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One thing you need to know about keeping a pet bird is what and what not to feed them.
As compared to a cat or dog, a bird is much smaller and more fragile, making it trickier to feed it.
You could end up lose them forever if you feed parakeets one wrong type of food.
However, most birds, including parakeets, love fruits and can eat most of them without harm.
But can parakeets eat watermelon? Is it healthy for them? How much watermelon should you feed your parakeet?
What other fruits are safe for parakeets? Whatever your questions are, you will find the answers in this article.
Do Parakeets Enjoy Eating Watermelon?
Parakeets can certainly eat watermelon.
When you throw summer parties, you can throw some watermelon to your parakeet.
Watermelon is crunchy, sweet, rich in nutrients and easy to bite into, and contains lots of water. They have all the characteristics that parakeets love.
It is hence sporadic to meet a parakeet who doesn’t like eating watermelons.
As long as you feed it to them in moderation, watermelon will prove to be perfect and healthy.
You don’t want your feathered pet to consume too much sugar.
However, parakeets are selective eaters, so it’s not impossible for your pet bird not to like it.
If you feed them watermelon a few times and find it intact after several hours, your parakeet probably does not enjoy them.
Here is a video on amazing facts about parakeet:
You don’t have to force them to eat watermelons if they don’t like it because they are a wide variety of fresh fruit that you can feed them.
Benefits of Eating Watermelon for Parakeets
Watermelons are not only delicious but also very nutritious fruits containing various nutrients and minerals.
It comes from the Cucurbitaceous family that gives it a fruity and green nature. But which of these nutrients are healthy for your parakeet?
- Water
More than ninety percent of watermelon is water, which is one reason the fruit was named watermelon.
This is great for a parakeet to prevent them from getting dehydrated, especially in summers.
- Vitamin C
All animals need strong immunity to survive especially small birds such as the parakeet.
Vitamin C is responsible for enhancing the immunity in parakeets.
Also, vitamin C is essential if your bird pet lacks enough iron as it replaces iron in red blood cell formation whenever needed.
• Vitamin A
Watermelon is one of the fruits containing the highest amounts of vitamin A.
This vitamin is essential for parakeets to help maintain the smooth-running of their respiratory functions.
It’s also crucial for feather regeneration and maintenance processes.
• Protein
Birds, like parakeets, require enough energy in their daily meal. They draw their strength from proteins hence very beneficial to them.
• Potassium
Potassium is beneficial in maintaining the fluid balance in the body of a parakeet.
It also protects and enhances their nervous health.
• Magnesium
Watermelon contains a significant amount of magnesium that helps develop brain neurons, bones, and healthy feathers for your pet bird.
It also improves muscle coordination and heart health.
• Lycopene And Other Antioxidants
Lycopene refers to a plant nutrient containing antioxidant properties and is found in red fruit pigments such as watermelons.
The nutrient enables parakeets to fight against severe health conditions such as cancer and sunburns and is also great for lungs, cardiovascular, and eyes.
Other antioxidants in the watermelon are useful in improving the health of body cells in parakeets.
Other nutrients contained in the watermelon are also beneficial to the health of your bird.
The minerals help in fostering bone, heart, and feather health and its metabolism as well.
Watermelons are hence healthy for your pet bird.
You should feed your parakeet veggies and fruits daily to ensure that they have sufficient beneficial minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins.
How Can You Serve Watermelon To Your Parakeet?
How to serve watermelon to your parakeet is one of the frequently asked questions.
Since the bird is not going to eat the watermelon rind, there is no need to thoroughly wash the fruit.
A nominal wash will be enough. Also, the watermelon seeds can be a choking hazard for the parakeet.
Removing all the seeds from the watermelon beforehand is hence a crucial part of feeding the parakeet.
If you have more than one parakeet, the best thing is to slice the watermelon into two or four significant portions and serve it to them.
