Oranges are one of the most favorite fruits around the globe, and like every pet parent, you also like to share them with your parakeets. But can parakeets eat oranges? If they can, how often and in what amount?
Can Parakeets Eat Oranges?
The answer is, yes, parakeets can definitely eat oranges. This citrus fruit is safe for your birdie and can be given in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
Parakeets are selective eaters. They eat what they like to eat. However, most parakeets enjoy the taste of oranges. If your parakeet does not like to try oranges, don’t be disheartened; give them time, they will try it at their own time.
Oranges are full of nutrition as it contains low calories and fat and relatively high fiber and sugar. But these are not the primary reasons for giving this nutritious fruit to your birdie; there are more benefits of this fruit.
Let us take a closer look!
Health Benefits of Parakeets Eating Oranges
Oranges have a lot of health benefits you may not expect. For example, oranges can relieve the stress of your birdie and calm it down. Oranges also boost the immune system of parakeets.
Furthermore, the primary reason for feeding oranges to the parakeets is the presence of vitamins, essential nutrients, and minerals in oranges.
Let’s talk in detail about the vitamins and minerals that an orange contains.
Read: What Do Parakeets Eat?
Vitamin C
Oranges are best known for their richness in vitamin C and their potential to strengthen the immune system of parakeets. Moreover, when free radicals damage your parakeet’s body, the antioxidants present in oranges reduce these damages. Besides, oranges also help them in preventing early aging and DNA damage.
B Vitamins
Vitamin B9 (folate) and B1 (thiamine) are found in oranges in large amounts. B vitamins are very helpful in keeping the functioning of your parakeet’s metabolism proper and in turning the food into energy.
Potassium
Potassium helps nourish your parakeet’s heart health and helps improve the working of the parakeets’ nervous system.
How Often Can Parakeets Eat Oranges?
Oranges are loaded with naturally occurring fructose sugar that can be very harmful to your little parakeet and result in foul stools and digestive issues. Digesting oranges is difficult for such a small bird because orange chunks seem tiny to us, but it is a lot for a parakeet as it is filled with fructose.
If your parakeet likes oranges, you can give it less than two servings a week to prevent it from consuming too much fructose that can create health issues for him. It applies to all other sugary and juicy fruits.
Can Parakeets Eat Oranges with Peel?
Can parakeets eat oranges with the peel? No, they should not. Do not give your birdie a whole unpeeled orange. Ideally, it is best if you serve a slice of orange to your parakeet with some peel still on it. However, parakeets are smart birds; they know what to eat and what not to eat, so they will only eat the pulp and juicy part of the orange and not the peel.
There might be a case where your parakeet gets a bite of peel. For preventing any accident, wash the fruit before serving it to them as the skin may have pesticides or other chemicals on it.
How Much Orange Can Parakeets Eat?
To ensure that your parakeet is feeding the balanced number of oranges, you should fix days when your birdie can enjoy this tasty treat. In this way, it will be ensured that it is not getting excess of orange. There are several ways to serve this delicious fruit to your feathered friend, to let it enjoy it in different forms. Some are given below:
Peel the Orange
Before serving orange to your parakeet, peel it first, as the skin can contain pesticides and other chemicals that can be harmful to your pet if it eats the skin.
Slice up the Orange
To avoid overeating, the best way is to slice up the orange into smaller pieces. By doing this, you can observe how much your parakeet is eating. If you give a whole orange, it will look tempting, and your birdie can consume a lot of fructose sugar and ascorbic acid.
Furthermore, you should give oranges to your feathered friend as an occasional treat, only once or twice a week. Nevertheless, you must not give spoiled or rotten parts of the oranges.
Remove the Leftover Oranges
You must remove the leftover pieces of oranges from the cage at night as it can invite ants and other insects and bacteria when exposed to open air. If your birdie eats the oranges with bacteria on them, it may fall ill and suffer from serious health issues.
Fresh Juice
Orange juice can be a mouthwatering treat for your parakeet. However, you must dilute the juice with water, and it should be fresh and hand-pressed by you. Avoid giving packet or canned orange juices to your birds, as they contain preservatives that can cause issues for them.
Keep in mind, orange juice is not an alternative to water.
Can Parakeets Eat Oranges’ Seeds?
Can parakeets eat oranges’ seeds? No, they cannot eat seeds because seeds can produce cyanide in the intestines of your parakeets, which can be dangerous. To avoid any unfortunate events, you must ensure that seeds are removed before presenting them to your pet friend.
Conclusion
Now you know everything about feeding oranges to your parakeets. In a nutshell, oranges are safe treats for your birdie, as long as they are offered in moderation. You can surely add this wholesome fruit to your feathered friend’s balanced diet as it can give it the required vitamins and minerals.
