Summer is in full force! How are you doing? Is your bird having a good summer too? I have some recipes that will help you continue the summer festivities!
Birds have extremely efficient digestive tracts which cause some birds to be sensitive to synthetic additives, preservatives, and pesticides, so hop in the car and head to a nearby Farmers Market to take advantage of organic products that your bird will love. Summers can be hot and humid and just like people, your bird will need healthy, refreshing, and fresh bird treats to help him or her stay cool.
But, remember, for your bird’s safety, always remove fresh food offering after a few hours. Be especially cautious of bacterial growth in the summer months. Not sure what produce makes great parrot treats? Well, read on, friend.
Fresh Fruits That Parrots Love
Fresh fruits are a great summer snack that will give your bird cool nutrients that are hard to find in the winter. We’ve compiled a list of delicious fruits that birds love. Keep in mind that many fruits are loaded with sugars so keep the servings to only about 10-15% of your birds daily diet. If you want to serve fresh, Farmers Market fruit throughout the fall and winter months, simply explore freeze-drying or dehydrating fruits. Regular freezing just makes for a mushy mess.
An easier alternative is to switch to Goldenfeast Tropical Fruit Blend when fresh fruit isn’t available. This bird-safe, a preservative-free treat is freeze-dried. Even if your fruit is labeled organic, please wash it thoroughly to remove yucky bacteria and make sure it is safe. Make sure that you wash all fruit prior to feeding to make the food safe for your pet bird, as birds are highly prone to infections. And, remember that seeds from the rose family contain cyanide; which is extremely dangerous to all animals, but especially birds.
Safe, Nutritious Fresh Fruits That Bird’s Love
- Grapes
- Bananas
- Apples: Remove all seeds from apples and other members of the rose family. (Cherries, peaches, pears, and apricots)
- Pears– Remove seeds.
- Pomegranates · Summer berries
- Watermelon · Cherries– Remove seeds.
- Peaches– Remove seeds
- Apricots– Remove seeds.
- Mangos, papaya, kiwi, banana’s, melons and small amounts of citrus are also parrot favorites.
Refrain from feeding your parrot canned fruits. And, never feed your parrot avocados. They contain Persin, which is toxic to birds.
Try This Cool Parrot Treat Recipe!
Mix a range of fresh fruits and allow their natural juices to form a paste and place in ice-trays to freeze. This makes a great treat while at the same time cooling your bird down. Colorful Vegetables Make For Healthy Parrots. Stock Up At Your Farmers Market.
Fresh Nutritious Vegetables For Birds
Vegetables have much less sugar in them and are nutrient-rich, too. It has been said that the darker the leaf, the more your bird will be attracted to a vegetable and the healthier it will be. Our Avian Vet tells us to give Peachy, Smokey and the flock green, orange and red vegetables as much as possible. Some suitable fresh vegetables for your pet bird include:
- Spinach & Kale – a great source of iron
- Spring cabbage – the leafy darker green variety
- Cucumber – refrigerated
- Corn-on-the-Cob -the sweet kernels are so fun to forage
- Peppers – can be refrigerated and eaten raw.
- Carrots
- Broccoli – can be eaten raw after being refrigerated
- Tomatoes – without leaves and stems.
Try This Veggie Parrot Treat, Too!
Cooked beans (never use uncooked beans with your birds) can be chilled and mixed with other veggies such as cucumbers, tomato flesh and peppers for a cool tasty treat for your bird. Also remember that, as with fresh fruit, you should wash all fresh vegetables thoroughly, even if they are organic, before serving them to your bird.
What types of treats to you make or buy for your bird? Let us know!
Mahalo,
Paco
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