Can African Greys Eat Almonds? (Yes, But How Much…)

The African grey is a breed that thrives mostly on eating seeds and nuts in wild, and in captivity, as pets, they must get food similar to what they get in the wild. Failure to provide this can lead African grey pets to suffer from a nutritional deficiency that could lead to behavioral disorders like aggression and even depression. Luckily, there are many types of food like almonds that make up these requirements.

So, Can African Grey Eat Almonds?

Yes, African greys can eat almonds as it is safe and healthy for them to consume. However, almonds cannot suffice the nutritional needs of African greys, so owners must serve almonds along with other food, and never depend on it as the key ingredient because of the high-fat content.

Adding almonds to your African grey diet system as a treat from time to time will provide wonderful benefits to the bird. But a lot of almonds can cause the African grey to gain extra unnecessary weight.

One Important thing to look at is to always serve sweet instead of bitter almonds because bitter almonds can be toxic because of the cyanide. However, it’s unlikely for the consumer to find bitter almonds commercially available.

Benefits Of Almond For African Greys

When an African grey eats almonds, there are a lot of potential benefits the bird will get, and these may include antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and the feeling of fullness. And according to the USDA, every 28.35 grams of almonds contain:

  • Water 1.25 g
  • Protein 6.01 g
  • Total lipid (fat) 14.1 g
  • Carbohydrate, by difference 6.12 g
  • Fiber, total dietary 3.54 g
  • Sugars, total including NLEA 1.23 g
  • Calcium, Ca 76.3 mg
  • Iron, Fe 1.05 mg
  • Magnesium, Mg 76.5 mg
  • Phosphorus, P 136 mg
  • Potassium, K 208 mg
  • Sodium, Na 0.284 mg
  • Zinc, Zn 0.885 mg
  • Copper, Cu 0.292 mg
  • Manganese, Mn 0.618 mg
  • Selenium, Se 1.16 µg
  • Thiamin 0.058 mg
  • Riboflavin 0.323 mg
  • Niacin 1.03 mg
  • Pantothenic acid 0.134 mg
  • Vitamin B-6 0.039 mg

And many other nutrients that exist in smaller quantities. Apart from that, parrots will enjoy crushing almonds as long as they have available, so be careful not to serve them extensively.

How To Serve Almonds To An African Grey?

The most important thing is to serve the cooked almonds that do not contain any cyanide in them and try to choose the flavorless almonds without salt or any other flavor. It’s better to serve the almond directly to the parrot without grinding, just let the bird crunch on them while holding it with its feet as most African grey do.

How Many Almonds Is Enough?

Owners may think that serving 1 almond a day is safe for their African grey, but the fact is in the opposite way because almonds are 50% fat that can cause fatty liver disease, yes they are healthy but only in moderation. The best way to serve almonds is once per week, and it should never be more than 2 nuts.

What Nuts Can African Grey Eat?

Nuts are a huge family and most of them are safe for African greys. Here are 9 safe types of nuts for African greys. Nuts are natural food for African greys, and they are common in their natural habitat, but remember that they eat them along with other types of food like seeds, fruits, and veggies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using almond nuts as a treat for African greys is the best way to serve them to your pet, and serving more than that as a key ingredient in daily meals can cause the bird to develop fatty liver disease which can be deadly if left untreated.