[skthurley]

So I went grocery shopping today and bought some fruit. It was on sale and i wanted to have some fresh fruit. It's been awhile since i've bought some.

I purchased:
kiwis
apples
and grapes.

Tomorrow morning I want to toss some of these in Jack's mash.

Any precautions I should keep in mind?

I am aware of apple seeds. I will just take a piece from the out side of the apple... and is the skin ok?

Kiwis? Seeds and all are ok? or not?obviously i'll peel off the skin. lol

and grapes? They're the green, seedless kind. Ok? skins and all?


I hope Jack will like it. I finished my ice cube of mash, and dethawed some of the birdie bread I made, and plan on mixing in these fruits with the birdie bread tomorrow (which has lots of veggies, pellets, grains, etc) It will look like his usual mash, just a little drier. He should eat it. lol.
It's not like the time I put beets in his mash and he was freaked out by the colour. Lol. It was hilarious!

 

[adam]

I feed mine kiwis and grapes with the skins. I take out the grape seeds but my birds like the kiwi seeds.

 

[pam311]

My guys hate the apple peel. My CAG will only eat Honeycrisp apples. He will toss any other variety. the problem is they are early summer apples and are now 2.99 a pound. You guessed it I buy them anyway. The QP and P'lets are not as picky as long as they get sprouted wheat everyday.

 

[chapala]

Mine all like papaya and mango which are very nutritious. Apple and grape are not as nutritious. If you can get berries (any), they are among the more nutritious fruits. I feed either fresh or buy frozen, and partly thaw them, then cut up in tiny pieces to mix with the mash. Cantaloupe is good too, kiwi is fine. Apple and grape are fine occasionally but I wouldn't feed them daily. Pomegranate is good, citrus fine. Peaches, apricots and cherries are fine but no pits. Figs, banana are good too. The main point as with vegetables is to vary what you feed so they get a variety - more apt to cover the nutritional bases than always feeding the same items day after day.

I feed fruit in the morning with the mash, and often give a piece in the afternoon as a treat.
Reta

 

[skthurley]

Thanks guys!

Usually Jack gets dried fruit and on an occasion some orange.... we're just not big fruit people. At least, I prefer veggies to fruit, so we always have a large varied supply of veggies in our house, and not so much fruit. I decided to buy whatever was on sale for fruit this week, just to have some variety in our diet, and Mr. Ripper's too.

 

[lineola]

Pesticides in Produce - thread link

I would suggest everyone try to get organic if you can. The following link lists
the pesticide loads in different fruits and vegetables, and suggests substitutes (less pesticide load items) if you can't find organic:

http://www.talkparrotlets.com/showthread.php?t=2875

Fresh fruit is better than dried fruit or fruit juices, which have a lot of concentrated sugars. Should be mostly for treats only...

Maddie

 

[chapala]

Since I can't get organic in Mexico (except frozen organic berries at Costco), I do use the information on pesticide residues on common fruits and vegetables. Apricots, peaches, nectarines, apples all have high pesticide residue ratings, and I generally avoid feeding those or feed them only occasionally and not as a regular part of the diet. Fortunately, mangos and papayas are low in pesticide residues and we all eat those year round.
Reta

P.S. - since we're speaking of fruit, just my opinion on dried fruit - I don't feed any at all. Only fresh. Remember fruit only needs to be about 10% of the diet, so not much required. Dry fruit is very high in concentrated sugars, and I don't think it's good for the birds.

 

[skthurley]

I was in the bulk food store and was looking to get some more dried fruit, when i noticed that there was sulpher something in it as a preservative.... that can't be good for the birds, right? I didn't buy any this time just in case

 

[Vegasmom]

Sulfur dioxide, used I think for keeping the natural colors, and are used against microorganisms, and methyl bromide used as pest control in warehouses are some things used on dried fruit. Some people are sensitive to sulfates. Both of these are gases that dissipates quickly, but I still think it's important to read the labels on dried fruit because we all know our birds are more susceptible. There's a point where caution becomes overly phobic too, but I still use only fresh or frozen out of season. I've read frozen fruit and veggies actually retain more vitamins than fresh that has sat at dockside, or in the grocery stores, etc.

 

[Rosekeet]

I found organic dried mango with no added sugar or sulfur at Henry's (my local health food store). I was hoping Darcy would like it as a treat, but I enjoy it more! I also found a mix of frozen organic berries there. I LOVE fruit (probably the sugar) and am going to have to work on eating more veggies for Darcy's sake.

 

[raiven]

Sadie loves blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and cranberries. She will occasionally eat pomegranate as well. Sometimes I throw a few cranberries into the veggie mix, especially now since we have baby bird who really only likes his soaked seed.

 

[Haskeyy Marron]

To maintain your pet’s charm you must provide it with a regular diet. You can feed them common vegetables and fruits that humans can digest as their digestion is not that different. To make it easier i have prepared a separate list of fruits and vegetable which veterinarian recommend to parakeets owner: