Your adorable Indian Ring Neck Parrot has a healthy diet of pellets, vegetables and seeds. But every now and then, you want to give her a special treat that’s both nutritious and delicious. Whatever your budget or time constraints, you’ll find there’s a variety of treats you can give your parrot companion that she’ll enjoy -- and that are both safe and good for her.
Seed & Spray
Your Indian Ring Neck Parrot will love a number of seeds as treats, including sunflower, peanuts and pumpkin seeds. These are sold at most pet stores and can be added to your bird’s treat dish by themselves or placed in a foraging toy so your feathered friend can exercise her mind in obtaining them. Purchase sticks of these and other seeds held together by honey at pet stores to hang in your parrot’s cage. Sprays of grain, such as millet and oat sprays, are also delicious treats your local pet store will have in stock.
Fruit Treats
Sweet and juicy fruit makes a fantastic treat for your Indian Ring Neck Parrot. Grapes, apples, melons and berries are common fruits your feathered friend will gobble up. Remove the seeds before serving her stone fruit, such as plums, peaches and apricots. Try giving her sections from nonsour citrus fruits like oranges and tangerines, or give her an exotic treat of mango, papaya or star fruit slices. Avoid giving her persimmons, or any pits or large seeds. To limit your parrot’s sugar, make sure fruit only makes up 5 percent of her diet, and make sure there’s no sugar added to any dried fruit you serve her.
DIY Treats
According to Bird Talk magazine, it’s easy to combine a few ingredients to mix or bake up some treats for your parrot companion. Indian Ring Necks like to chew, so pretzel kabobs with slices of fruits or veggies placed on unsalted pretzel sticks will be delicious and engaging. Wrap up brown rice with berries in romaine lettuce for tasty and nutritious lettuce wraps. String some plain popcorn and secure it to her cage to munch on. Or bake up some zucchini or carrot muffins using a favorite recipe -- minus the sugar.
Treats to Avoid
While Indian Ring Neck Parrots enjoy a great variety of foods and treats, some foods are harmful or even poisonous to them. Among fruits and vegetables, avoid giving your parrot avocado, raw cabbage and onions, eggplant, persimmons, apple seeds, mushrooms, any green parts of tomatoes or potatoes and rhubarb leaves. They may have difficulty digesting milk products, so avoid those. And never give your parrot alcoholic beverages, chocolate and anything containing caffeine.
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Writer Bio
Jennafer Martin has more than 14 years of experience in writing, editing and brand management for literary, business-to-business and consumer publications. She is a writer for Zoe Soul Spa and "Pets in the City" magazine.