When you’re starting to feed a pet parakeet, you may be hesitant to try your bird with varied foods. In this short article, we take a look at whether or not you can feed your parakeets oranges and other foods beyond their standard fare of millet and seeds.
Many people worry if oranges are to sweet or too bitter for their Parakeet. So, Let us take a closer look.
Parakeets love oranges but oranges are laden with the naturally occurring fruit sugar fructose that can cause digestive system upset and foul stools in your bird. For this reason, you should limit servings to one or two portions per week tops. The same goes for other sweet and sugary fruits.
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Orange is a delectable and safe treat for your parakeet
Oranges and other fresh fruit add welcome flavor and dimension to your parakeet’s diet. Animal health experts encourage adding fresh fruit to your pet budgie’s diet as up to 15% of their daily intake and orange is high on their list.
Oranges are typically well received by parakeets who will appreciate its sweetness and forage for it amongst other foods if offered. Eating fresh foods like oranges is reminiscent of the parakeet’s diet in its natural, tropical habitat.
Feel free to serve your parakeet oranges as part of a selection of fresh fruit and veggies like chopped greens.
How to serve up a portion of succulent orange for your parakeet
Make sure you serve fresh orange in a way that makes tucking in easy and safe for your parakeet by introducing the orange slowly and in small amounts.
The orange should be peeled and cut into small fingernail-sized pieces. Avoid feeding your parakeet the peel of the orange as it may have harmful pesticides and fungicides on it.
When introducing orange to your parakeet’s diet be aware that your bird may be startled or wary of something new in the cage. Be patient or hand feed a tame bird.
Balance is always the best
It can get easy for both you and your parakeet to get carried away in the partaking of oranges and other fresh fruit. But, as with most foods, an excess of oranges can be harmful to your budgies.
This is because oranges are laden with the naturally occurring fruit sugar fructose that can cause digestive system upset and foul stools in your bird. For this reason, you should limit servings to one or two portions per week tops.
The same goes for other sweet and sugary fruits. Also if you are feed fresh fruit to your bird be sure to fully clear any remaining fruit once your bird has fed to prevent the fruit rotting and attracting insects.
Delight and interest your parakeet with these delicious foods
You’ve got lots of options for fresh foods to try with your budgie. Trying new foods will boost their quality of life. Give some of these tasty fruits a go with your parakeet ( But remembers, small portions as part of a balanced diet )
Small selection of suitable fruits
| Safe Fruits | ||
|---|---|---|
| Melon | Organic Grapes | Mango ( Remove pit) |
| Berries | Apples ( Remove seeds ) | Peach ( Remove skin, pit ) |
| Dragon Fruit | Pears ( Remove Seeds ) | Banana ( Peel first ) |
| Dates | Apricot ( Remove pit ) | Kiwi ( Remove peel ) |
| Pomegranate ( Remove Rind ) | Passion fruit ( Remove rind ) | Lychee( Remove rind ) |
Foods that you should avoid feeding your pet parakeet
If you have a tame parakeet that is good at hand feeding it may be tempting to introduce a few of your favorite foods. However, budgies are not built to handle the levels of salt and fat that we are used to and processed foods are likely to cause illness.
Here are some foods that are absolute no-nos for your birds:
- Crisps
- Chocolate
- Peanuts
- Peanut butter
- Cheese
- Tortilla chips
- Biscuits
- Cake
Rounding up
Fresh is best when introducing new foods to your budgie. Moderation is always prudent but establishing your parakeet on tasty sweet fruits like oranges will contribute to the health, nutrition, and wellbeing of your bird.
