Nuts are a diverse type of snack that we often enjoy. It seems for many of us humans that nuts are just something we can enjoy whilst not expecting many benefits from it. However, the truth about nuts is they contain many benefits whether we ate salted, or with any other ingredient to enhance the flavor. Nuts make a great addition to our diet and they will provide us with great benefits.
Can Parrots Eat Nuts?
Yes, parrots can eat Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans nuts, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts safely without worrying about any health issue as nuts make one of the natural food parrots usually eat and thrive off in the wild.
The most important thing is not to serve any type of nut unless it’s still shelled (If possible), dry, and not enhanced with any flavor like salt or cheese.
Can Parrots Eat peanuts?
The answer is yes, parrots can eat raw dry peanuts. although it’s called a nut, it’s not actually. In fact, peanuts are a type of legume. And they got the name because of the characteristics that are like the real nuts. They are still good food for parrots and they can provide wonderful benefits when eaten.
And in this article, we will dive into everything regarding feeding nuts to parrots, what are the bad type, how to prepare them, and many more.
So, without further ado, let’s get into this…
9 Safe Types Of Nuts To Serve To Parrots
These are the 9 popular types of nuts that are safe for parrots to consume. There are many other types we will talk about later in the article. Anyway, every type we are about to discuss has its way of serving it to parrots, and we will dive into it as well.
Almonds
Almonds are probably one of the most popular nuts out there, and it’s the one that comes with every flavor you can think of: salt, cheese, spices, and anything that would enhance its flavor. However, the best variety to feed to a parrot is the one that comes with its natural flavor, not salt, no nothing. Even if you have salt, you can wash it thoroughly before serving, and it’s preferable to taste it to see if there were any traces of salt or any other flavor.
The other thing is that you should know that almond comes in 2 variant from 2 different trees. The sweet almond, and the bit almond, the bitter almond, contain a toxin known as glycoside amygdalin, which breaks down to the cyanide component that is very toxic to parrots. Cyanide is also toxic to humans as we, but in some places in the world, they use as a type of traditional medication.
However, always make sure that the almond you are buying is sweet.
Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts are also safe for parrots to consume, however, this type of nut shouldn’t be the major ingredient in any parrot’s diet. a small portion of it can be extremely healthy and beneficial. Yes, it’s one of the natural food for parrots, but the truth about the parrot should have a diversified diet shouldn’t be overlooked.
There are many ways to serve Brazil nuts as a parrot. However, it shouldn’t be enhanced with any flavor. Raw and fresh is ideal, but it sometimes can be very hard to find and expensive. So, it’s ok to serve them after thoroughly washing them to remove any saltiness. Roasted Brazil nut is ok as well as long as there are no external ingredients.
Cashew Nuts
Cashew nuts are also a good choice to serve your bird. It’s a very popular type of nut, and it comes in many flavors. These flavors can harm any parrot, and the best way to feed some cashew to your bird is by serving raw, and cashew with no other ingredients. Apart from That Cashews shouldn’t be the main part of any parrot diet. Serving cashew once or twice per week to parrot is ideal, and the bird will get the most of it.
Hazelnuts
The type of nut that I highly recommend for every parrot to eat is hazelnut. Yes, hazelnut is one of the best treats you can serve to your bird. It’s extremely healthy and contains a lot of important nutrients. However, the only downside of hazelnuts is the high content of fat. For a human being, it’s ok to eat whatever you want of hazelnuts, but for parrot extra needed fat can cause slight obesity, so moderation is recommended.
Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts have the hardest shell compared to other nuts. And in most cases, the parrot won’t be able to crack the shell without your help. Even with their large and sharp beaks, they can’t crack in. So, try to shell it out and then serve it to them.
Apart from that, macadamia nuts can make a great snack for parrots, with the wonderful benefits that any bird can get. So, it would a great addition to your parrot’s meals, but again don’t use them as the main ingredient.
Pecans
Pecans nuts are also a good choice to serve your parrot, and of course, it should be with moderation. And as the studies show, these nuts contain many benefits if served moderately to parrots. Parrots seem to enjoy eating this type of crunchy nuts, so serving them once or twice a week is ideal.
Pine nuts
When served in moderation, pine nuts can make up for any deficiency in any other nutrients that might be absent in other meal ingredients. However, and like all nuts, pine nuts should never be the main part of any parrot’s diet, because of the high-fat content found in them.
