Parakeets, the small parrots with predominantly green plumage and a long tail. Can they eat mangoes? It is a question many breeders and owners ask. We have seen birds are eating mangoes but can parakeets eat mango?
Can Parakeets Enjoy Eating Mangoes?
Of course why not? Parakeets love eating mangoes. You may familiar with the fact that parrots eating mangoes. Parakeets are parrot’s close relatives. If parrots can eat them, parakeets should can too. But there is another factor. Not every parakeet like mangoes.
Parakeets are selective eaters or some may say, picky eaters. So the way they react changes fruit to fruit. A parakeet can like another fruit, but it just doesn’t want to eat it when it comes to mango. The best thing you can do is give mangoes with parakeet’s diet and let it sometimes to eat. You can see whether it like mango or not.
Is Mango safe for parakeets?
Even though parakeets can eat mangoes there are some factors to concern. The first one is diabetes. Some parakeets are born with diabetes. But that doesn’t mean other parakeets can’t get it. That’s why you should not give a large amount of sugar-rich fruits to parakeets. Mango is not a heavy threat. But overeating mangoes can cause diabetes in parakeets.
But don’t make decisions here. Give the proper amount of mangoes like 10% with their diet. Your parakeets will fine. Malnourishment is another bad effect of overeating mangoes. It means a lack of proper nutrition. When an animal only eats one fruit no matter how many nutritions the fruit got, it can not get some nutritions.
How many mangoes Can a parakeet Eat?
Parakeets shouldn’t eat too many mangoes because of high sugar. But you can add mangoes to their diet. Make it your sweet treat for them. Please keep your pets happy.
For the size and amount a few nibbles enough. Two days a week is recommended. I am pretty sure it will need more but you have to be strict about its safeness. Don’t feed that amount the first time. Introduce it with small pieces and then increase till regular size continuously.
Mango Health Benefits For parakeets
Health benefits are the most important thing next to the safeness of the fruit. But before that, I want you to about the of mangoes (sliced) contains approximately:
calories | 107 |
fiber | 3 g |
sugar | 24 g |
protein | 1 g |
vitamin A | 25 %DV |
vitamin C | 76 %DV |
vitamin B-6 | 0.2 mg |
potassium | 257 mg |
Vitamin C helps parakeets to improve their cardiovascular health and more. When it comes to vitamin C amount, mango is only second to citrus fruits. Potassium helps to grow and proper kidney functioning. Potassium can stabilize the metabolism.
Should you peel them before you serve them or not?
Mango skin can be tough and hard to chew and swallow. It contains pesticide residues that can harm the parakeets. Other than that there is no reason to not eat mango peel. But people think mango skin is unedible. But it is not.
Mango skin is edible and has a lot of nutrition. It contains dietary fibers, vitamin E, and polyphenols. Dietary fiber is good for the bird’s digestive tract. Polyphenols which are renowned for their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-mutagenic effects are also important nutrition of the mango skin.
So you can serve small mano pieces with skin for the parakeet but some mangoes in the market have a protective layer painted to keep without rotting. These chemicals can harm the bird.
Can parakeets Eat Cooked/Frozen Mango?
Parakeets can eat cooked or frozen mango. It is very safe but when cooking mangoes, much nutrition will be destroyed. Also, don’t forget the juicy delicious taste of mangoes. I know cooked mangoes has different taste because the spice and other stuff we added to it. But parakeets won’t like those
Not like cooked ones but frozen mangoes have loosed their nutrition to some extinct. There is not toxic developed when cooking or presenting mangoes. It is just useless.
What Are Other Healthy Alternatives to Mango in A parakeet’s diet?
- Bananas
- Watermelons
- Raspberries
- Cherries
- Apricots
- Oranges
- Pineapples
- Apples
- Tangerines
These are the other fruits parakeets can eat while mango in the top of the list. But make sure you know about the effects of the fruit. I said it especially some parts of above fruits can contain toxic or other harmful things. Take apple and watermelon seeds as examples.
Many vegetables can be eaten by parakeets. They contain vitamin C and K, iron, calcium, and fibers. Carrots, cucumber, potatoes, and cooked beans are good alternatives for mangoes even they are not fruits. You can do your research before feed those.
What fruits can parakeets not eat?
There are many fruits to avoid.
- Avocado
Avacado is famous among people because many reasons like health benefits. But it is also famous as a harmful fruit to many animals. Unfortunately, parakeets are one of them. Avocado contains persin which is a toxic substance.
- Lemon and Lime
Citric fruits contain so much vitamin C. But they are acidic. Parakeets and other birds like parrots should not eat a considerable amount of lime or lemon.
- Grapefruit
- Tomatoes
What is poisonous to parakeets?
Besides fruits, there are so many foods parakeets can’t eat.
- Onions and garlic
These two are very poisonous for parakeets. Some toxic substances include those that can destroy the parakeet’s red blood cells and even cause death.
- Heavy Metals
Don’t misunderstand I am not talking about music. That’s funny but Paints, plaster, hardware, foil, fishing weights, and batteries contain a lot of heavy metal that can kill not only parakeets also humans.
Summary
Mangoes don’t contain any toxic substances for parakeets. They are delicious juicy fruits but high in sugar. So parakeets should be given a limited amount of mangoes. There are many health benefits of mangoes. Also, you can use an alternative fruit or vegetable if your parakeets don’t like mangoes.
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