Can Parrots Eat Crackers (Read This First!)

Although parrots can a lot of tables food that we bring, there are some types of these owners should not allow their parrots to eat, like bread, or spicy food, and there are multiple reasons owners shouldn’t allow their birds to eat such food.

But what About Crackers? Can parrots Eat Crackers?

The answer is yes and no. Most parrots will enjoy eating crackers, not realizing that heavily processed food can pose harm to them because of the salt and other ingredients. Therefore, owners shouldn’t allow their parrots to eat crackers even if the brand uses small amounts of harmful ingredients.

Parrots naturally are curious, and with food, they will love to explore and taste everything they think it’s food with no hesitation, therefore you need to be careful about it.

It may look like a simple idea to give your parrot a piece of crackers, but the fact is that this small amount you may serve can induce health problems to your parrot in the long run, and you avoid that.

And in this article, we will dive into everything you need to know about feeding crackers to parrots, the risks and what to do when your parrots accidentally eat crackers, and many more.

crackers

Why Parrots Shouldn’t be Allowed to Eat Crackers

As I mentioned, there are multiple reasons parrots should not get any chance to eat crackers. Yes, crackers are delicious and parrots will probably love it, but they’re a lot of delicious alternatives they can eat safely, like mango, peppers, and a lot of fruits of veggies.

Besides that, crackers have no real nutritional value, and there is no point in serving them to parrot. Here are some reasons crackers are no good for parrots.

Salt

Salt or sodium is a basic nutrient all beings, including parrots, need, but the salt amount in many crackers brands is very high. And as you know, the more salt in our food, the bad for our general health, and of course the same goes with parrots.

High amounts of salt can cause your parrot many dangerous symptoms, like extra thirst, extra urination, dehydration, shivering, losing balance, and in extreme cases seizures.

These symptoms, if happened, can worsen the condition of the parrot, and in extreme cases, may lead to death.

Sugar

Sugar also is one of the key ingredients companies use when making and cooking crackers, and sugar makes crackers taste sweet and more desirable to the consumers.

The refined sugar that comes from the sugar cones is actually a mix of glucose and fructose, and they are both carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are not good when parrots or even us humans consume excessively. Yes, the brain needs them to keep functioning, but it never needs extra carbs.

Other than that, sugar or carbs are the best sources of an immediate boost of energy, and therefore we see bodybuilders use carbs. This will spare the protein in their bodies from getting consumed to generate energy. So they consume carbs and burn them in the gym.

The extra unneeded carbs and especially sugar can cause health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, and even cancer.

The same goes with parrots. Sugar can make them gain more weight, and may cause them diabetes (although it’s not very common in birds), and if the case is so steep, the bird may suffer from heart problems.

Basically, sugar has no value for parrots unless they usually fly for longer distances, that time the sugar can be helpful. And for their brain functionality, parrots can get carbs from many natural alternatives like seeds, nuts, fruits, and veggies. Yes, these contain carbs as well, but with lower amounts and with no extras.

Crackers Are Heavily Processed

The third reason is that crackers are heavily processed food, and probably will pose harm to anyone who consumes it. And I am sure you have heard before about the risks of consuming processed food daily, and I am sure you know that organic food is the best option.

This information you find online is human-focused, so most information online about this topic will mainly focus on the risks of processed food for humans. And it’s hard to find information about the consumption of processed food by animals.

And this put us in front of a very important question, at least for us pet and parrots owners. What would happen to our pets and parrots when they consume a lot of processed food.

I know some will say that is all the commercial food for pets is processed, and this is right, yes. However, it’s made only for pet consumption, not like crackers that are made only for humans.

And let me tell you that the seeds or the nuts you feeding your parrot are not processed, they are almost organic. Besides that, processed pallet food is high in nutrients, not like crackers that have almost no nutritional value.

So, human processed food is not for pets and may harm them more than it does to people.


Not to mention the secret ingredients that every company uses when making crackers, and consumers never know about them. These may cause the bird illness and might lead the parrot to death in extreme cases.

Is There Any Safe Crackers Brands For Parrots?

The safest option for parrots to consume is salt-free crackers. However, these salt-free crackers still contain sugar, which is another ingredient that may and probably harm your parrot.

If your parrot has something exhausting to do, then it’s ok to give them little salt-free crackers to boost them with energy. This includes flying or any kind of training.

Most Crackers companies produce highly salted or sweetened crackers like ritz, saltine, graham, etc. These brands are not healthy for parrots and you should avoid them.

What to do If you Parrot Ate Some Crackers

You don’t need to panic. If the parrot ate some crackers, determine, if possible, how many crackers did he eat? If The quantity is small, then you don’t need to do anything, just watch the parrot if any symptoms appear in the next few days.

You also need to make sure your parrot has enough water in his bowl. You don’t want to get thirsty while the bowl is empty.

If the parrot ate a lot of crackers, you need to stick with him in the next few days, especially if the parrot ate crackers for the first time.

And also because symptoms usually appear in a few hours if not days, so you have to observe your parrot if something occurs to his body, like constipation, dehydration, extra urination.

Can Cockatiels Eat Ritz Crackers?

No, Cockatiels can not be allowed to eat any brand of crackers, whether it was Ritz to any other brand. The ingredients like salt and sugar of Ritz crackers can affect badly the small body of cockatiels quickly, and it’s better to avoid it.

Can Parakeets Eat Graham Crackers?

No, parakeets should never eat graham crackers. A high amount of sugar in graham crackers that make about 15% of the recipe can lead parakeets to obesity. Not to mention the other seasonings and ingredients that are harmful to parrots.

Can Parrots Eat Water Crackers?

Water crackers contain little to no sugar, which makes them the safest crackers for parrots. And if this type of cracker is salt-free, then it’s even better and safer for parrots to consume now and then.

Conclusion

In conclusion, most crackers can pose a threat to your parrot’s health if he consumes salted or sweetened crackers regularly. This pattern of crackers consumption is the reason behind the problems that may happen to parrots that I already have mentioned.

Small pieces now and then are not that harmful, but the problems start when parrots eat crackers regularly. And this can’t happen without the allowance of the owners, and you as an owner should avoid feeding crackers to your parrot, even if it was a healthy salt-free or sugar-free crackers.

And yes, that’s about it, hope you find this article informative and easy to digest, thank you for reading…