Yes! African greys can eat bananas! Not only does it make for a great snack, but the benefits of adding bananas to part of your bird’s diet can go a long way! Banana makes for a great healthy snack that has little to no side effects!
From stress-relieving properties to potassium, which helps retain water, this fruit is great for adding a few benefits that your greys’ main diet can sometimes lack! Each vitamin and mineral I will go over has incredible benefits that can do amazing things for your bird!
Although fruit and vegetables are only meant to be fed in moderation, try to change it up on a day-to-day basis for your grey to get the full effect of all the many different fruit/veg out there!
Table of Contents
- Can African Greys Eat Bananas?
- Health Benefits Of Bananas For African Greys
- Can African Greys Eat Banana Peels?
- Can African Greys Eat Too Much Banana?
- How Much Banana Should African Greys Eat?
- What Should An African Greys Diet Be?
- Five Foods African Greys Shouldn’t Eat!
- Different Ways To Enjoy Bananas
- The Recap
Can African Greys Eat Bananas?
Absolutely! There are many reasons to add a banana to your greys’ diet! Parrots go “Bananas” (Couldn’t resist) for it! The benefits are amazing! From relieving stress to helping prevent strokes. This fruit is a great addition to their diet.
*Read on to find out if African greys can eat Banana Peels!*
We will cover each vitamin and mineral individually and how they actually help your Feathery friend. From stress-reducing properties from vitamin C to preventing overgrowth of beaks and nails from vitamin A! This incredible fruit has a lot to offer!
Let’s get Into the benefits:
Health Benefits Of Bananas For African Greys
Having pellets being the only food your grey eats is not going to cut it. So feeding your bird other nutritional foods is going to be necessary! Here is why Banana should not be skipped when considering what to feed your bird as a healthy snack!
Here is a list of the vitamins and minerals that Banana has and why this fruit does wonders for your grey: Vitamins A, C, B6, and Potassium!
Vitamin A
- A deficiency of vitamin A leads to the overgrowth of your bird’s beak and nails! Make sure to keep these levels in check!
- Not only does a deficiency of vitamin A lead to overgrowth, but also chipping and flaking of the beak and nails. If left unchecked, this could lead to their nails and beaks breaking (which isn’t pleasant)
Vitamin C
- This is an important vitamin for your grey to have. Vitamin C is great at reducing stress.
- Having a Vitamin C deficiency can be detrimental to your little guys’ overall mental health.
- Vitamin C is great for the immune system and creating antibodies! Which will keep your birdie healthy!
Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B6 is great for breaking down proteins, which is incredibly important for healthy living!
- Lack of Vitamin B6 is known to stunt growth and cause a lack of appetite.
- Egg production can be harder with a lack of vitamin B6. Bananas can help in many ways!
Potassium
- Potassium is great for aiding the speed of their metabolism, as well as helping strengthen bones.
- This mineral is great for reducing blood pressure while at the same time helping to retain water!
- High Potassium diets help prevent strokes as well as keep diseases like osteoporosis and kidney stones at bay.
Can African Greys Eat Banana Peels?
African greys can eat banana peels although, they shouldn’t eat too much as they can’t digest them properly! The real winner when it comes to banana peels is how much fun your bird has playing with them!
From ripping them apart to just getting messy, this newfound toy of theirs will keep them entertained for a while!
Remember to wash the peel if you’re thinking of letting your grey play with it. The peels may be coated with pesticides. While growing bananas in the fields, they coat bananas with pesticides to keep insects away! If you buy organic bananas, this should be less of a problem!
Can African Greys Eat Too Much Banana?
No! African greys can’t eat too much banana! The great thing about bananas is, it’s low in fructose(natural fruit sugars) which is usually quite harmful to birds as they lack the enzyme to break it down properly! Although, the only thing I can say to watch out for is quantity.
Banana is fruit at the end of the day, and fruits should make up only 20% of their daily diet. So moderation is key in this regard!
This leads me on to my next topic.
How Much Banana Should African Greys Eat?
Half of a banana a week is ample. Any more than that, and the benefits of bananas are just wasted, so they should be limited to half a banana a week!
Remember, Banana is a snack and not a meal replacement!
However, try to keep this in mind. Fruits should be given roughly 1-2 times a week and kept as a treat. Read on to find some new ways to feed your little feathery friend something tasty and healthy!
What Should An African Greys Diet Be?
It is usually recommended that you feed your grey roughly 40% of their body weight in food a day. On average, African greys weigh 500grams so the rule of thumb would be about 150grams of food per day, but this is a rough estimate as all birds are different and have different needs.
Here is a shortlist of the essentials for a birds diet:
- Pellets
- Mixed Fruits
- Foraging Toys
- Daily Fresh Water
Pellets
As for what your grey should be eating, doing some research as well as trial and error will be needed as birds can be frustratingly picky. As a base your grey will need anywhere between 1/2 to 1/4 a cup of pellets to fulfill most of what they need to be happy birdies.
(Seeds should not be their main diet as they lack the nutrition needed for a healthy happy birdie)
Now that we covered what the minimum is for a bird’s diet, let’s add in everything else that’s going to help your bird be all they can be.
