Parrots make wonderful pets and long-term companions. They can eat a varied diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and more. Strawberries are a popular fruit for humans, and they are easy to find and inexpensive at certain times of the year, so many people ask us if it’s safe to feed them to their parrot.
You can feed strawberries to your parrot, and they can be quite healthy. However, there are some things to consider before making them a regular part of your pet’s diet, so keep reading while we look at the pros and cons of feeding this human favorite to your pet as well as discuss the best ways to serve it to help you provide a healthy diet for your pet.
The 2 Reasons Strawberries Are Bad for Parrots
1. Pesticides
The primary problem with feeding strawberries to your parrot is that they can often contain pesticides, and unlike many other fruits, you can’t remove the skin. The small divots for seeds hold the chemicals and make it difficult to remove them. Even when eating them yourself, we recommend rinsing them well before consuming them. A vegetable brush can help get the fruit a bit cleaner but might damage it, as strawberries are fragile. We recommend soaking them in a solution of one tablespoon baking soda per cup of cold water for 20 minutes to help loosen the chemicals before rinsing.
Organic strawberries are more expensive and might not look as nice, but they are free of pesticides.
2. Sugar
Strawberries contain about seven grams of sugar per cup, which is a little high, so you will need to watch your portion size. Too much sugar can lead to health problems like diabetes in some birds. Too much sugar in one sitting can cause your pet to get more vocal, and it may even become hyperactive.
The 3 Reasons Strawberries Are Good for Parrots
1. Vitamins and Minerals
Strawberries have plenty of vitamins and minerals that can help your parrot stay healthy and fight disease. It’s high in vitamin C and also contains calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron. These nutrients are important for the proper functioning of the body, and the high level of vitamin C provides your bird with a nutrient it can’t produce itself. It’s a powerful antioxidant that helps remove toxins from the blood and prevents disease.
2. Fiber
Strawberries are high in fiber which is good for your bird. It helps balance the digestive system and helps regulate the water in the intestines. It also energizes the good bacteria in the lower part of the gastrointestinal tract. Your parrot will receive 1.4 grams of fiber per cup.
- See Also: Can Parrots Eat Raisins? What You Need To Know!
3. Low in Calories
One of the best things about strawberries is that they are low in calories and won’t contribute to weight gain. Each cup of strawberries contains only 48 calories.
How Can I Feed My Pet Strawberries?
Fresh
We recommend cleaning the strawberries thoroughly to remove pesticides. You can feed strawberries whole, halved, or diced every few days as part of a complete meal.
Parrots will make a huge mess when eating fresh strawberries, so the best time to serve them is right before you intend to clean the cage. Your parrot will enjoy picking off the seeds before eating the fruit, which keeps them busy but gets fruit everywhere.
Dried
Dried strawberries can significantly reduce the mess your parrot makes while eating, and they make a fast and convenient treat your bird can enjoy. However, the lack of water means the sugar is more concentrated, and it will be easier to reach dangerous levels. Unless you dry them yourself, there is a greater risk that you will expose your bird to chemical preservatives and other ingredients that might not be healthy for your pet to eat. We recommend reading the ingredients on the package of any brand you are considering.
How Often Should I Feed My Parrot Strawberries?
We recommend feeding your parrot one or two strawberries every week as part of a varied diet that will keep your pet looking forward to mealtime. It’s better to start with a small amount to ensure your bird doesn’t have a negative reaction and increase the amount in a few weeks. Besides signs of diarrhea, we recommend watching your bird’s behavior to ensure it’s not being affected by the sugar.
What Other Fruits Can My Parrot Eat?
You can mix strawberries with several other berries, including blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, cranberries, and more. It can also eat coconut, black currants, red currants, star fruit, guava, watermelon, and more.
Summary
Strawberries can make a great addition to a balanced diet. They are high in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, and low in calories, so they don’t contribute to weight gain. Fiber helps balance and improve digestion, and they are inexpensive and easy to find in most grocery stores. You will need to limit them to once or twice per week because of the high sugar content, but they can enjoy plenty of other fruits instead.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over this guide, and it has helped answer your questions. If we have helped you make your pet’s diet more varied, please share our look into if parrots can eat strawberries on Facebook and Twitter.
- You may also want to read: Can Conures Eat Strawberries? What You Need To Know
Featured Image Credit by Piqsels
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
