As a bird owner, I assume you already know that fruits and vegetables are important for the health of your parrot.
Having a parrot at home is a thrilling experience because they are highly sociable birds that can learn from human beings.
That being said, parrots love sharing foods with humans and will eat a lot of meals that you and your family eat.
However, the problem is that not all foods that we humans eat are good for parrots.
Some like cheese, avocado, and coffee can kill our parrot immediately.
For this reason, it is important to understand foods that are safe and not safe for your parrot.
So, what fruits and vegetables can you share with your parrot?
Can parrots eat cherries?
If yes, what are the benefits and how much should they eat?
If they can’t eat cherries, what is the reason for this?
All these questions and many others have been answered in this article, so make sure you read till the end.
The answer is, yes, parrots can eat cherries. Cherries are safe for parrots to consume, however, you will need to cut them and remove the pits before feeding your parrots. This is because cherry pits contain some traces of cyanide, which is highly poisonous not only to parrots but also to humans.
If you got your parrot from the wild, its instincts can help them avoid harmful foods, but if your bird was brought up domestically, it relies on your knowledge of harmful and safe foods.
What is the nutritional value of cherries for your parrot?
These small, round, dark-red stone fruits are packed with loads of antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for the health of your parrot.
Cherries also contain vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, calcium, and folic acid.
They are also known to be a great source of fiber.
So, how are all these nutrients, fiber, and vitamins contained in cherries help your parrot?
Let’s find out.
Vitamin C
Cherries are known to contain high contents of vitamin C, which is an essential micronutrient required for the overall health of your bird.
Vitamin C has been found to be an immune system booster, as well as help lower blood pressures, maintain healthy levels of blood sugar, prevent cataracts, and enhance the health of the heart.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is essential in boosting the health of the feathers and dermis, and also plays a major role in brightness as well as the overall health of your parrot.
Iron
Dark-red cherries contain high iron contents, which are essential in the production of hemoglobin for the blood to effectively transmit oxygen to the rest of the body.
However, too much iron is not good, just like too little is also not good.
Calcium
All birds need calcium in their body.
Cherries are packed with calcium, which can help your parrot in a number of ways.
Calcium is needed for the healthy development of bone and beaks.
It is also needed for maintaining normal heart rhythm and enhances the nervous system.
Magnesium
Magnesium helps the body absorb other minerals such as calcium properly, thus, ensuring the development of bines and beaks, as well as the production of keratin which is essential for the health of skin and feathers.
Anti-inflammatory substances
Cherries are also known for containing anti-inflammatory features due to high levels of vitamin C and polyphenols – powerful antioxidants that protect against heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Another antioxidant known as anthocyanins is also present in cherries and is responsible for giving these fruits their dark-red color.
Aside from making cherries look good, anthocyanins also help protect against certain types of cancer, heart disease, and obesity.
Why can’t parrots eat cherry pits?
While cherries themselves are safe for parrots to eat, their pit should not be given to birds because the pits, as well as the seeds, contain small traces of the cardiac-toxic cyanide element.
Sometimes parrot would only chew on cherry pits and spit once it gets to the layer that is bitter.
If your parrot swallows the pits, you may be required to act upon it.
However, the seriousness of the result depends on the amount of pit the parrot ingested as well as its size.
In some cases, a healthy parrot would just metabolize the cyanide, but still, you should take it to the avian vet to be checked immediately.
Generally, the vet will check if the kidney and liver are still in good condition.
The telling signs that things are not alright is when your avian pet start wobbling, vomiting, and changing in the color of droppings.
Eating cherry pits can kill your parrot instantly, especially if the pit had a high concentration of cyanide, so it is advisable to take your bird to the vet immediately if you suspect it has swallowed a cherry pit.
Can parrots drink cherry juice?
Yes, you can give cherry juice to your parrot.
There are two ways to do this; first is by giving it as a drink or second; mixing it with seeds or other fruits.
The juice of fruits is the richest available source of vitamins, enzymes, and minerals.
Also, parrots are naturally adapted to integrate their minerals, vitamins, and enzymes from fresh fruits and other plants, and so, fresh juice of these fruits, including cherries, is equivalent to the mineral, vitamin, enzyme cocktail that your avian pet considers a treat.
And since juicing remove fiber from the fruits, the essential nutrients and phytochemicals found in cherries are easily absorbed into the digestive system of your parrot.
For your parrot juice, buy organically produced cherries.
Remove the pits and squeeze them to produce the juice.
The best thing about feeding parrot cherry juice is that you don’t have to worry about your bird swallowing the pits since you would have already removed them before juicing.
Can parrots eat dried cherries?
Yes, parrots can eat dried cherries.
However, watch out that it does not eat too much since dried cherries usually shrink after the water evaporates.
Nevertheless, dried cherries are the best way to treat your parrot when cherries are out of season.
However, when buying dried cherries, watch out for those that are preserved using sulfur dioxide.
Will parrot droppings turn red out of eating cherries?
This is possible and also normal. When you see your parrot produce red droppings after eating cherries, don’t be alarmed.
The color will go back to normal after your parrot flushes all of the cherries out of its digestive system.
How can I feed cherries to parrots without causing a mess?
The combination of parrots and cherries can only end in one way; a mess all over the place.
Thankfully, there are several ways to feed your birdie and keep your house clean.
First, remove the pits from the cherries and chop them into smaller pieces.
Put them in a bowl and serve them to your parrot.
It is not easy to cut cherries into small pieces since they are already tiny.
However, keep in mind that this is only one of the few ways to feed cherries to your bird without causing a mess.
Another way to feed cherries to your parrot while minimizing mess is by offering them one by one with your hand.
While this can be tiresome, it is probably the easiest way to feed your bird without messing up your home.
Are there traces of pesticides in cherries?
Aside from the pits, the pesticide is the other thing that can kill your parrot if it is in the cherries.
Unfortunately, almost all vegetables and fruits are sprayed with pesticides that can harm your bird.
The best advice I can give you is to buy locally grown organic cherries.
Organically grown cherries are safe not only to your parrot but also to you.
If you can’t find organically produced cherries, then it is advisable to feed your parrot other types of organically grown fruits.
Remember cherries pose a double threat to your parrot – pesticides and pits – so be careful with the cherries that you feed to your parrot.
You can try to wash the fruits, but if the pesticides have already reached the flesh of the fruit, there is no amount of washing that can remove these harmful substances.