Can Cockatiels Eat Bread? Everything to Know About Risks and Gains of Bread
If you have a cockatiel, it is your responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of the bird through proper feeding and watering. If you’re wondering whether or not cockatiels can eat bread, we can provide you with a definitive response.
So what do you think can cockatiels eat bread? They can, of course. Bread of various kinds is crunchy and dry, two qualities they appreciate. In such a case, the toast should be fed at most once a week in a tiny amount. Moreover, whole wheat bread does better for ‘tiels than white bread.
There are more things you need to consider before feeding it to them. Whether your cockatiel is a picky eater or a bread lover, you’ll find all the information you need here. Stay tuned for more insightful information.
Do Cockatiels Eat Bread? Do They Love It?
Yes, they do. Bread is one of their favorite treats, so that’s a good guess. If you must feed your bird bread, consider doing so only sometimes as a special treat.
Even though the bird may enjoy bread, it is not healthy for the owner to feed the bird bread regularly because of the lack of nutritional value.
They should eat only a small amount of bread. As it is quite dry, you need to be careful while serving the birds as it may choke them, resulting in death. The bird may have trouble digesting the bread because it includes a lot of carbohydrates, which is another reason to avoid feeding it.
Do Cockatiels Need Special Diets If They Eat Bread?
The answer is yes. Cockatiels can benefit from the high nutritious content of bread despite its low-calorie content. Whole wheat bread is the best option if you want to give your cockatiels a slice of bread as a treat.
Natural whole grains include a lot of the food’s nutritional value is preserved, and it also means that it’s relatively high in carbohydrates. The bird uses it for energy, and it helps break down food. Remember that it’s not meant to be a regular part of a bird’s diet. The cockatiels can die of suffocation if you do this.
Bread is mostly made up of carbs and has few other beneficial nutrients. However, each type of bread has a slightly different makeup in terms of its nutritional content.
Nutrition Table Of Bread
Bread is a sort of food that carries a lot of nourishment in it. It has several nutrients, like protein, calcium, riboflavin, and many more.
Below, we have combined all the nutrients that bread provides.
| Nutrition | Values (per serving, 30g) |
| Protein | 3 grams |
| Sodium | 5% of the RDI |
| Folate | 5% of the RDI |
| Selenium | 18% of the RDI |
| Fiber | 2 grams |
| Calories | 92 |
| Copper | 20% of the RDI |
| Carbs | 17 grams |
| Niacin | 5% of the RDI |
| Fat | 2 grams |
| Manganese | 31% of the RDI |
| Thiamine | 7% of the RDI |
| Iron | 6% of the RDI |
Which Types Of Bread Are Safe For Cockatiels To Eat?
You can feed your cockatiel either white or whole wheat bread. You may see a few examples of them in the list below.
Brown Bread
The fiber and other healthy ingredients in brown bread make it a great choice. The cockatiel’s blood glucose levels are more likely to remain consistent when the fiber is consumed because it slows the digestion of carbs.
Roasted Bread
Cockatiels love toasted bread and consider it one of their favorite foods. For some reason, toasted bread is the birdie equivalent of crackers and cheese for cockatiels.
Because it is crunchier and drier, it is more highly recommended. However, something you need to keep in mind is needed to remove all the extra layers in your toasted bread should be wiped out.
Banana Bread
Cockatiels, as you may know, enjoy eating fruit, especially bananas. Banana bread is a good choice because it’s healthy and filling. There is a significant calorie and sugar content, however. Therefore, especially with pre-made banana bread, moderation is key.
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole wheat bread is another option for the bread you can give your cockatiel. Natural whole grains are abundant in this product. Despite its carbohydrate load, the cockatiel will have a more steady supply of energy thanks to the fiber component.
Keep in mind that dry whole wheat bread can easily choke a bird if given to one. It’s all down to tearing the loaf into crumbs at this point. Alternatively, you can make it wet by dipping it in water.
What Kinds Of Bread Are Unsafe For Cockatiels?
In your ignorance, you might believe that any kind of bread is fine for your bird, but then you are wrong. Not all of them are healthy and considerable, so we are stating some types of bread that your bird shouldn’t eat.
Garlic Bread
Garlic bread, in particular, is not safe for your cockatiel friend. The tiniest amount might have a devastating effect on your bird’s health. Problems digesting may come from its harmful components.
A cockatiel shouldn’t eat this because of all the butter and fat it contains. That’s why it’s crucial to never serve garlic bread.
Rye Bread
This bread is better for humans since it has higher concentrations of beneficial nutrients like minerals, vitamins, and fiber. Cockatiels cannot digest it because of how heavy it is.
As a result, you should regulate the amount and frequency of its feedings. To the best of your ability, you can avoid it.
Fermented Flour Bread
Sourdough bread, much like rye, has health benefits for humans. Since it is not highly processed, it retains more of the vitamins and minerals nature intended.
Unfortunately, the bread goes through a lot of fermentation during preparation, which could be harmful to your pet.
Can BabyCockatiels Eat Bread Safely?
In a word, no. Cockatiels, at a young age, shouldn’t be given bread, in my opinion. There’s a chance it will do more harm than good for them.
If you don’t know, then the digestive system of newborn cockatiels is very fragile, and they shouldn’t be given heavy food like bread so early.
We all know that bread doesn’t contain much moisture. If these loaves are offered to the newborn cockatiels, there are considerable chances of being suffocated by the bread even if it has been broken into small pieces.
If everything else fails and you just have bread, soak it in water to soften it up and feed it to the newborn cockatiels that way. Baby cockatiels require these moistures, which must be soaked in water and then fed to them dry.
FAQs
We know that you might still be surrounded by questions. For that reason, we have bought you a FAQ section where you can get your leftover answers.
Can cockatiels have honey wheat bread?
Buying a brand that doesn’t utilize high fructose corn syrup may make that option acceptable. Because of their rapid metabolism, birds can handle a small amount of sugar, but only pure cane sugar or honey is recommended.
What is good about bread for birds?
Bread is a staple in their diet, so absolutely. To maintain their health, they need to eat a diet that includes both carbohydrates and proteins. Bread’s high carbohydrate content means it’s satiating, but it’s also deficient in vitamins and minerals. So don’t solely rely on bread.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that you should handle bread like a treat and only provide it as a reward. If you must feed bread, reduce the amount of the bread and try to make breadcrumbs or soak the bread in water first. It’ll make it easier for your bird to eat and digest. Salt-free, whole wheat bread is the best option for your cockatiels because of the healthy whole grains it contains. This will provide carbohydrates for energy and fiber to aid digestion, both of which the bird needs.
