Yes. Cockatiels can eat pumpkin seeds, and they are an incredible source of nutrition for humans and birds. Raw or roasted, pumpkin seeds are equally nutritious for your pet cockatiel. Nonetheless, we can’t forget that seeds are only a part of their diet and not all of it.
While we enjoy pumpkin seeds as snacks, we can very well share them with our bird friends. And if we are feeding them to our birds, we may as well learn all the blessings and curses they bring along.
How Healthy Are Pumpkin Seeds For Cockatiels?
Pumpkin seeds are incredibly beneficial for cockatiels as they are rich in nutrients. A little can go a long way with feeding pumpkin seeds, and your little birdie will still get sufficient benefits.
Let’s have a look t the nutrition facts of pumpkin seeds. A 100-gram serving of pumpkin seeds comprises the following as per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- 127 calories
- Carbohydrates 15g
- Protein 5 mg
- Ft 21.,43 g
- Calcium 20 mg
- Iron 0.9 g
Besides those essential; nutrients, pumpkin seeds are also an excellent source of zinc, selenium, magnesium, vitamin K, Manganese, Phosphorous, sodium, copper, and other microminerals.
That’s not all. Pumpkin seeds are also rich in antioxidants, Folate, and Vitamin B2, and you can feed them to your pet cockatiels, either roasted or raw.
How Healthy Are Roasted Pumpkin Seeds For Cockatiels
You can feed roasted pumpkin seeds to your cockatiels. They are safe as long as they don’t contain salt and added flavors. Most of them have added flavors to enhance the taste. But you can also find those which are plain roasted.
Roasted pumpkin seeds are equally safe. They do contain more amounts of nutrition such as fats, carbohydrates, protein, and calcium, to name a few. Just make sure your cockatiel eats those without seasoning to void health hazards.
Are Raw Pumpkin Seeds Safe For Cockatiels
Raw pumpkin seeds are a quite nutritious and enjoyable snack for cockatiels. The nutrient contents stated above stay intact in raw pumpkin seeds. Raw ones can preserve the composition and benefits much better making them, ideal for your pet.
You can feed your cockatiel raw pumpkin seeds in fewer quantities with no salt or other seasonings.
How Much Pumpkin Seeds Should Your Cockatiel Eat
The accurate answer to this question is about 10% of the cockatiel’s diet. Pumpkin seeds e indeed very nutritious and ideal for your cockatiel to eat. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be a contributor to more than 10% of their diet.
The reason is seeds, just like other snacks and fruits, should serve as snacks and not as a meal. And snacks always add to fewer portions in a diet.
A cockatiel should typically eat about 35-40 grams of meal a day, to which pumpkin seeds should be about 4-5 grams in a day.
Like all other living beings, even cockatiels should eat a balanced diet. A significant percentage of their meal should be pellets amounting to about 60% of their diet on a daily basis. The rest of the 30% should accommodate fruits, grapes, veggies, and raisins.
In order to maintain a balanced diet, it’d be best to feed your cockatiel pumpkin seeds up to two times a week. You can also include other snacks in their diets, such as different types of seeds, fruits, and nuts.
Risks Of Feeding Pumpkin Seeds To Cockatiels
There isn’t much of a risk to worry bout with feeding pumpkin seeds to cockatiels. Nevertheless, it’s only wise to ensure that they should serve as only snacks. Yes, they’re nutritious, but not enough to suffice as a meal.
You may also read can cockatiels eat peanut butter?
Thus, it wouldn’t help if you fed them more, thinking more consumption would lead to more benefits. Instead, you may provide them with vegetables and pellets and make them a significant component to their meals to keep your bird healthier.
The bottom line is to feed pumpkin seeds in smaller quantities. They are nutritious enough to provide benefits even in smaller amounts.
Other Seeds That Cockatiels Can Eat
There are other seeds listed below besides pumpkin seeds that you can feed your cockatiel. They are fatty and rich in nutrition to serve as perfect snacks for your pet.
Seeds that have high-fat content feed them much lesser than chia seeds.
Sunflower seeds are rich in fat and can cause your bird to get plump unless you watch the portion. Another reason you should restrain from feeding too much of it is that your bird may lose the desire to eat other healthy foods. If possible, look for lower-fat sunflower seeds.
- Safflower Seeds
Safflower seeds are quite suitable for cockatiels s they are a great source of protein and carbohydrates for nutrition and energy, respectively. It is relatively lower in fat than sunflower seeds, making them fit your pet’s usual diet.
If your pet is bigger, you must feed these seeds. But make sure you quash them into smaller pieces for your cockatiel.
- Corn
- Pine tree seeds
- Chia
- Thistle
Lastly, these seeds are smaller in size, making them perfect as they are for your cockatiel.
- Hemp
- Buckwheat
- Flax Seed
- Hemp
- Millet
- Canary seeds
Treats You Shouldn’t Feed Your Cockatiel
Some treats may appear healthy, but a strict no-no for your cockatiel is avocado, raw beans, and fruit pits. These food items are immensely poisonous and may even cause death. Other food items that can be harmful are tomato leaves, eggplant, and green potatoes. All of them carry toxic alkaloids.
Conclusion
The end verdict is, cockatiels can relish pumpkin seeds without an iota of doubt. They are highly nutritious and make perfect snacks for your feathered friend. Pumpkin seeds, and other seeds, are rich in nutrients and can provide benefits in fewer quantities. But we can’t ignore the fact that they do not suffice as a meal solely. Your cockatiel needs a lot more than just seeds.
Hence, give your cockatiel a balanced diet as stated above where seeds form only 10% of the diet. You may choose to provide only seeds as their diet, but your pet will miss out on health with just seeds.
