Cockatoos are lovely miniature parrots that can learn how to say a few words and often spend the day imitating noises they hear. They can be quite entertaining, so it’s only natural to want to say thank you with a treat, and there are many high-quality options. If you have one of these birds and would like to know which foods it will enjoy, keep reading while we give you several healthy options you can pick from that we think your cockatoo will love. Top 15 Natural Cockatoo Treats:
Carrots Image Credit: Pixabay Washed and finely chopped carrots are the first tasty treat on our list. This food packs plenty of healthy vitamins that can boost your bird’s immune system.
Leafy Greens There are several leafy greens that your cockatoo will enjoy, including kale, romaine lettuce, and dandelion greens. These can all provide your pet with plenty of vitamins and minerals. We suggest avoiding too much iceberg lettuce, as it won’t be as healthy, but your bird may enjoy it. Also, keep your cockatoo away from spinach and parsley, but the rest are fair game.
Dried Fruit Image Credit: gregroose, Pixabay Dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, prunes, and more have a long shelf life and will provide your pet with a snack it enjoys quite a bit. You will need to make sure that none of your dried fruits contain sulfur, or you risk health problems like ulcers and anemia. You will also need to limit portion size, so your pet doesn’t eat too much sugar.
Peaches If you don’t like dried fruit, peaches make an excellent alternative because of their high vitamin and moisture content. We found that most of our birds love peaches and will choose them over other treats.
Grapes Image Credit: Pixabay Grapes are another fantastic fruit option, and they are available all year, so they are easy to find. You can feed your bird any color, but make sure you remove any seeds first.
Beans Beans are a great treat for your bird because most varieties contain plenty of protein that provide your pet with energy and the building blocks for strong muscles. However, you will need to make sure that you cook all beans to eliminate hemagglutinin, which can be dangerous to birds like the cockatoo. You also want to make sure the beans are not frozen.
Apples Image Credit: pasja1000, Pixabay Apples are a soft and tasty treat that your cockatoo is sure to love. This fruit is sweet, but not too much that you will need to avoid giving it. You’ll need to wash the apple well to remove pesticides and cut it into small pieces that your bird can manage.
Bananas Bananas are a soft fruit that is high in potassium and other vitamins and minerals that can help strengthen your pet’s immune system. Your pet can eat all parts, peel and all!
Tomatoes Image Credit: Couleur, Pixabay Tomatoes are a great low-calorie fruit that can help your cockatoo stay hydrated. It makes a perfect summertime treat, and most birds love it. The only downside is that there is so much moisture that many birds make a large mess as they eat it.
Pears Pears provide a great fruit snack, but they can also be helpful if you need to hydrate your pet. This may be a useful trick if your bird isn’t drinking enough water, as it has a high moisture content. Remove the seeds and cut the pear into small pieces before feeding it to your pet.
Sweet Potatoes Image Credit: Pixabay Sweet potatoes are a favorite among our birds, and they have plenty of vitamin A, which is an essential nutrient. You can feed them raw or cooked, but our birds seem to prefer them cooked.
Mangos Mangos are a popular fruit to give cockatoos because they seem to enjoy it quite a bit. It has a high sugar content, so you will only be able to provide it occasionally, and you’ll need to cut it into small pieces to make it easier to eat.
Kiwi Image Credit: pixel2013, Pixabay Kiwi is another tropical fruit that can help add variety to your bird’s meals, and it makes a great occasional treat, but like mango, there is a lot of sugar that could lead to health problems if you provide it too often.
Strawberries Strawberries are a great treat with a little less sugar than kiwi or mango, yet they still provide your pet with a treat it enjoys. We recommend cutting the strawberry into small pieces before giving it to your pet.
Zucchini Image Credit: congerdesign, Pixabay Zucchini is a perfect low-calorie treat that many cockatoos enjoy. It adds variety and some protein to your bird’s diet. Final Thoughts As you can see, there are several options the next time you want to treat your cockatoo. We recommend starting with the vegetables, like the leafy greens, carrots, and zucchini, before moving on to the sweeter fruits, like strawberries, pears, and bananas, to avoid too much sugar. Cockatoos can be choosy and will likely find a way to let you know what their favorite choice is. We hope you have enjoyed reading over this list and found a few options you haven’t tried yet. If we helped make your pet happier, please share this guide to 15 natural and healthy treats your Cockatoo will love on Facebook and Twitter.