Pistachios
Pistachios are my favorite type of nut, and I always make sure that I have some handy for me whenever I want to have them as a little tasty snack. And when I serve them to my parrots, I try to serve the intact pistachios, to make the bird work hard and get the prize after cracking the shell.
Pistachio shells are fairly easy for most parrots to crack, smaller breeds may find it difficult. And my pairs of African grey and cockatoo enjoy cracking the pistachios shells, and this is impossible for my budgies pairs, so I help them by cracking the intact pistachios so they don’t have any extra flavor.
I always choose the intact pistachios because the nut inside won’t be flavored, even though washing it thoroughly will remove the flavor from the shell and from the nut inside if the already cracked.
Walnuts
Walnuts are one type that has a really hard shell, and it’s sometimes hard for certain breeds of parrot to crack. They will need your help, eventually. These sweet and buttery nuts are recommended for parrots to eat more often than other types of nuts. 1 or 2 walnuts are ideal. However, use them as snacks or treats, and don’t overfeed them to parrots.
What Are The Benefits Of Nuts?
There are a lot of nutritional benefits of these 9 popular types of nuts. You should know as well that certain types are higher in nutrition than others. Basically, every type of nut has its nutrition profile and characteristics. However, they share a lot of wonderful benefits for humans and parrots as well.
And once of mixed nuts (28 grams)) contains:
- Calories: 173
- Protein: 5 grams
- Fat: 16 grams, including 9 grams of monounsaturated fat
- Carbs: 6 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Vitamin E
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
- Copper
- Manganese
- Selenium
Apart from that, nuts are full of antioxidants that will help to protect the body cells from going old, and from cancer as well. Nuts can also help to reduce inflammations, and this comes in handy when you or your bird get a wound. They also contain a good amount of fiber, which is good for the digestive system. They also improve and maintain the healthy function of your bird heart, and they are extremely good at it.
What Is The Ideal Way To Serve Nuts to Parrot?
The best way to serve nuts to parrot is while the nut is still inside the shell. This means that the nuts inside are raw with no added ingredients, like salt or anything, and sometimes the nut will come already shelled out, which shows that there might be some added ingredients.
However, some nuts like pistachio will be always roasted to crack its shell for us to consume easily. And it’s ok to serve them to parrot if you wash them thoroughly to remove any flavor, which always works with me when I feed pistachios to my parrots.
Other than that, some nutshells are impossible for small breeds of parrot to crack in, for example, the macadamia nuts, which there is an only breed of macaw can crack it, and it’s the glorious hyacinth macaw. So, be careful, and if you could remove the shell before you serve them, that will be great, as some shells may harm, and break the beaks of parrots, especially from the small breeds.
Larger breeds are mostly safe and they crack the shells with ease. Washing the nuts before serving is always recommended to remove any dirt. Even if the shells are cracked, wash them and leave them to dry, or just serve them directly.
FAQ
What nuts can you feed your parrot?
Almost all nuts are good for parrots and can provide wonderful benefits to them if they consume in moderation. There are no bad nuts for parrots unless they were heavily processed, and many ingredients were added to enhance the flavor. Fresh, raw, and in-shell nuts are the best and safest way to serve them to a parrot.
What nuts are bad for parrots?
Any shelled nuts can make a terrible choice for a parrot to consume, especially if the nut were enhanced with different flavors, like salt and cheese. Sometimes, exposed nuts can induce the growth of mold, which is common, especially if the preservation environment was humid.
Can parrots crack nuts?
Yes, most large breeds of parrots can crack most shells of nuts. Macadamia nuts are the hardest nuts to crack, and macaws are the only parrot that can crack them in. However, not all macaws can do so. Hyacinth macaw can do it for sure.
What is the best type of nuts for parrots?
Hazelnuts by far are the best choice of nuts to serve to your parrot. However, the downside of it is the high content of fat. You serve hazelnuts to your parrot on winter nights as the fat will make your parrot feel warmer. Apart from that, hazelnuts contain many beneficial nutrients, just consider serving with moderation.
Conclusion
So, can parrots eat nuts? The answer is yes. Nuts are highly recommended to serve for any parrot. However, this doesn’t mean it’s ok to use them as the key ingredient in a parrot’s diet. The key here is to keep the diet diversified as much as possible, and using nuts as a treat from time to time is ideal. Seeds, fruits, and veggies should be always included in every parrot’s diet.
And yes, that’s about it. I hope you find this article informative and easy to digest. Thank you for reading…
Hello, my name is sadeq and I am obsessed about parrot And I am here to share everything about raising pet parrots and how to be good owners to your bird.
