Cockatiels can eat cherries, yes. Cockatiels love to eat a variety of fruits. Thus cherries can be a great snack for them. The only thing you should worry about cherries is that its seeds contain cyanide, which is toxic. Feeding cherries to cockatiels may put a dark red color in their droppings. However, it’s not something to worry about, as it’s completely normal.
Many people love the sweet and fruity taste of cherries, and for sure, our cockatiels will love it too. Still, there are some things you need to know before sharing this fruit with your pet.
Take your time to read the following.
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Are cherries good for cockatiels?
Cherries are good for cockatiels in a lot of ways. Not only do cherries offer a great-tasting snack. Further, it is highly nutritious for us and our pets.
To understand further, take a look at these nutrition facts. According to HealthLine, a cup (154 grams) of sweet, raw, and pitted cherries has the following:
- 97 Calories
- 13 grams of Sugar
- 2 grams of Protein
- 25 grams of Carbohydrates
- 3 grams of Fiber
If you feed some cherries to your pet, you also offer nutritional components.
Cherries have proteins that support muscle development. Further, it has a Fiber that improves digestion.
Aside from these components, cherries are also rich in vitamins and minerals such as:
- Vitamin C
- Potassium
- Copper
- Manganese
Although cherries are nutritious, it still shouldn’t form a big part of a cockatiel’s diet.
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How many cherries can cockatiels eat?
Although it’s highly nutritious, your pet shouldn’t eat too many cherries.
Cockatiels need a balanced diet like all other birds and animals. Although cherries contain nutrients, feeding on it alone won’t be enough.
Cherries, along with other fruits, should only take 10% of their daily consumption. Such food treats also include seeds and other food like peanut butter and bread slices.
Pellets should be the leading food of cockatiels, making up 60% of their daily diet.
The second one is 30%, consisting of various vegetables such as carrots, cabbages, and others.
In general, you should always keep a balance when it comes to feeding. For this reason, you should never feed too many cherry bites for a day.
Moreover, it would be best if you didn’t feed cherries as the only fruit. Consider getting a variety of options like apples, pineapples, blueberries, and watermelons.
Having a list of other fruits gives your bird balanced nutrition.
Risks of feeding your cockatiel cherries
Cherries may be safe for a cockatiel to consume. However, there are some risks that it offers. You need to be aware of these risks to ensure your pet is safe from eating.
Cherry seeds are toxic.
While the fruit itself is safe, the seeds of cherries are toxic for cockatiels. Thus, you should remove the seeds before offering this fruit.
Cherry seeds contain cyanide like apple seeds. This component is lethal, even in small amounts.
For this reason, always ensure you are giving pitted cherries to your cockatiel.
Cherries are high in sugar.
The sugar content of cherries is high enough for cockatiels to consume in large amounts.
Aside from the fact that cherries can’t sustain a cockatiel’s daily nutrients, it has too much sugar if given in large servings.
Thus, giving more than 3-4 grams of cherries can compromise your pet’s health.
Always limit your pet’s cherry snacks to this measure, and avoid feeding more than that in a day.
Do cockatiels like cherries?
Cockatiels love to munch on fruits due to their sweet and fruity taste. Thus, your pet will surely love a few bites of cherry treats.
Still, it doesn’t mean you can feed your pet as much as you want if it likes the fruit.
As I said, cockatiels can compromise their health from consuming too many fruits due to their sugar content.
You can offer cherry, but you should limit it to small amounts to keep your pet safe.
Further, feeding cherries can cause dark red droppings on your pet. While it may look worrisome, it’s completely normal.
Cherries have a dark red color that can affect your pet’s droppings. Although it may look like blood, it’s just the color of the fruit.
You May Also Read – Can cockatiels eat oranges?
What fruits are poisonous to birds?
If there’s one fruit that is toxic to cockatiels, it would be avocado. Both the pit and flesh of avocados are harmful to cockatiels as it is to other pets.
Aside from this fruit, many others are safe for cockatiels to consume in small amounts. However, there are some with seeds and pits that you remember.
While the fruits themselves aren’t toxic, they can be harmful if fed with the seeds.
Aside from cherries, it would be best if you also were mindful of pears and apples. Both fruits have seeds that are toxic to cockatiels.
Like cherries, the fruits with pits are apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums. The seeds should get removed first before feeding.
Without the pits and seeds, these fruits are safe for your cockatiel’s consumption.
Seeds from other fruits such as grapes, citrus fruits, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, melons, mango, pomegranate, and berries are safe for bird consumption.
Thus, you can feed these fruits without removing the seeds.
Are popcorns and pistachios safe for cockatiels? Check it out!
Summary
Cockatiels can eat cherries, and it can be a great-tasting and nutritious snack for them. Despite that, however, you should be careful not to include the seeds, as it is toxic for your pet.
As long as you feed cherries in moderation, you can keep your pet healthy while enjoying the nutrition brought by cherries.
Resources
HealthLine’s nutrition facts on cherries
Image Credits:
- Photo by T. Q. on Unsplash
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P_Cockatiel.jpg