Featured Image Credit: Squirrel_photos, Pixabay
Cockatoos are lovely miniature parrots that can learn how to say a few words and often spend the day imitating noises they hear. They can be quite entertaining, so it’s only natural to want to say thank you with a treat, and there are many high-quality options. If you have one of these birds and would like to know which foods it will enjoy, keep reading while we give you several healthy options you can pick from that we think your cockatoo will love.
Top 15 Natural Cockatoo Treats:
1. Carrots
Washed and finely chopped carrots are the first tasty treat on our list. This food packs plenty of healthy vitamins that can boost your bird’s immune system.
2. Leafy Greens
There are several leafy greens that your cockatoo will enjoy, including kale, romaine lettuce, and dandelion greens. These can all provide your pet with plenty of vitamins and minerals. We suggest avoiding too much iceberg lettuce, as it won’t be as healthy, but your bird may enjoy it. Also, keep your cockatoo away from spinach and parsley, but the rest are fair game.
3. Dried Fruit
Dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, prunes, and more have a long shelf life and will provide your pet with a snack it enjoys quite a bit. You will need to make sure that none of your dried fruits contain sulfur, or you risk health problems like ulcers and anemia. You will also need to limit portion size, so your pet doesn’t eat too much sugar.
4. Peaches
If you don’t like dried fruit, peaches make an excellent alternative because of their high vitamin and moisture content. We found that most of our birds love peaches and will choose them over other treats.
5. Grapes
Grapes are another fantastic fruit option, and they are available all year, so they are easy to find. You can feed your bird any color, but make sure you remove any seeds first.
6. Beans
Beans are a great treat for your bird because most varieties contain plenty of protein that provide your pet with energy and the building blocks for strong muscles. However, you will need to make sure that you cook all beans to eliminate hemagglutinin, which can be dangerous to birds like the cockatoo. You also want to make sure the beans are not frozen.
7. Apples
Apples are a soft and tasty treat that your cockatoo is sure to love. This fruit is sweet, but not too much that you will need to avoid giving it. You’ll need to wash the apple well to remove pesticides and cut it into small pieces that your bird can manage.
8. Bananas
Bananas are a soft fruit that is high in potassium and other vitamins and minerals that can help strengthen your pet’s immune system. Your pet can eat all parts, peel and all!
9. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a great low-calorie fruit that can help your cockatoo stay hydrated. It makes a perfect summertime treat, and most birds love it. The only downside is that there is so much moisture that many birds make a large mess as they eat it.
10. Pears
Pears provide a great fruit snack, but they can also be helpful if you need to hydrate your pet. This may be a useful trick if your bird isn’t drinking enough water, as it has a high moisture content. Remove the seeds and cut the pear into small pieces before feeding it to your pet.
11. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a favorite among our birds, and they have plenty of vitamin A, which is an essential nutrient. You can feed them raw or cooked, but our birds seem to prefer them cooked.
12. Mangos
Mangos are a popular fruit to give cockatoos because they seem to enjoy it quite a bit. It has a high sugar content, so you will only be able to provide it occasionally, and you’ll need to cut it into small pieces to make it easier to eat.
13. Kiwi
Kiwi is another tropical fruit that can help add variety to your bird’s meals, and it makes a great occasional treat, but like mango, there is a lot of sugar that could lead to health problems if you provide it too often.
14. Strawberries
Strawberries are a great treat with a little less sugar than kiwi or mango, yet they still provide your pet with a treat it enjoys. We recommend cutting the strawberry into small pieces before giving it to your pet.
15. Zucchini
Zucchini is a perfect low-calorie treat that many cockatoos enjoy. It adds variety and some protein to your bird’s diet.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are several options the next time you want to treat your cockatoo. We recommend starting with the vegetables, like the leafy greens, carrots, and zucchini, before moving on to the sweeter fruits, like strawberries, pears, and bananas, to avoid too much sugar. Cockatoos can be choosy and will likely find a way to let you know what their favorite choice is.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over this list and found a few options you haven’t tried yet. If we helped make your pet happier, please share this guide to 15 natural and healthy treats your Cockatoo will love on Facebook and Twitter.
Featured Image Credit: Squirrel_photos, Pixabay
