Can Cockatiels Eat Oranges? (+3 Risks You Need to Know Before Feeding)

Cockatiels can eat oranges, yes. Cockatiels love to eat various fruits aside from their usual meals, and oranges can be a great treat for them. Oranges do not only offer citrusy goodness. Moreover, it’s highly nutritious and beneficial for your pet’s immunity. Be mindful not to give the seeds and peels, though, as cockatiels can’t eat these parts.

Many people love to snack on oranges as it is a great fruit packed in nutrients that boosts health and immunity. For this reason, it can be tempting to spare some for our cockatiels.

Here are some related questions that I researched to find answers. Take some time to read before feeding oranges to your pet, to ensure it’s safety.

Let’s take a look at it!

Are oranges OK for cockatiels?

Oranges are OK for cockatiels in a lot of ways. This citrus fruit comes with not only that sweet fruity flavor that many people love. It is also rich in nutrients that both us and our pets will enjoy.

To understand further, take a look at these nutrition facts. According to HealthLine, a hundred grams or half of a large orange contains the following:

  • Calories: 47
  • Water: 87%
  • Protein: 0.9 grams
  • Carbs: 11.8 grams
  • Sugar: 9.4 grams
  • Fiber: 2.4 grams
  • Fat: 0.1 grams

Carbohydrates and water make the most out of oranges. Further, this fruit is also a great source of fiber, which aids digestion.

Aside from these nutritional components, oranges are an excellent source of the following vitamins and minerals:

  • Vitamin C (which boosts immunity)
  • Vitamin B1 (which helps convert food into energy)
  • Vitamin B9
  • Potassium (which helps regulate blood pressure)

For this reason, oranges make an amazingly nutritious snack not only for us but also for our cockatiels.

Although some pets won’t like the smell and taste of citruses such as cats, cockatiels, and other birds would love it.

However, unlike other fruits, oranges’ peels are not suitable for a cockatiel’s consumption.

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Can cockatiels eat orange peels?

Orange peels are highly nutritious for some pets. However, it would be best to remove the peels for cockatiels.

Orange peels aren’t exactly toxic to cockatiels. Still, it’s not a good idea to feed it to them either.

An orange peel is chewy by nature, and it can be a cause of choking if fed to cockatiels and other birds of the same family.

For this reason, you should always have the oranges peeled before serving it to your pet.

At the same time, it would also be best to remove the seeds of oranges as well.

Like the orange peels, the orange seeds aren’t precisely toxic. However, it would be best if you still avoided it to prevent unwanted incidents from happening.

Lastly, it would be best if you didn’t feed too many oranges to your pet.

How many oranges can cockatiels eat?

oranges

Although it’s highly nutritious, your pet shouldn’t eat too many oranges. 

Like other birds, cockatiels need a balanced diet, and oranges alone won’t be enough.

Oranges, along with other fruit treats, should only take 10% of their daily consumption. Such food treats also include seeds and other food like peanut butter and bread slices.

The most significant percentage should be pellets, making up a total of 60% of their daily diet.

The second one is 30%, which should consist of various vegetables such as carrots, cabbages, and others.

As a general rule of thumb, always keep a balance when it comes to feeding. For this reason, you should never feed too many orange bites for a day.

Further, it would be best if you didn’t feed oranges 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.

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Risks of feeding your cockatiel oranges

Although oranges are great and healthy snacks, it still has risks for cockatiels if not fed right. 

Orange seeds can cause harm.

First, orange seeds aren’t entirely toxic, but it’s not good either. Cockatiels may find orange seeds hard to digest. Other fruits have pits that are safe for your pet, such as watermelon seeds. 

For this reason, it would be best to remove the seeds first before feeding oranges. The same principle applies to all other fruit seeds.

Orange peels can also cause harm.

As I said earlier, orange peels are safe for other pets, but not for cockatiels.

Orange peels may not have any harmful components, but our pets may find the peel hard to eat and digest. Thus, to ensure safety, remove the peels before serving.

Too much sugar content is not good.

Like all other fruits, oranges have high sugar content. For this reason, you should limit your pet’s sugar intake and only serve it as treats or snacks.

Do cockatiels like oranges?

Cockatiels would love to eat oranges. It has a unique fruity scent, and it’s delicious. For this reason, you won’t find it hard to feed such fruit to your pet.

Aside from cockatiels, other birds like to eat oranges as well. This fruit can grow in the wild, so it’s something other birds can eat as well.

Since orange comes packed in nutrients, it can be both a healthy and tasty snack for birds.

If you have other birds around aside from your cockatiel, you can offer oranges to them as well.

Aside from the seeds and peels, this fruit shouldn’t cause any issues. Further, it should even be beneficial for other birds.

What fruits can cockatiels eat?

Fruits like oranges play a significant role as treats and snacks. You can offer almost any fruit you can access.

Aside from oranges, there are other fruits and vegetables that you can give. If it’s your first time handling a pet bird, here is a list of fruits you can offer:

  • Kiwi
  • Papaya
  • Cucumber
  • Grapes
  • Apple (remove seeds)
  • Banana
  • Cherries
  • Oranges
  • Mangoes

It would be best to offer fruits in bite-size pieces. Another thing is to keep the fruit snacks in moderation.

Aside from the fact that it should only be a treat, most fruits also contain sugar. Thus, too much consumption can be harmful to birds.

Are cherries and popcorn safe foods for cockatiels? Check it out!

Summary

Cockatiels can eat oranges, and it can be a great snack to offer if you want to boost your pet’s immunity. Since oranges are rich in vitamin C, it can be an ideal snack for your bird once in a while.

Still, it would be best if you always remembered to limit the orange snacks. It should only make a small part of your bird’s diet. Feed oranges, along with pellets and veggies.

By doing so, you can ensure your pet gets nutritious and balanced meals.

Resources

HealthLine’s nutrition facts on oranges

Image Credits:

  • Photo by Sean Mungur on Unsplash
  • https://www.pxfuel.com/es/free-photo-oywfb
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