It is a known fact that bananas improve the digestive system in humans because of their high fiber content and also provide other important nutrients as well. Keeping parrots as a pet, you must be wondering to determine if you can serve bananas to your parrots and whether this will benefit your bird or not.
Whole banana including the skin is the safest fruit for parrots, It`s been observed that parrots love to eat banana skins since they are tasty, rubbery, and contain a lot of nutrients. We advise all pet owners to avoid offering banana peel to birds if it has not grown organically because of pesticides.
Is Banana Good For Parrots
Fresh bananas are rich in nutrients that are good for the wellness of parrots. Let us look at what benefits can banana provide to your parrot.
Improves Eyesight, Reproductive System, and Skin
Vitamins A, B6, and C in bananas improve the eyesight, reproduction, and skin health of parrots. These vitamins also enable the bird’s immune system to fight against diseases related to skin and eyes,
Strengthen the Bone Structure
Magnesium in bananas contributes significantly to healthy bone structure such as strong beaks and strong wings. A deficiency of magnesium will cause lethargy and stunted growth in young birds and even result in the death of your parrot.
Strengthen the Muscles
Potassium is one of the important minerals in bananas for your parrot as deficiency of this mineral can weaken muscle growth or even lead to paralyzing your pet.
Remember to provide a properly managed diet to your pet which includes all nutrients for nurturing a healthy bird.
Nutritional Value of Bananas
The nutrition facts for 1 medium-sized banana (100 grams) are:
- Sugar: 12.2 grams
- Protein: 1.1 grams
- Carbs: 22.8 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
- Calories: 89
- Fiber: 2.6 grams
- Water: 75%
Potential Risks of Bananas:
Even though banana is a healthy fruit option for your parrots but there are some risks attached to over-ripen bananas and conventionally grown banana peels.
Rotten bananas contain high sugar content that is harmful to your parrots.
Banana peels are sprayed with pesticides for preventing pest attacks and pesticide contains chemicals that are bad for human and birds alike therefore always offer organically grown banana peels to your parrots.
How to Serve Bananas to your Parrots?
You can serve bananas to your pet in various ways as mentioned below,
Serving Fresh Bananas
You can peel the banana and hand feed the pulp to your parrot as this will stop your pet from making a mess of the fruit and grow your bonding as well.
Serving Sliced Bananas
It is difficult for parrots to consume whole bananas therefore making slices would enable you to serve them in limited amounts and avoid wastage. You can serve sliced bananas as it becomes easier for them to eat.
Raw Banana Powder
Unrippen bananas are more healthy in comparison to ripen bananas however your parrot might not like to get a bite of hard banana pulp therefore you can sprinkle the green banana powder on the seed mix of your parrot.
You can purchase raw banana powder from the market or make it in the home as well. You can also increase the frequency of giving them powder because of the low sugar and high fiber content.
Is Banana Peel Good For The Parrot?
However you can serve organic banana peels in small slices, but you need to ensure they are washed properly. Organic banana peels can improve antioxidant levels and aid in lowering cancer risk.
Can Parakeet Eat Bananas?
The best way to provide vitamins and minerals to parakeets is to give them fruits such as bananas along with their daily feed. Parakeet loves eating a banana and their peels.
Can Lovebird Eat Bananas?
Yes, I offer this yummy fruit to my lovebirds but they only eat a small portion of bananas as a snack. However, you should only serve them occasionally because of the sugar content.
Can Cockatiels Eat Bananas?
Being an owner of cockatiels, you might have figured out that cockatiels consume a little number of fruits in their daily routine. Besides that they also require varieties in their daily diet, hence serving fresh bananas is more appropriate than dried bananas.
You can serve both fruit & skin to your cockatiels. However, it`s noted that cockatiels favor fruits more than their skins.
Can African Grey Parrot Eat Bananas?
The African grey is a bigger specie of parrot that originated from central Africa. They eat different fruits in the wild and banana is one of them. My grey parrot prefers to eat bananas over other fruits. It is a perfect healthy snack for him.