Safe Fruit for Birds

Most bird owners have heard from bird experts that a variety of fresh fruits can be a vital part of their feathered friend’s diet. While this is true, it’s important to know which fruits are safe for your bird and which ones provide essential nutrients that can make your pet healthier, stronger, and happier.

Bananas

This long yellow fruit is popular with many birds (and their owners). Its soft, sweet flesh is almost irresistible to many of our feathered friends, and as a bonus, the peel can be a fun toy for your bird that becomes an essential food source.

Berries

All berries suitable for human consumption, such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, can also be eaten by your birds. As you can imagine, this opens up a whole new world of flavor combinations and variety for your bird. Berries are not only tasty and juicy treats, but they are also rich in vitamins and antioxidants that can help your pet have a healthy, strong body.

Apples

Nutritious and delicious, apples can also be a healthy and fun addition to your bird’s diet. However, be careful when serving this treat: apples are completely safe for your bird as long as they are peeled and sliced before serving them to your pet. However, it can quickly become dangerous if your bird catches the core of an apple. Apples belong to the Rosaceae family, and while their flesh is very good for your pet, their seeds contain a toxin that is very poisonous to birds.

Grapes

These fun, bite-sized fruits are popular with birds all over the world, and no wonder. Grapes taste very sweet and contain a relatively high amount of fructose. This means they can give your bird a quick energy boost – but for this very reason, they should be fed in moderation.

Many bird owners have found that their pets like grapes too much and pull them out of fruit mixes, discarding other, more nutritious foods in the process. This can lead to vitamin deficiencies if attention is not paid to what the bird eats. Also, too many grapes too often could lead to obesity and other problems in your bird, so treat your pet with care.

Oranges

Oranges not only taste good, but they also contain a lot of vitamin C, which can boost your bird’s immune system. If that’s not a good reason to treat your feathered friend to some citrus from time to time, we don’t know what is.

Oranges are a good gift if you know your bird is under stress, such as at a vet visit or when you have visitors. They can help boost your pet’s natural resistance to disease a bit. Make sure the oranges you offer your pet are peeled and pitted.

Tip

As with any poultry feed, feeders used to feed fruit to birds should be kept clean and fresh. Fruit should be discarded before it molds in the feeder. Severely rotten fruit should also be picked up and discarded. Be aware that other wildlife such as raccoons, squirrels, and opossums also like to visit fruit-filled feeders. If you want to minimize wildlife visits, don’t overcrowd feeders or bring them in at night so they can’t get to them. Using baffles can also help discourage other wildlife from raiding fruit-filled feeders.

Feeding birds fruit can be a great way to increase the diversity of visitors to your feeders. Just as birds enjoy the colorful fruit you offer them, you will enjoy the colorful birds that take advantage of your fruitful hospitality.