Not only can Cockatiels eat apples, but they are great for them too! However, remember to wash and deseed them first as apple seeds can be a problem for birds, and so can the pesticides, so be sure to read the dirty dozen section for more information!

From stress relief to protecting their nervous system, apples make a great addition to your cockatiels’ diet! Read on to see exactly how much apple you should be feeding your cockatiel as well as what to do if you might have been giving them too much apple!

If you’re interested in another useful article, try “Are Cockatiels Loud? (Tips To Keep Your Cockatiel Quiet)” This article is bound to have some interesting information!

Table of Contents

Can Cockatiels Eat Apples?

Cockatiels can eat apples and love them too! The great thing about fruits, and you’ll find I say this for most of my fruit and vegetable articles, they can be used to boost the nutrient levels of your bird that pellets can sometimes lack, as well as make a great tool for bonding and behavioral training!

I will get into how each amazing vitamin and mineral found in apples is helping your bird in the next section, but for now, I’m going to give you a tip for bonding with your Cockatiel with an apple!

Most Cockatiels will do really well with apple slices and come to really enjoy them. So for this snack, bonding can be a great benefit to the already great fruit! Since Birds have flock mind built into them, what you want to do is make all meals as interactive as possible!

Place your Cockatiels on your shoulder or top of their cage and let them eat from your hand, this will greatly improve Trust, bonding, and friendliness all just from a 30 second feeding time fun!

Now, onto the incredible benefits of apple!

The Health Benefits Of Apples For Cockatiels

Having pellets being the only food your cockatiels eats is not going to cut it. So feeding your cockatiels other nutritional foods is going to be necessary! Here is why apples should not be skipped when you are considering what to feed your bird!

Here is a list of the vitamins and minerals that apples have and why apples do wonders for your cockatiels: Vitamin C, Potassium, Manganese, and Copper.

Vitamin C

  • This is an important vitamin for your cockatiels 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!

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 keeping diseases like osteoporosis and kidney stones at bay.

Manganese

Magnesium has similar benefits to vitamin A. This keeps their Beaks, Bones, and feathers in good nick. Sounds great right? Here’s more:

  • What sets magnesium apart is that not only does it keep the outside healthy, but the insides working how they’re meant to.
  • Magnesium keeps the nerve impulses, muscle coordination, and the brain’s neurons in order. 
  • The heart! Magnesium keeps the heart-healthy. So remember to keep magnesium part of their diet.

Copper

  • Copper is great for making red blood cells and looking after blood vessels!
  • The nerves, immune system, and bones are included in the list of things copper looks after and keeps healthy!
  • A copper deficiency can lead to bone deformation.

How Much Apple Can Cockatiels Eat?

When it comes to how much apple you should be feeding a cockatiel, remember to take their size into account! Usually, a Slice of an apple every two or three days once washed and deseeded, should be plenty for one cockatiel!

Try to find an organic apple that is not so sweet as fructose (which is natural sugars) can be a problem for a cockatiel’s belly! But we will cover this in the next two sections.

So as a quick recap:

  • Wash your apples first.
  • Deseed them before feeding them.
  • Try to find apples that are not sweet due to the fructose.
  • Let your bird enjoy!

Can Cockatiels Eat Apple Seeds?

Unfortunately, apple seeds are toxic to birds as apples have a toxin called cyanide, which gets released once chewed. It is best to avoid feeding them apple seeds. The good thing is, you should only be feeding your cockatiel a slice of an apple, so when you cut up your apple, it should only take two seconds to deseed.

Apple seeds aren’t a problem for humans as the amount released is not enough to harm us, although birds are much smaller, so their little bodies can’t handle the amount released.

Can Cockatiels Eat Too Much Apple?

Cockatiels can eat too much apple in the sense that it would unbalance their diet as well as their tummies! Depending on the apple brand (sweetness), it may upset their tummy, which will be a very watery clean-up! Not fun.

So be mindful when feeding your cockatiel apple, and be sure to have a look at their droppings. If it is the same as usual, then great, but if things do get a bit liquid, here are a few things you can do to get things running a bit more smoothly.

  • Change the apple brand.
  • Reduce the amount of liquid they consume. Keep their water bowls full, reduce the amount of watery food they eat.
  • Add more fiber to their diet to harden things up again.

The Dirty Dozen

A CNN article linked “here” says, “After strawberries, the “dirty dozen,” in order, are apples, nectarines, peaches, celery, grapes, cherries, spinach, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers.” This article is definitely worth a read!

In short, remember to wash your apples first to get rid of any nasty pesticides that could be harmful to your cockatiels! Buying organic can help reduce this, but I usually wash them regardless, to be sure!

This leads me to my last and final section.

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 Cockatiels Eat Apples?: Cockatiels can eat apples. Just remember to wash the skin and deseed them first! This way, there will be nothing to worry about.

The Health Benefits Of Apples For Cockatiels: The vitamins and minerals that apples have can do amazing things for your cockatiel! From Stress relief to protect their mental health, each one of these “Vitamin C, Potassium, Manganese, and Copper” have incredible benefits for your bird.

How Much Apple Should Cockatiels Eat: When it comes to how much apple you should be feeding a cockatiel, remember to take their size into account! Usually, a Slice of an apple every two or three days once washed and deseeded, should be plenty for one cockatiel!

Can Cockatiel Eat Apple Seeds?: Unfortunately, apple seeds are toxic to birds as apples have a toxin called cyanide, which gets released once chewed. It is best to avoid feeding them apple seeds.

Can Cockatiels Eat Too Much Apple?: Cockatiels can eat too much apple in the sense that it would unbalance their diet as well as their tummies! Depending on the apple brand (sweetness), it may upset their tummy, which will be a very watery clean-up! Not fun.

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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