Can Parrot Eat Pumpkin Seeds? – Merits & Demerits!

Yes, of course parrots can eat pumpkin seeds. Parrots like to eat it. It is a good source of vitamin A, iron, zinc, and fiber. It also contains carbohydrates and proteins that are essential for good health. It means that pumpkin seeds are beneficial for parrots to eat.

Pumpkin seeds are found in different colors such as white and light green. It is the favorite seeds of the parrot species especially conures. It is named as Pepita in North America.

In this article, I will tell: How to serve pumpkin seeds to the parrots? How often can parrots eat pumpkin seeds? Edible seeds for parrots. Merits and demerits of eating pumpkin seed and some friendly asked questions. For more information, stay tuned.

How to Serve Pumpkin Seeds to Parrots?

Parrots like to eat pumpkin seeds. Any food that parrots like, wants to eat on daily basis. But, at the same time, you should know, how to serve food to the parrots because the serving methods are very useful in creating a bond between your parrot and you. As a parrot owner, I will tell you some great method of serving pumpkin seeds to the parrots.

• First of all it is better to serve organic pumpkin seeds to the parrots because it is free from salt and pesticides that will effect parrots.
• Second important method that you must adopt is to serve pumpkin seed in moderation to parrots.
• You can add pumpkin seeds with parrots food and then serve it to parrots.

How Often Can Parrots Eat Pumpkin Seeds?

As you all know that parrots can eat pumpkin seeds. But it is important to know how often can parrots eat pumpkin seeds? As a parrot owner, you should serve only 2 to 3 seeds of pumpkin once in a week to the parrots to check their reaction.

All you know that excess of anything is bad for parrots.

Edible Seeds for Parrots

As you know that seeds are toxic for parrots. But all seeds are not toxic for parrots. As a parrot owner, here, I will tell you the names of some edible seeds for parrots. The list is given below:

• Chia Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Sesame Seeds
• Papaya Seeds
• Pepper Seeds
• Mustard Seeds
• Tomato Seeds
• Flax Seeds
• Milk Thistle Seeds
• Watermelon Seeds
• Pomegranate Seeds
• Guava Seeds

Merits of Eating Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are full of nutrients. It has great benefits for parrots. It contains a lot of nutrients like vitamin B, vitamin E, iron, phosphorus, calcium, protein,carbohydrates etc, all these are good for parrots to consume.

• Fiber in pumpkin seeds helps parrots in maintaining the blood pressure and reduce cholesterol level and prevents them from obesity.
• Pumpkin seeds contain a compound named as cucurbitacin E that help in fighting against the cancerous cells.
• Pumpkin seed contain a good amount of protein that is not found in other seeds.
• Pumpkin seeds are also good in reducing inflammation, boosting immune system and respiratory system, improve cardiovascular health, improves digestion and eyesights etc.

Demerits of Eating Pumpkin Seeds

As you all know, pumpkin seeds are full of many nutrients. Pumpkin seeds are good for parrot species to consume. But, at the same time, pumpkin seeds are toxic for parrots, if you serve it in excess to them. As a parrot owner for 8 years, here, I will tell you some demerits of eating pumpkin seeds if your feathery friend eat pumpkin seeds in excess.

Keep hovering!

• Like other seeds, pumpkin seeds are full of fatty acids and fats. Healthy fats are good for parrots but pumpkin seeds have those fats that are toxic for them and cause severe diseases like obesity, over weightening and cholesterol etc if your parrot eat too much pumpkin seeds.
• Pumpkin seeds contains a large amount of phosphorus and a low amount of calcium. An excess amount of calcium is found in shell which parrots cannot eat and causes imbalance between these two essential nutrients. The incorrect ratio of these two nutrients cause many issues in parrots like metabolism, skeletal problems and bone diseases etc.
• Sometimes excess eating pumpkin seeds cause blotting or digestion problems. In this case, you should avoid serving pumpkin seeds. The reason of blotting is that pumpkin seeds contains trypsin inhibitors.
• If your parrot eats only seed based diet, then your parrot lacks essential nutrients. Your parrot face health issues and thus very weak .
• Some parrots are very sensitive like budgies and cockatiels. For these parrot species, high intake of pumpkin seeds cause high energy and calories intake. So, in this case you should avoid pumpkin seeds to those parrot species.

Raw VS Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

As you all know that pumpkin seeds are one of the favorite food of the parrots. They like to eat it on daily basis. Pumpkin seeds have health benefits for parrot species. It is full of linoleic acid that helps them in brain development and strong bones formation.

Parrots cannot eat raw pumpkin seeds. As a parrot owner, you shouldn’t serve raw pumpkin seeds to the parrots. The reason is that it contains a lot of calcium that harms your parrot. Another reason is that its shell is too hard and parrots cannot digest it easily. Raw pumpkin seeds are cheaper and can easily available at grocery markets.

It is better to serve roasted pumpkin seeds to parrots. But you shouldn’t cook pumpkin seeds very much because when you cooked eat it, more it contains a high content of salt. So it is better to cook a little bit of pumpkin seeds and then serve it to parrots..

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Store Pumpkin Seeds At Home for Parrot?

Yes, you can store pumpkin seeds at home for parrots. Make sure that you store pumpkin seeds in dry and cold place. It is better to store pumpkin seeds for a small period of time to keep its nutritional value maintain. If you see any spoilage, then immediately remove pumpkin seeds or thrown away.

How Do I Prevent Parrot From Eating Pumpkin Seeds From Food?

The first step is to mix the pumpkin seeds well with the other foods to prevent them from eating only the pumpkin seeds. If you see any change in parrots behavior about specific food, immediately consult a veterinary doctor. You can also serve pumpkin seeds as a toy to the parrots as it is source of fun for them.

Final Verdict

It is okay to serve pumpkin seeds to the parrots. It consists of large quantity of minerals and vitamins. But, before serving pumpkin seeds to the parrots, make sure that you cook it properly, because raw pumpkin seeds causes chocking hazards in parrots. Do not serve pumpkin seeds in excess to parrot species. If you serve pumpkin seeds for the first time, it is better to consult veterinary doctor and seek his suggestion.

If you face any difficulty, ask me in the comment box, I will reply you soon.

Thanks for Reading!

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