I came home from the store the other day with a beautiful fruit salad.
Gorgeous strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, and grapes, all ripe and ready to eat.
Knowing my birds love a fresh, sweet treat, I thought about sharing some of my snack with my new parakeet.
The grapes are my least favorite part and would be perfect for splitting with my feathered friend.
But just to be safe I decided I should check, can parakeets eat grapes?
I found out that yes, parakeets can eat grapes. They are a great treat for your parakeet. They are mostly water and have a high fructose, or sugar, content. So grapes shouldn’t be the main meal for your parakeet, but they make a fantastic, energizing reward.
We know you put a lot of thought and care into your parakeet’s diet.
Let’s examine the benefits and drawbacks of sharing some grapes with your pet parakeet.
Are Grapes Nutritious For Parakeets?
Besides being tasty, grapes provide some essential vitamins and nutrients for parakeets.
Grapes are high in vitamins A, C, and K, as well as many B vitamins.
They are also high in minerals like potassium, which parakeets need.
The part your parakeet might like best is probably the fructose, or sugar.
The high level of fructose in grapes will give your parakeet lots of energy.
However, the sugar is also why you should make sure grapes are just a treat.
Too many grapes and too much fructose could make your parakeet gain weight.
Are Grapes Safe for Parakeets?
Overall, grapes are safe for parakeets to eat.
There are a few things to consider, like the size of the grapes and whether you can cut them up to make it easier for your parakeet to enjoy grapes safely.
As with any fruit, you may also worry about pesticides.
Grapes have a waxy skin that can retain the substances they have come in contact with.
You should always wash your grapes and any fresh food you are feeding your parakeet.
Another option is peeling your grapes, which we’ll discuss further in the section on grape preparation.
Additionally, you should remove any grapes your parakeet hasn’t eaten after about two hours.
You don’t want your parakeet to eat any fruit that has spoiled from being at room temperature for too long.
Can I Feed My Parakeet Grape Seeds?
Seedless grapes might be simpler for your parakeet to eat, but you can also feed them grapes that do have seeds.
Always take size into account when you are feeding your parakeet.
Your youngest, smallest bird might not be able to digest the grape seeds yet.
It’s better to save the seeded grapes for your adult parakeets.
Which Grapes Are The Best For My Parakeet?
Your parakeet can eat any variety of grape.
We know they love grapes because they are sweet.
If you have the option to try out a few kinds of grapes yourself you can find which type and batch are the sweetest in your area.
This way you’ll know you’ve got the sweetest treat to please your parakeet.
Because we’re always concerned about pesticides and toxins you might consider buying organic grapes.
The organic producers of grapes should be using a smaller range of pesticides on their farms, but there are many approved pesticides for organic farmers.
Organic produce may still come from farms that have to take pest control measures, so we’ll also look at the option to peel your grapes.
How Do I Know If My Parakeet Likes Grapes?
If your grapes are ripe, your parakeets should love them!
They can’t resist that fructose sugar.
In fact, they might like the grapes so much they won’t eat their normal food!
Make sure grapes and other sweet treats are just that – a treat – and not something you feed every day, even if your parakeet seems to insist on them.
When you do offer your parakeet a grape treat you can mix the grapes with their normal food to encourage them to eat both their dinner and dessert, so to speak.
How Do I Prepare Grapes For My Parakeet?
For starters, you can help your parakeet get to the good stuff in the grapes by cutting them up.
This keeps the grapes manageable and enjoyable.
If you are preparing this treat for a young parakeet and you happened to buy grapes with seeds you should consider removing the seeds to be safe.
You don’t want to feed seeds to a parakeet that can’t digest them yet.
Are Pesticides On Grapes Dangerous For My Parakeet?
We also mentioned the concerns about pesticides on fruit like grapes.
You can wash your grapes with a fruit wash which should help.
You can buy fruit wash or make it yourself by mixing one part vinegar with three parts water.
However, because grapes have that waxy skin, the safest thing to do is peel your grape before feeding your parakeet.
Most of the toxins that may have landed on your grapes while growing will reside in or on the skin.
Peeling grapes means you’re removing the biggest carrier of those pesticides.
Can Parakeets Eat Dried Grapes Or Raisins?
Yes, parakeets can also eat dried grapes, which are also marketed as raisins.
However, you should remember that a dried grape has more concentrated sugar and does not carry the benefits of being largely water-based.
In the case of raisins or dried grapes you need to be even more careful about keeping the serving size small for your parakeet so they don’t get too much fructose.
In short, grapes are a good, fun treat to share with your parakeet.
Grapes have many benefits and can be part of a well-rounded diet for a healthy parakeet.
Be sure to follow some simple steps like washing, peeling, and cutting your grapes before feeding them to your parakeet.
A few simple precautions will mean your parakeet can enjoy their grapes and you won’t have to worry about them.
They will almost certainly thank you for the tasty dessert!
You can also read:
- Can Parrots Eat Eggplant? (Answered!)
- Do Lovebirds Make Good Pets? (Find Out!)
- Can Cockatiels Eat Yogurt?
- Can Parakeets Eat Pineapple? (Revealed!)
- Can Parakeets Eat Pistachios? (Answered!)