Orange is a fruit that belongs to the citrus family, which is a family that comprises many different fruits like lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, and many more. However, I believe oranges are the most popular fruit of this family.
Can Parrots Eat Oranges?
Yes, adding oranges to any parrot’s diet is both beneficial and safe, whether you go with oranges flesh, peel, or seeds. Certain types of oranges can come bitter and more acidic, which might lead the parrot to refuse them. Whatever the case, serving oranges should be in moderation.
Apart from that, oranges come in two major varieties: Citrus sinensis, which is the sweet oranges, and Citrus aurantium, which is the bitter one. These two types have their own different varieties of sweet and bitter oranges. And many citrus fruits belong to the same family which is Rutaceae.
And in this article, we will dive into everything you need to know about how beneficial oranges can be to a parrot, how to serve it to reduce chances of refusal, and many more.
Potential Benefits Of Oranges For Parrots
Oranges and all citrus fruits contain a sufficient dose of Vitamin C, which is essential for every living being to function correctly. However, parrots don’t need it from an external source like oranges and other citrus fruits. In fact, they can produce within their little bodies except for some species like conures who don’t do that.
Still, oranges can provide wonderful benefits to any parrot, and according to WebMD, one medium-sized orange contains:
- 60 calories
- No fat or sodium
- 3 grams of fiber
- 12 grams of sugar
- 1 gram of protein
- 14 micrograms of vitamin A
- 70 milligrams of vitamin C
- 6% of your daily recommended amount of calcium (for Human Being)
- 237 milligrams of potassium
- 15.4 grams of carbohydrates
These are really essential even for parrots, and serving orange will help your parrot to get his adequate portion of these nutrients, and can make up for any deficiency of them, which is expected with commercial parrot food especially when you use low-quality brands. Apart from that, parrots are really sensitive to any lack of nutrients and it can lead them to suffer from serious health problems.
One more thing, there are many other nutrients in orange and they are in small quantities. Look at the full nutrient list from the USDA site.
How To Seve Orange To Parrots
One rule to remember, and it’s to keep whatever food, fruits, and veggies fresh and raw when serving to parrots. And of course, orange is under this rule. Canned or rotten oranges are always bad and can harm the overall health of any parrot because of the high content preservatives. While rotten orange is rotten, no one would eat it.
And to serve the orange, I recommend serving the sweet oranges because some parrots will dislike the bitter variety. And sometimes, some sweet oranges will be bitter than the usual taste of its variety, so taste first. I am assuming you are serving oranges for the first time, so you don’t want to serve bitter ones and make your parrot dislike it.
Slice a small piece of oranges and serve it with its peel. Make sure that the bird is going to the flesh first, and then you can see if he likes the peel or not, or simply serve without peels.
You can also start eating oranges in front of the bird to get him excited to try this new food, and this is the nature of parrots, so take it to an advantage.
This is for sweet oranges, and for bitter ones, I suggest squeezing them into the water bowl inside the cage. This way you can delete the bitterness, and your parrot may find it more appealing. However, you could try to serve the bitter orange as it was sweet, and see how the bird will react.
Sometimes parrots will like it bitter than sweet, so just try it. And to avoid all the miss, just squeeze the orange into the water and leave your bird to drink of it whenever he wants. However, change the water daily, even if it was pure water. Personally, I just squeeze the juice into the water.
Can Parrots Eat Orange Peel?
Yes, parrots can eat the orange peel, and it’s totally safe and beneficial for them to consume. But the issue here is the bitterness of orange peel that may make the parrot refuse to eat it. However, some parrots may enjoy it and love to pick on it and take small pieces of it, but every parrot is a unique case and you never know whether he likes or hates it until you try.
Can Parrots Eat Orange Seeds?
Yes, seeds are also ok for parrots to consume and benefit from the nutrient comprised in them. In fact, orange seeds are highly beneficial, unlike other seeds of other fruits like apples that contain cyanide, which is really toxic component that could kill if consumed in large quantities.
However, don’t use orange seeds as a major ingredient in your parrot meals. Just let the bird have them when you serve a piece of orange. Other than that, stick to the normal food you are serving, and use the orange or any other fruit like cherries, watermelon, cantaloupe, or pears only as treat from time to time.
Can Parrots Drink Orange Juice?
Absolutely, orange juice is safe for parrots as well. The important thing is to use no commercial juice and always stick to homemade organic justice. The commercial juice may contain sugar and other chemicals that will harm the parrot’s health. You can squeeze an orange into the water bowl, and this is the safest way to serve orange juice to a pet parrot.
Conclusion
In conclusion, parrots can enjoy and eat every part of the orange fruit safely with no problems. The most important thing is to avoid over-serving oranges and never use them as a major ingredient in your parrot diet. Oranges can only be served in moderation to help to diversify the diet, which is recommended for every pet parrot. Using oranges as a snack is also a good idea.
And yes, that’s about it. Hope you found 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.
