I’ve been trying to eat less meat recently, and so I’ve been making a lot more veggie versions of some of my favorite dishes.
While making chilli the other day, the vegetarian version called for celery, of all things.
I was a bit dubious, but I decided to try it anyway.
While I was cooking, my cockatiel came over and seemed very interested in the celery I had.
I’d never fed him celery before, so I wasn’t sure if it was safe. He was so interested, though, that I had to find out there and then.
So, can cockatiels eat celery?
Yes, celery is totally safe for cockatiels. However, some believe that because they are so watery and dilute, there is very little real nutrition within. Therefore, it’s a lot of work to eat it for not much reward. In any case, moderation is always really important with fresh vegetables.
So, celery is essentially safe for cockatiels, but there are a few caveats.
Some would essentially say that there are other, far better vegetables to incorporate into their diet.
As an occasional treat, though, it is perfectly fine.
Read on to find out more.
Is celery good for cockatiels?
The basic answer is kind of.
Celery is not short of healthy vitamins, minerals, and a number of healing effects.
Before we look at the caveats, let’s look at the potential benefits of feeding celery to your cockatiel.
For one thing, it is a good source of fiber.
There isn’t much beyond the water in celery, but most of what is there is fiber.
Fiber is essential to digestive health, and eating enough fiber is really important to keeping your cockatiel healthy.
Celery is also a great source of antioxidants.
Antioxidants prevent the damage and break down of numerous cells in the body, and protect blood vessels and organs from oxidative damage.
They are also good vehicles for a number of vitamins and minerals.
They are rich in vitamins A, K and C, all of which are essential to the overall function of your cockatiel’s body.
So, celery is full of a great many beneficial nutrients which will be good for your cockatiel.
However, there are more efficient means of getting these nutrients into your cockatiel’s diet.
Let’s look at the potential problems with feeding celery to your cockatiel.
Is celery bad for cockatiels?
It is not, in essence, bad for your cockatiel.
There is nothing actively toxic or harmful in celery to a cockatiel.
It’s generally fine in small amounts.
However, as I said, the thing about celery is that it is frankly mostly water.
Celery stalks are extremely dilute, and all that water means that your cockatiel will feel quite full even from only having eaten a small amount.
Therefore, your cockatiel will feel full without getting the full benefits of the nutrients present in the celery.
For this reason, many advise against feeding cockatiels things like celery or lettuce.
There are much better, more efficient means for getting the fiber, vitamins and minerals from celery into your cockatiel’s diet.
That said, celery is not bad for your cockatiel.
In any case, moderation is always important, and you should only ever feed small amounts of celery as part of a balanced diet.
Can cockatiels eat raw celery?
Raw celery is generally better for cockatiels, as is the case with most vegetables.
There usually isn’t a special reason to cook it. Celery is no different.
Raw celery will provide a taste and a crunch that your cockatiel will prefer over the softer, mushier taste of it cooked.
You should still prepare it carefully.
Always be sure to wash it thoroughly, and you are going to have to chop it up for your cockatiel.
They will have a tough time eating it whole.
Cockatiels don’t always prefer it raw, though.
They may well prefer it cooked.
These birds have very individual personalities, and you shouldn’t try and make them eat raw celery if they don’t seem interested.
So, what about cooked celery, then?
Can cockatiels eat cooked celery?
Again, while there’s nothing inherently dangerous in giving cooked celery to your cockatiel, there’s really no reason to do so either.
They will almost certainly prefer it raw, since they tend to prefer things with a hard crunch.
They don’t have teeth to grind up soft mush—only a hard beak to break chunks off things.
Also, celery may well be cooked in something harmful to a cockatiel, like a certain kind of oil.
So, if you are set on feeding small amounts of celery to your cockatiel, do your best to give it raw.
Conclusion
Overall, then, the simple fact is that there are plenty of far more nutritious vegetables that you could give your cockatiel as a treat.
Celery is nice and crunchy, but it’s so watery and dilute that your cockatiel isn’t getting a great amount of nutrition out of it.
Nonetheless, some cockatiels just know what they like and if they really want celery, you won’t have any problems giving them a small amount.
Just try and make a point of incorporating other fruits and vegetables into their diet as well.
You can also read:
- Can Cockatiels Eat Arugula?
- Can Cockatiels Eat Carrots?
- Can Cockatiels Eat Kale?
- Can Cockatiels Eat Green Beans?
- Can Cockatiels Drink Milk?