Can cockatiels eat green beans or are they toxic to them? Let’s figure it out.
Cockatiels enjoy various types of food like seeds and fresh fruit and vegetables. And yes, you can give green beans to them. Green beans are packed with various vitamins and minerals essential to keeping your bird healthy.
Additionally, your bird can digest them easily. However, it is always a good idea to feed any vegetable to your pet only in moderation.
Green Beans Nutritional Info: Is It Healthy For Your Cockatiel?
One cup of raw beans contains approximately 2 grams of protein, essential to making your birds’ bones and muscles stronger.
It also contains 12.2 mg of vitamin C, which helps in boosting the immune system of your pet bird.
A single cup of green beans also has 690 IU of vitamin A, necessary for breeding, good vision, and the immune system.
Green beans also have a good amount of calcium, which improves the bird’s overall health and strengthens bones.
There is a lot of fiber in green beans. Adding fiber to a bird’s diet can significantly improve its gut health.
It also contains vitamin K, which is necessary for blood clotting and aids in healing wounds.
Here is a list of the essential vitamins and minerals present in raw green beans:
- Thiamin – 0.1mg
- Vitamin E – 0.41 mg
- Vitamin B6 – 0.14 mg
- Niacin – 0.7mg
- Thiamine – 0.1mg
- Vitamin K – 43mcg
- Calcium -37mg
- Zinc – 0.24 mg
- Potassium – 211mg
- Phosphorous – 38mg
- Magnesium – 25 mg
- Iron -1.03mg
- Calories -31 grams
How Should It Be Given To Cockatiels?
Adding fresh foods to your cockatiel diet is one of the best ways to keep them healthy. Green beans are a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, as mentioned already.
You can give green beans in any form, either raw or cooked.Let’s talk a bit about how to give your birds green beans.
Raw Form
Cockatiels enjoy eating raw beans. You need first to clean the fresh raw beans and then chop them into small pieces.
You can serve the chopped pieces on a clean plate.
The bird will enjoy the crunchiness of the raw green beans. Also, have fresh water near your bird so that it can take a sip or two while feeding.
Raw green beans are very healthy for your bird. Adding them as a part of your bird’s regular diet, along with seeds and grains, is an excellent idea.
Cooked Form
There is no harm in giving cooked beans to your bird. Cooking will make the beans soft, which can be good for younger birds and juveniles.
But do not cook the beans with too much oil. Oil can be bad for your cockatiel. Moreover, excess cooking may kill some of the nutrients.
I would recommend you to always give raw beans to your cockatiel if possible.
How Much (And How Often) Should You Give Your Bird?
Adding a healthy diet, like many fruits and vegetables, can strengthen your cockatiel. Greens and green beans are an excellent addition to your bird’s diet.
You can add two to three green beans once a day to keep your cockatiel happy and healthy. Regular intake of small quantities of beans is enough to meet the nutritional requirements.
However, that does not mean that you should replace your bird’s primary diet with green beans. Their primary food will still have to be seeds and seed mixtures.
Keeping in mind that cockatiels are small birds, hence their digestive system does not have space for too much of anything.
Never overfeed them, no matter how much they like green beans or any other food.
Are There Any Dangers To Giving Green Beans to Cockatiels?
Green beans are absolutely good for cockatiels. But if you feed green beans in large quantities daily, the bird can develop digestive problems.
So, we will suggest you always provide green beans in moderate amounts.
Remember, raw green beans may be subjected to pesticides and insecticides. So, always wash green beans with water thoroughly before giving your cute little bird.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can cockatiels eat uncooked green beans?
Yes, they can eat raw or uncooked green beans. Fresh green beans are an excellent source of various vitamins and minerals, as mentioned in the article.
Regular intake of a few green beans will help your bird to remain healthy. Cockatiels enjoy most kinds of fresh vegetables, and you should plan to make them at least 10-15% of their diet.
Can I give my cockatiel beans?
Cockatiels enjoy all types of beans, including kidney beans, red beans, soybeans, and green beans. You can add all types of fresh raw beans to keep your cockatiel happy and healthy.
They are a powerhouse of various nutrients and minerals. But make sure not to add in excess as beans might cause digestive problems.
What greens can cockatiels eat?
You can give leafy vegetables like spinach, romaine lettuce, and kale to cockatiels.
Try to provide uncooked leafy greens because cooking removes some of the vitamins and minerals.
Wash the leafy greens thoroughly in water and chop them up to serve them in a food bowl.
Your cockatiels will enjoy consuming leafy greens. However, try to avoid giving too much spinach as it contains oxalic acid, which reduces calcium absorption in birds.
What veggies are good for cockatiels?
You can feed various types of vegetables to cockatiels. We are listing some of them below.
Peas are a good source of protein, and you can give them both in raw or cooked form.
Sweet potatoes are a good source of various vitamins and minerals. You can feed them by cooking.
Corn and leafy greens
Carrots
Cucumber
Kale
Mustard greens
Iceberg lettuce
Try to avoid salty food, sugary food, and fruit pips as they are harmful to a cockatiel. You can even refer to our cockatiel food list for more details about the food to be fed to cockatiels.
Wrap Up
You can give fresh green beans to your pet bird. Green beans are an excellent source of different Vitamins A,C, K, fiber and calcium.
All of these are essential to keep your cockatiel happy and healthy.
But don’t give them too much of green beans because it can cause your bird to have stomach issues.
Thank you for reading this article!
