Tangerine is a citrus fruit that looks like oranges and grapefruit. But it comes in smaller sizes closer to lemons and is more reddish compared to other citrus fruits. Tangerine is a subtype of the family of mandarine and it tastes sweeter than most oranges, yet tangerine can come tarty.
Can Parrots Eat Tangerine?
Yes, parrots can eat every part of a tangerine fruit, flesh, seeds, and peels as well. These are totally safe for a parrot’s consumption and can offer wonderful benefits. Yet, the key here is to serve them in moderation and use them as a treat from time to time.
And this is because of the high content of sugar and acid, which can harm the parrot’s overall health. And this also depends on the taste of the tangerine. Sweet tangerines are more sugary, while tarty tangerines are high in acid.
And in this article, we will dive into everything related to feeding this fruit to parrots. We will know what are the benefits of it, and many more. And without further ado, let’s get into this…
Potential Benefits of Tangerine For Parrots
Just like other citrus fruits, tangerine is highly beneficial in multiple different ways, and it’s proven to boost the immune system and can help the heart and circular system to stay healthy, besides its ability to reduce the possibility of kidney stones, it can also protect from cancer, especially in old parrots, and it’s really hydrating.
Along with all of that, tangerine contains many important nutrients any parrot needs daily. According to USDA, every 100 grams of tangerine fruit contains:
- Protein 0.81 g
- Total lipid (fat) 0.31 g
- Carbohydrate 13.3 g
- Fiber, total dietary 1.8 g
- Sugars, total 10.6 g
- Calcium, Ca 37 mg
- Iron, Fe 0.15 mg
- Magnesium, Mg 12 mg
- Phosphorus, P 20 mg
- Potassium, K 166 mg
- Sodium, Na 2 mg
- Zinc, Zn 0.07 mg
- Copper, Cu 0.042 mg
- Manganese, Mn 0.039 mg
- Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid 26.7 mg
- Vitamin B-6 0.078 mg
These nutrients exist in tangerine at high levels, yet they are many nutrients that exist as well, but with lower amounts. And these you can find on the USDA site. Most of these nutrients are essential to parrots daily. However, Vitamin C is a nutrient that is naturally produced within the body of most breeds of parrots. Yet, sick parrots can use the vitamin from an external source like tangerine.
How To Serve Tangerine To A Parrot
Parrots are very smart birds, and they are curious and really picky about food. So it’s possible for a parrot to dislike the tangerine, and it’s not because of the bitterness or sweetness, it’s just because every parrot has its own taste. So, when serving new types of food to a parrot, try their curiosity to your advantage and use it to attract the bird to whatever food you think is beneficial.
Personally, all I would do is to bring the new food in front of the parrot while in its cage and start preparing it and leave the parrot to see what’s happening, and then I will start eating and do some noises expressing that I am enjoying this food. This way is the best to get your bird excited. Serve a tangerine clove. I prefer to cut it into smaller pieces to avoid waste, as parrots throw and waste their food.
However, this is not a guarantee that the bird will like the food. Some parrots might refuse after trying. This method is just to make the bird interested in trying, and then leave it to decide on its own.
Apart from that is peels, peels are also safe for parrots to consume, but the issue here is that peel is the outer side of the fruit, so it could have some pesticides and dirt traces. So make sure you washed the fruit thoroughly before serving it. And if you just throw the fruit inside the cage, the parrot will find its way into the flesh so it’s up to you to decide how to serve the fruit.
Conclsuion
In conclusion, yes parrots can eat every type of citrus fruit family, and every part of these fruits is also safe. Yet, citrus fruits are not the natural food for parrots, neither seeds and peels. So, always keep moderation in mind when serving them to your bird, and not only with citrus fruits but also with every safe food that is not natural for them. Parrots can enjoy a lot of table food, and serving from time to time is a great idea to treat your feathery pal.
Apart from that, most fruits and veggies like bananas, lettuce, Brussel sprouts, and broccoli are safe for parrots, and in fact, could be easier in a parrot’s stomach. And yes, that’s about it. Hope you found this article 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.
