Among the many food groups present, celery is one of the most beneficial vegetables. It is a long and fibrous stalk, and the leaves are edible too. Many humans use this food for weight loss as it contains very low amounts of calories. To specify, around 18 calories exist in 1 cup or 110 grams of chopped celery. Not to mention, it is full of water too.
Now, while humans enjoy these benefits, is it right to feed parrots? After all, parrots are not the easiest to please when it comes to providing them healthy food. Plus, they tend to copy their owners’ habits too, and that includes what they eat. So, can celery affect parrots as positively as it does humans?
Is celery suitable for parrots?
Indeed, it is not a wrong choice to give celery to your pet parrots. Nevertheless, it is best not to, so you should not make it a permanent fixture in their diet. Either way, you must understand both sides of the answer to make up your mind.
Nutritional benefits
Without a doubt, celery is full of many valuable nutrients. The ones that would help parrots are as follows.
- Vitamin A
Vitamin A is one of the most necessary nutrients for the healthy growth of parrots. They are suitable for their feathers and give different hues to them. Indeed, the bright red, blue, orange, and yellow pigments occur due to this intake. And celery is full of it. However, they must get natural vitamin A rather than synthetic vitamin A.
- Vitamin K
In blood coagulation, Vitamin K is a significant component, and they are present in celery. While birds like parrots produce Vitamin K in their bowel, it is also good to supplement it into their diet itself. That way, the process can work well.
- Vitamin C
Another essential nutrient for parrots is Vitamin C, which is suitable for controlling certain behavioral tendencies. These include things like chewing, preening and tearing actions. Thus, with a right amount of vitamin C intake, parrots would remain calm longer.
- Potassium
Potassium is a very beneficial electrolyte that regulates nerve signals, muscle contractions, and fluid balance. Celery has high amounts of this.
- Folate
Vitamin B9 or Folate is useful for metabolism control and cell growth. With a right amount of folic acid in the body, parrots can avoid situations like anemia, malformations, and stunted growth. Thus, it is essential to add it to the diet.
Risks
A parrot would not notice any harm when they consume the vegetable itself. It is not toxic to them.
However, there is a fiber that runs along the entire length of the celery stalk. This stringy part is not suitable for parrots at all and can block their digestive system. Due to the faulty digestive system, they would suffer from constipation or crop impaction.
Crop Impaction
There is a muscular pouch close to their throat, which is a part of their digestive tract. The primary function of this is to store the food before digestion can take place. When a parrot gets crop impaction, the ingested food cannot move correctly through the digestive tract.
Indeed, there is a presence of a barrier in a muscular pouch or crop. And as it slows down the food movement, the affected bird can suffer from bacterial, fungal, yeast infections, hypoglycemia, and dehydration. In the worst-case scenario, it can also lead to death.
This condition’s usual symptoms include inactivity, frequent vomiting, depression, agitation, and a lack of appetite. In case you notice any of the symptoms above, visit a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Safe manner of preparing celery for parrots
To remove the strings along the surface of the celery, you can adopt the technique of destringing. Some methods of doing this are:
- Peeling
First and foremost, the most common method for doing this is using a peeler. Indeed, you can use ‘Y’ peelers or Swiss peelers to remove the strings from the stalks in a finely thin layer. Start from the base and hold the peeler firmly. Then, in one motion, pull it along the surface of the stalk. This would remove the top layer alongside the strings on them. Repeat the process until the entire celery stalk is stringless. You can also choose your preferred setting, and you should select the thinnest possible slicing thickness.
- Mandoline slicer
In this slicer, the blade is fixed atop a frame. Thus, you have to move the length of the celery on the slicer instead. Make the same motion for the entire stalk.
- Paring knife
Use the paring knife from the root of the celery stalk. And place it in a way that ¼ of the celery string lies above the blade. Use your thumb to lift the string off from this end. Keep making the same motion for all the strings.
Is celery juice a right choice?
Indeed, you can give celery to the parrots in juice form. Plus, you can give it to them with other vegetables mixed in, like spinach, carrots, or kale. And you can add apples for a sweetening taste and juice them all together.
There are good and bad sides to this simultaneously. On the one hand, you would remove the fiber part, making the parrots easily digest this. On the other hand, fiber is still an essential requirement for parrots.
Celery and pesticide relation
No matter how you are feeding celery to your pet parrot, it would have pesticide remains 95% of the time. Indeed, farmers use chemicals and pesticides to protect celery against insects, mold, and rodents. When you give pesticide-cured celery to your pet birds, it will cause health problems. Even if you remove the outer skin, there still is a high risk. On the other hand, organic options are better and pesticide-free. So, you can use them instead.
Conclusion
Overall, you can feed celery to your pet parrot, but carefully. It is nutritious for parrots. Yet, in case of any adverse health reactions, visiting the doctor soon is crucial.
