatoes, rep peppers, and yellow fruits like mango, papaya, and apricots. If your Parrot isn’t getting enough vitamin A it’s suggested you add a few of these foods into their diet.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C plays a large role within Parrots it has many benefits like boosting the immune system, lowering blood pressure, keeping the cardiovascular system in check by cleaning plaque from your bird’s blood vessels keeping cholesterol from oxidizing, and many other things.
However the problem? Parrots utilize a lot of vitamin C just from being alive so it’s important to feed them foods rich in vitamin C like spinach to counter this.
Other foods that provide an excellent source of vitamin C for your Parrot are :
- Peppers
- Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts
- Strawberries, mango, pineapple and kiwis
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is an essential vitamin that helps fight against blood clots, improves bone metabolism, and regulates blood calcium levels. If your Parrots diet lacks vitamin K here are some examples of foods with high levels of it: kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kiwi, and cabbage – all of which your Parrot can safely eat.
How You Should Feed Spinach To Your Parrot
Like all greens, spinach should be washed first before preparing it for your Parrot. Loose spinach can be very gritty and could make your Parrot sick if not cleaned properly. The easiest way to do this would be to put your spinach in a large container of cold water which should do the trick.
After you’ve cleaned the spinach of any bacteria it’s time to get preparing it for your bird.
There are multiple different ways to make spinach like giving it to your Parrot raw or steaming it.
The way I’d recommend making it would be to give it to your Parrot raw. This is to make sure your Parrot gets all the vitamins and nutrients you want to give your Parrot in the first place! With many green vegetables cooking them often burns away the goodness.
Are There Any Risks To Feeding Your Parrot Spinach?
Spinach contains no toxins that pose an immediate risk to your Parrot however like many things in life moderation is important, and spinach is no different.
What Other Foods Can Your Parrot Eat?
You know spinach is perfectly safe for your Parrot but what other foods will benefit your parrot?
- 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 Parrots Eat Raw Spinach?
Yes, Parrots can eat raw spinach and it’s encouraged that they do. When you cook spinach you lose a lot of the vitamins and nutrients that make spinach such an attractive food in the first place.
Is Spinach Toxic To Parrots?
Spinach contains no toxins that are going to seriously harm your Parrot however like most foods it’s important that you feed it to them in moderation and give your Parrot a wide variety of foods to ensure your bird’s diet has everything they need to be healthy and happy.
Can African Grey Parrots Eat Spinach?
African Grey Parrots can eat spinach, spinach contains vital vitamins, nutrients, and fiber that your bird would benefit from. Spinach is a super-food and for good reason, with there being 7 calories in a whole cup!
Spinach For Parrots – Final Thoughts
Your Parrots diet is going to be vital to his or her overall health and well-being. It’s fine to give them a treat now and again but the majority of their diet needs to be food packed with goodness, the goodness that spinach has to offer. Yes Parrots can eat spinach but moderation is important, a variety of healthy foods are needed for your Parrot to flourish.
Parrots don’t tend to be picky animals so try new foods and find out what your bird enjoys!