They will nibble away on the watermelon together. Alternatively, if you want your parakeet to eat watermelons whole, you should cut it up into small bite-sized pieces that fit into their mouths perfectly.
It can also be a perfect idea to give your bird watermelon by hand.
Another creative way of serving watermelon to your parakeet is to make a fruit salad of watermelon.
You can as well use other fruits in the mix for a sweeter taste.
Your pet bird will undoubtedly love the varied salad more than just the watermelon.
How Many Watermelons Should I Feed My Parakeet?
Watermelon is healthy for parakeets.
However, consuming too much sugar can be unhealthy for all animals, including humans and birds.
When it comes to parakeets, we often mistake the amount they should take.
Parakeets are much smaller than humans and can take a minimal amount of sugar without hindering their health.
If your pet bird consumes watermelon regularly, they can have diabetes.
Some of the symptoms to look out for if you think your pet bird may be having diabetes include; abrupt weight fluctuation, seizures and coma, infections, and increased thirst.
You might notice that the parakeet’s water bowl is empty sooner than usual, and the bird pee more often.
Diabetes will often kill your parakeet; hence, it’s imperative to feed your pet bird’s watermelon in moderation.
Should Parakeets Eat Watermelon Seeds
Watermelon seeds do not contain toxic compounds that can be harmful to the health of a parakeet.
This is unlike the apple seeds that can be harmful to a parakeet’s health.
However, the watermelon seeds are also a potential choking hazard to your bird.
Hence, it’s advisable to eliminate all the seeds from the watermelon before you put it into your parakeet’s cage. A seedless watermelon will give you peace of mind.
Nevertheless, if there is any seed left in the fruit, you should allow the bird to feed on it as it is an excellent source of copper, zinc, folate, magnesium, and potassium.
Can Parakeets Eat Watermelon Rind
The watermelon Rind refers to the outer skin of the watermelon.
The rind has no toxins and therefore poses no risk to your parakeet.
In fact, it is an excellent source of fiber and citrulline, an amino acid responsible for reducing muscle fatigue.
Nevertheless, the watermelon rind is much harder and more rigid as compared to other fruits.
Even if you chop it into smaller pieces, it can potentially chock your parakeet.
It can also be full of pesticides if not organically grown, which may be harmful to their health.
It is hence best to take away the rind before giving the watermelon to your pet bird.
You can also chop the watermelon into significant chunks so that your parakeet can eat the flesh part and ignore the rind without having to remove it.
How About Watermelon Juice
Watermelon juice is very healthy and suitable for your parakeet.
You only need to blend a little chunk of watermelon and serve it to your parakeet.
Birds will, however, tend to pee frequently because of their fast-acting digestive systems.
The diet determines the consistency of your pet bird pee; hence feeding it a lot of watermelon juice will translate into super messy stools.
Feed your parakeet watermelon juice with moderation. Your parakeet can do with only a ¾ of a watermelon cup juice.
Other Fruits That Are Safe For Parakeets
You can feed many fruits to your pet bird, but as is the case with watermelons, you should ensure that they are entirely safe.
This means avoiding those that they might cause choking, digestive imbalances, dangerous level of sugar content, and those that may contain pesticides.
Besides watermelon, you can also feed your different parakeet kinds of melons, including; honeydew, cantaloupe, winter melon, and Galia.
Other examples of fruits safe for your parakeet include Blueberries, mango, bananas, apples, tangerines, pineapple, cherries, apricots, and tropical fruits.
Just ensure to slice the fruit and remove the seeds that may choke and sop up extra liquid, particularly with the juicy tropical fruits.
Conclusion
We hope we have answered your questions about feeding watermelons to your parakeet.
Watermelons provide a delicious and healthy nosh for your parakeets, particularly on hot summer days.
They are crunchy in taste, soft, and easy to eat.
You just require to remove the seeds, and you are okay to serve them to your pet bird.
However, you should not overfeed your parakeets on watermelon. Comment below if you have any questions.