Mixed Fruits
Pellets are a great start for your birds’ diet as they cover most of your birds’ nutrition, although they will need more! Here’s where mixed fruit and vegetables come in. Greys need a wide variety of foods to be “complete”.
To name a couple of fruits and vegetables that can do wonders for your birdie: Asparagus, Mango, and Cucumber. These are great choices for your little one to benefit from!
“Remember to remove these from their feeding area daily as they spoil quickly“
Here is a great youtube video that you can learn a lot from! “What Smokey eats & more“
Foraging Toys
This is a must when it comes to bird stimulation as well as creating and maintaining good mental health! Foraging toys mimic how a bird would find food in the wild, not only would it keep them happy and active, it provides exercise for their beaks which needs to be well looked after! Continue to the bottom of the article for our best-foraging toys!
Five Foods African Greys Shouldn’t Eat!
Granted not everything on this list is food, but will probably be news to you if you weren’t told or looked into it specifically.
To start off this list of Five:
Eggs:
Stay away from eggs where ever possible, as eggs lead to clogged arteries and possibly life-threatening health conditions.
Teflon:
Birds have a keen sense of smell! Ideally, you want to have your parrots’ cage positioned in an open space away from the smoke of the kitchen and fragrances of Air fresheners.
Many kitchen pots and pans are made from Teflon, which usually is no big deal to humans. However, if overheated and burnt, Teflon emits harmful poisonous gas for birds, and in some serious cases, with no ventilation, it can cause some serious respiratory issues.
Want to know more? My article about African Grey Cages/positioning will have some great information!: African Grey Cage Setup(A helpful Guide To Everything You Need)
Human Processed Junk Foods
It may seem obvious but human junk foods need to be included on this list as some foods that we produce are incredibly toxic for your parrot. We all think “Ah, one bite won’t hurt” but your parrots’ tummy is in no way equipped to handle some of the food we make.
Instead of giving your parrot a bite of the food, you find delicious. Find a natural, GMO-free fruit or vegetable for your parrot to snack on! Everyone wants their bird to be healthy in all aspects of life, they will appreciate it!
Chocolate/Caffeine
Now, these next two. I’ve decided to combine them as chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine. I’m fully aware that chocolate and caffeine are man-made, but they truly do deserve their own paragraphs.
The reason chocolate and caffeine are so dangerous is all due to the size and strength of your parrot’s heart. Birds are only little creatures and really can’t handle the heart palpitations that coffee creates.
Have you ever had anxiety due to the feeling that your heart isn’t beating properly thanks to coffee? (I know I have, although it might be the long nights writing articles and endless cups of coffee)
Please try to remember those feelings next time you think it’s okay that they have a quick drink.
Different Ways To Enjoy Bananas
- As a whole
- Frozen
- Smoothie
- Smushed
Whole
The great thing about bananas, is they come packaged with a great toy for your birdie! In the wild, birds would play and sometimes eat the peel. Don’t be afraid to give them the whole fruit once slightly peeled and let them go “bananas” (Couldn’t resist again) Remember to keep their size in mind about how much you let them partake in.
Frozen
Is it a scorching day? Cut up a portion of banana and chill it in the fridge or freezer to keep them cool for the day! They will appreciate it!
Smoothie
Have some spare bananas? Throw it in a blender, and your bird will go crazy for something different to drink! They will be glad they have something tasty to drink.
Smushed
This is a great way to give your bird some bananas. Cut a banana slice and mash it with a fork into a puree or some lump left to it. This should make it easier for them to pick at!
Interested in more information about bananas? Here is a link to MedicalNewsToday that should have everything you need to know “Click Here“
The Recap
If you’ve made it to the end and are now reading the recap! Thank you. In this section, I like to cover the article’s highlights and go over the necessary information!
Can African Greys Eat Banana?
Yes! African greys can eat bananas! Not only does it make for a great snack, but the benefits of adding bananas to part of your bird’s diet can go a long way!
The Health Benefits Of Banana For African Greys
Here is a list of the vitamins and minerals that Banana has and why this fruit does wonders for your grey: Vitamins A, C, B6, and Potassium! Each vitamin and mineral does wonders for your bird!
How Much Banana Should A African Grey Eat?
A small slice of banana should be plenty for them as a snack, or if you want to share yours, that works perfectly!
Can African Grey Eat Too Much Banana?
No! The great thing about bananas is, it’s low in fructose(natural fruit sugars) which is usually quite harmful to birds as they lack the enzyme to break it down properly! The only thing I can say to watch out for is quantity.
Can African Greys Eat Banana Peels?
Birds can eat banana peels although, they shouldn’t eat too much as they can’t digest them properly! The real winner when it comes to banana peels is how much fun your bird has playing with them!
Interested in more information about Bananas? “Click Here” for an article all about Bananas! From MedicalNewsToday.
Any Questions you have relating to this article or just for me in general, leave a comment down below in the comments section.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert. Some parrots may react differently to different fruits. Please make sure you always slowly introduce a new food into their diet and keep an eye out for any adverse reactions. If your pet does start displaying symptoms of an adverse reaction, please contact your vet for advice.
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