I was out having dinner with some friends the other night and decided to order a mango sorbet for dessert.
I’ve always loved mango, but don’t have it around so much, so I decided to treat myself.
We are all parrot owners, and we got talking about snacks that we feed our parrots—my friend, on hearing my decision, asked if I’d ever given my parakeets mango.
I wasn’t sure if it was safe, I said, and I had never really thought about it. I decided to look into it.
So, can parakeets eat mango?
Yes, parakeets can eat mango. It is perfectly safe for them, and packed with many nutritional benefits. Moderation is really important, though, as it is high in sugar and otherwise very nutritionally rich. Only give them mango as an occasional treat and not a staple.
So, the short answer is yes, parakeets can eat mango.
It’s good for them and they will almost certainly love it.
The more complex answer is that they can, but only in strict moderation and as part of a balanced diet.
If they eat too much it will become problematic quickly.
Let’s look further into this.
Is mango good for parakeets?
Yes, it is, in many ways!
The best thing about mango is that it is really sweet and tasty, and it will do wonders for your parakeet’s mood to have it incorporated into their diet.
They will love them, and be happy to eat them, for the most part.
Parakeets are, after all, highly individual, and so you may find that yours doesn’t really care for them.
This is unlikely, though.
Beyond that, though, mangoes come with many great health benefits.
Like all fruits, they are a great source of fiber.
Fiber is really important for overall digestive health, and helps everything move smoothly through the gut.
They are also rich in many healthy vitamins, from B6, to A, E, K and C. these all serve a variety of functions in the body, but Vitamin C is a particularly strong antioxidant.
Antioxidants prevent the formation of free radicals in your parakeet’s cells, which degrade them over time and cause damage.
Mangoes help prevent that.
Mangoes are also a good source of many essential minerals, like potassium, copper, magnesium and thiamine.
Again, these minerals serve a huge variety of functions in the body, from regulation of blood pressure to movement of oxygen to tissue development.
All of this said, though, there are some very important caveats to consider.
Is mango bad for parakeets?
No, mango is not inherently bad for parakeets.
It doesn’t contain anything that will cause them immediate harm, and is not toxic.
That said, the most important thing when it comes to feeding your parakeets mango is moderation.
The fact that mango is so nutrient-rich means your parakeets only need to eat a small amount before they have extracted most of the benefits they can.
Any more than that, and they will become oversaturated with the nutrients, and ultimately unhealthy.
Once or twice a week, at most, is plenty—swap mango out with other treats during the rest of the week for the best balance.
It’s also worth mentioning that mangoes are very high in sugar content.
This will become quickly problematic for parakeets if eaten in large quantities, so, again, occasionally, as a treat, in small amounts.
There are many parts to a mango, though—so can a parakeet eat all of them?
Can parakeets eat mango seeds?
Not really, no.
Unlike a lot of fruits, a mango seed is a single, large, hard husk, and not lots of little seeds.
This makes it really quite impractical for a parakeet to eat, and harder to digest.
If they do seem particularly interested in it and start pecking at it, you can leave it for them, but they probably won’t be bothered.
You could grind it up if you wanted, though there’s no huge benefit for your parakeets to doing so.
Can parakeets eat mango skin?
Yes, they can eat the skin no problem.
The skin on a mango is not very thick, so your parakeet will enjoy picking it off with its beak.
It will also eat the flesh with the skin on, and not really notice much difference.
That said, if just given a whole mango, they will go for the flesh more the skin.
What about the leaves?
Can parakeets eat mango leaves?
If your mango has some leaves on it, then these are also perfectly safe for your parakeets.
They are not hugely nutritious, but again, if your parakeet seems keen on them, there’s no reason to stop them from trying.
Mango leaves are good as a bit of extra fiber, but they don’t contain a lot of other nutrition beyond that.
Most store-bought mangoes don’t tend to come with leaves on them, but if you’re lucky enough to have your own mango tree, then you can give them with the leaves and all.
Conclusion
Mango is a really great treat for your parakeets, then, and they will love eating them.
All parakeets do have their preferences, though, so some may prefer them more than others.
In any case, it’s really important that you keep moderation in mind.
If they eat too much mango it can cause any number of problems, and you want to avoid that by keeping its diet balanced and healthy.
As long as you stick to that rule, you’ll have no problem with feeding your parakeets mango.