Can Budgies Eat Cabbage? Is Raw Cabbage Healthy For Parakeets?
Budgies enjoy a mix of pellets, seeds, nuts, legumes, fresh fruits, and vegetables. However, like fruits, your parakeets cannot eat all types of veggies. Because of this, most pet bird owners wonder if cabbage is safe for their feathered friend.
Can budgies eat cabbage? Yes. Budgies can safely eat different cruciferous veggies, including cabbage. This is because it is rich in fiber, promoting healthy digestion in budgies. It is also a great source of antioxidants and minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Therefore, it can significantly boost your bird’s health.
But how do you feed cabbage to budgies? Keep reading to find out this and much more, including whether budgies can eat cabbage leaves or not.
Can Budgies Eat Cabbage?
Yes. Cabbage is safe for budgies to eat. Your pet birds can benefit a lot from eating this cruciferous vegetable because of the many nutrients, minerals, and vitamins it contains. Besides being rich in potassium and vitamin C, cabbage also packs:
- Dietary fiber
- Protein
- Vitamin B6
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Iron
Even better, it is low in cholesterol and saturated fat, making it a healthy treat for budgies. Because of this, eating cabbage can help boost your budgie’s immune system and fight off various diseases. It could also help improve your bird’s digestion and ensure healthy feathers.
But can budgies eat all types of cabbages? As it turns out, all sorts of cabbages are entirely safe for parakeets to consume and very nutritious. This is as long as your budgies eat them in limited amounts. Some of the best types to feed your budgies include:
- Napa cabbage
- Red and green cabbage
- Savoy Cabbage
- Purple cabbage
So then, can budgies eat cabbage raw? Yes, your pet birds can eat either raw or cooked cabbage. But according to various animal nutritional experts, raw cabbages are more nutritious than boiled or steamed cabbage. This is because cooking cabbage reduces its vitamin C and B content.
Here is a comparison table of the nutritional value of cooked and raw cabbage to help you understand better what we mean.
| Type Of Nutrients | Amount Per Serving 100 Grams of Raw Cabbage | Amount Per Serving 100 Grams of Cooked Cabbage |
| Fat | 0.1 g | 2.79 g |
| Dietary fiber | 2.5 g | 1.8 g |
| Protein | 1.3 g | 0.99 g |
| Potassium | 170 mg | 94 mg |
| Calcium | 40 mg | 30 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.17 mg |
| Vitamin C | 36.6 mg | 19.4 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.124 mg | 0.113 mg |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 0.234 mg | 0.224 mg |
Benefits of Budgies Eating Cabbages
Up to this point, you already know the answer to the question, can parakeets eat cabbage? So, let’s find out about this vegetable’s health benefits.
Improves heart health
Cabbage contains various bioactive compounds, including polyphenols. These compounds help protect your budgies from the risk of heart disease while keeping their blood vessels healthy.
Supports digestive tract
Whether raw or cooked, cabbage is rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. This helps keep your budgie’s digestive system healthy by promoting optimal bowel movement.
Keeps budgie’s inflammation in check
Like other cruciferous vegetables, cabbage contains a compound known as sulforaphane. This compound boasts antimicrobial properties and may help reduce inflammation in budgies.
Promotes good eye health
You will also be pleased to know that this cruciferous vegetable contains beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, and lutein. Therefore, your parakeets may enjoy healthy eyes and vision by eating cabbage.
Strengthen bones
Additionally, cabbage is an excellent source of minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. These three minerals help promote strong bones in budgies and protect them from damage.
Regulating blood pressure
This vegetable contains significant amounts of potassium and dietary anthocyanins. Therefore, it can help protect your parakeets from elevated blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.
What Are The Dangers Of Feeding Cabbage To Budgies?
Cabbage is a healthy treat for budgies. However, this is if you feed your pet birds in controlled amounts. Because overeating cabbage can result in various adverse effects on budgies, like an increased risk of upset stomach and diarrhea, this happens when your budgies consume excessive amounts of fiber.
Additionally, your budgies may suffer from dietary iodine deficiency or thyroid hyperplasia due to overeating cabbage. This is because this vegetable contains goitrogenic substances that may interfere with iodine uptake in your bird’s thyroid glands.
Apart from that, cabbage contains oxalates in small amounts, which are not harmful. However, if your budgies consume a lot of this vegetable, the increased oxalates may combine with calcium, resulting in kidney stones.
How Much Cabbage Can Budgies Eat?
Budgies enjoy eating cabbage, especially the leaves. But how much can they eat to avoid potential side effects? The cabbage combined with other vegetable varieties should only make up 20-25% of your budgie’s diet.
Some experts recommend giving your parakeet a teaspoon full of lightly cooked cabbage. But if you give your birds raw cabbage, one or two leaves every other day should be enough.
How Do You Feed Cabbages To Budgies?
First, you should get organic cabbage and wash it properly to remove harmful chemicals. Then, chop the cabbage and the leaves into manageable pieces and offer them to your parakeets. But for adult birds, you don’t have to cut the leaves. They can comfortably eat them whole.
Additionally, you can steam the cabbage or lightly boil it until it is soft. This is especially if your parakeets dislike it in raw form. Then, chop it into small pieces and mix it with other vegetables before giving it to your birds. Alternatively, you can hand feed the cabbage to your budgies to encourage them to eat.
Below is a video of several budgies enjoying raw green cabbage leaves:
FAQs
Before concluding, let’s respond to commonly asked questions about budgies eating cabbage.
Can budgies eat cabbage leaves?
Yes. Cabbage leaves are perfectly safe for your pet birds, whether raw or cooked. They contain high water content and are rich in many nutrients beneficial for parakeets. In fact, most budgies love the crunchy texture of cabbage leaves.
Can budgies eat red cabbage?
Certainly, budgies can eat all varieties of cabbages, including red, green, and purple. However, red cabbages are the best because they contain 10X more vitamins than other types. Budgies love red cabbage when cooked because of its sweet flavor.
Is savoy cabbage safe for budgies to eat?
Yes. Besides being low in calories, savoy cabbage boasts high vitamin C, sulfur, and potassium content. This makes it a healthy vegetable option for birds. Even better, it is richer in antioxidants than green cabbage. Therefore, your parakeets could benefit from an enhanced immunity system by eating this cabbage.
Outro
Budgies can eat various vegetables, and cabbage is one of them. It is rich in a wide range of nutrients hence the many health benefits it offers to parakeets. But of course, you must feed your birds this vegetable in controlled amounts to prevent potential side effects.
