I was out at the supermarket with my son the other day when he started asking me about all the varieties of orange.
There is a lot, and sometimes it can be difficult to know which one is which.
Our cockatiel loves oranges, he told me, but he had never tried a mandarin before and wondered whether it would be the same, if he would still enjoy it.
I wasn’t sure if there was much difference, so I decided to look into it and find out.
So, can cockatiels eat mandarins?
Yes, cockatiels love mandarins! Mandarins are totally safe, tasty and filled with many health benefits for your cockatiel. They will love the taste and the texture and they make a great treat. They should be a treat, though, and not a regular food—moderation is really important.
So, however, you look at it, mandarins are great for your cockatiel as long as you don’t feed them too much.
Fresh fruit is an essential part of a cockatiel’s diet, and you should do your best to get as much variety in there as possible.
That said, you should also be careful of just how much they are getting.
Let’s look further into this.
Are mandarins good for cockatiels?
Yes, mandarins are great for cockatiels!
It’s important just to quickly distinguish that mandarins are treated as a distinct species of orange—it’s not just another name for the same thing.
In any case, first and foremost, cockatiels love the taste of citrus.
They will love eating mandarins, and this is definitely the most important part of a good treat!
Beyond that, mandarins are rich in fiber.
Fiber is essential to the overall healthy flow of the gut and digestive system.
A good amount of fiber in their diets will keep them healthy.
Beyond that, mandarins are also incredibly rich in Vitamin C.
This is essential to the overall function of the immune system, and a good amount of vitamin C in their diet will keep them from getting ill often.
They are also rich in many essential minerals, such as potassium, magnesium and copper.
Minerals serve a variety of functions in the body, from bone strength, to blood and virtually anything you can think of.
Getting these minerals into your cockatiel’s diet can be tricky—mandarins are a great source!
So, mandarins are clearly very nutrient rich.
With that in mind, it’s important that you remember to keep moderation in mind.
Are mandarins bad for cockatiels?
Mandarins are in no way bad for cockatiels in and of themselves.
However, too much of any good thing will become problematic quickly.
You shouldn’t feed your cockatiel very large amounts of any fresh fruit, but rather once or twice a day as a treat.
Mandarin should only be fed once or twice a week.
This will keep your cockatiel from getting bored, and will grant it a wider range of benefits.
Mandarins, and citrus in general, are very acidic.
This can also be a problem, so again, we only advise feeding mandarins in very small amounts.
Can cockatiels eat mandarin peel?
For the most part, cockatiels probably won’t be interested in the peel—certainly not if the flesh of the fruit is there, too.
That said, some may happen to enjoy it.
You could leave it out for them, then, just to try it.
They may well enjoy it, but they will probably just ignore it.
There are no real benefits to eating the peel, so don’t feel too worried if your cockatiel will not eat the peel.
You can just discard it and let it get on with eating the rest of the fruit.
What about the seeds, then?
Cockatiels love seeds, as any cockatiel owner will tell you.
Can cockatiels eat mandarin seeds?
Yes, they can, and they are much more likely to do this than eating the peel.
Seeds are a big part of a cockatiel’s diet, so there’s no reason to take the seeds out.
They will enjoy eating them, too!
Again, though, they may simply ignore them—cockatiels do have very particular tastes, so some may like them more than others.
In any case, you can just leave them in and see what happens.
Your cockatiels may or may not eat them—but again, don’t worry too much if they don’t.
All the main benefits of the fruit is in the flesh.
Mandarins are an all-round great snack for your cockatiel, then. they are rich in nutrients of all kinds, they taste great, and your cockatiel will love them as part of a balanced diet.
This issue of balance is always the most important thing, though—you need to swap mandarin out for other things in your cockatiel’s diet.
Too much of any one thing will make your cockatiel bored, and it won’t be getting the same range of benefits.
You can also read:
- Can Cockatiels Eat Bananas? (Are They Safe?)
- Can Cockatiels Eat Strawberries? (Do They Like Them?)
- Can Cockatiels Eat Watermelon? (Answered!)
- Can Parakeets Eat Bread? (Is It Safe?)
- Why Is My Male Cockatiel Attacking The Female? (Explained!)