List of safe nuts for parrots
A healthy, varied and nutritious diet for your parrot includes:
- A reputable parrot pellet brand
- Fruits (bird-safe list here)
- Vegetables (bird-safe list here)
- Grains (bird-safe list here)
- Flowers (bird-safe list here)
- Herbs and spices (bird-safe list here)
- Sprouts (bird-safe list here)
- Nuts (occasionally)
- Seeds (sparingly) (bird-safe list here)
Important notes
- Nuts offered to parrots should be unsalted and human-grade. Avoid buying animal-grade nuts as they are lower quality and have higher risks of mold
- Nuts are a huge favourite among parrots and are great as treats or a small snack
- Nuts are high in protein and fat. It is recommended to feed one or two nuts a day for most species. Macaws can take more nuts as they have a higher fat requirement
- Feed sparingly to chronic egg laying birds as high protein and high fat food items encourage breeding behaviour
- Nuts can be fed with the shell for larger parrots as this encourages foraging activity. Smaller parrot species may need shelled nuts
- This list of nuts is the entirety of what we know are safe for parrots. If you know about a safe nut that have not been included, please contact us. However please do not contact us asking about other nuts not listed
Almonds |
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Highest in protein, calcium and dietary fiber Can be sprouted To sprout: soak for 8-12 hours, sprout in 12 hours |
Brazil nuts |
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Highest magnesium content |
Cashew nuts |
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Can be fed dry or soaked (soak for 2.5 hours) Lowest proportion of fats Highest amounts of trace minerals zinc and copper Recommended to serve de-shelled as the shells of cashew nuts contain toxins when super-fresh |
Hazelnuts |
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High in protein High in nutrients such as manganese, magnesium copper, vitamin E and thiamine |
Macadamia nuts |
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Highest proportion of fats and lowest proportion of protein Recommended to serve de-shelled as the shells of macademias contain toxins when super-fresh |
Pecan nuts |
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Can be fed dry or soaked (soak for 4-6 hours) |
Pine nuts |
Pine nuts with shell
Pine nuts without shell
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Pistachios |
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Lowest proportion of fats Refrigerate or store in a cool dry cabinet. Pistachios will go rancid if stored in hot, humid conditions |
Walnuts |
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Can be fed dry or soaked (soak for 4 hours) Recommended to crack the shell of walnuts and check for mold |
Avoid feeding
Peanuts (monkey nuts) |
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ONLY feed human grade peanuts, and preferably unshelled Peanut shells, especially low quality animal-grade peanuts are known to harbor the mold Aspergillus flavus which can cause Aspergillosis in parrots Aspergillosis is a very difficult-to-treat disease, and has high treatment failures |