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calcium rich foods for parrots

7 Foods High in Calcium for Parrots (Avoid Hypocalcemia)

Last Updated on January 28, 2024 by Carrie Stephens

Unless you give a parrot supplements, it must eat high-calcium foods. A parrot will develop hypocalcemia if it lacks sufficient dietary calcium, vitamin D3, and magnesium.

Many of us associate dairy with calcium, but parrots are lactose intolerant. You can introduce calcium to a parrot’s diet through lactose-free cheese, but other options are available.

Calcium-rich foods for parrots include leafy greens like kale, broccoli, mustard greens, and collards. You can also offer calcium in fruits like kiwis and apricots and nuts like almonds and hazelnuts.

Hanging a cuttlebone in the cage provides calcium and an opportunity to wear down the beak.

Hypocalcemia in Parrots

A calcium deficiency causes hypocalcemia. You’ll observe stereotypical behaviors, balance and coordination problems, and issues with climbing and maneuvering.

A warning sign is feather picking, but parrots that lack calcium also become withdrawn, lethargic, and depressed. They may experience muscle issues that culminate in tremors and seizures.

Female parrots may produce weak, misshapen eggs, which can become lodged in the oviduct. Females need sufficient calcium to prevent egg binding (dystocia).

Hypocalcemia can be resolved with more calcium. If a parrot already gets sufficient calcium, it likely isn’t getting enough vitamin D3 or magnesium.

Why Parrots Need Foods High in Calcium

Calcium is essential for robust, healthy skeletons and eggshells. Many owners are surprised to discover that about 97% of eggshells and 90% of bones are calcium carbonate.

Calcium also affects how nerves send messages around the body, muscle movement, brain and heart health, hormone secretion, fat metabolism, and blood clotting (coagulation).

Many owners give parrots supplements to prevent and recover from calcium deficiencies.

foods with calcium for parrots

Why Parrots Need Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 ensures calcium can be absorbed into the body. If a parrot eats food rich in calcium but doesn’t get enough vitamin D3 and magnesium, calcium can’t be absorbed into the intestines.

Parrots can’t generate vitamin D3 internally. Vitamin D3 is produced when the skin is exposed to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays (or an artificial UV light source).

Birds distribute vitamin D3 precursors from the preen gland to their feathers. Exposure to shortwave ultraviolet light converts these vitamin precursors into a utilizable source of vitamin D3.

Parrots also produce vitamin D3 precursors on their exposed skin (the feet, around the eyes, and legs).

We recommend that caged birds be given direct sun exposure. Part of the cage should be in direct sunlight, while the rest should be in the shade so the parrot can retreat.

Putting a cage beside the window is ineffective because short-wavelength UV rays can’t penetrate glass.

Parrots can get vitamin D from their diet, but few foods they eat are good sources. Most of their diet is plant-based, so it contains vitamin D2. While this is okay for mammals, it’s only 3-4% effective for birds.

Fatty fish (like salmon and mackerel), egg yolks, liver, and red meat are high in Vitamin D3.

Vitamin D deficiencies are rare in wild parrots but common in captive birds.

Why Parrots Need Magnesium

Magnesium is the body’s second most abundant mineral, most of which is found in the bone matrix. Without sufficient dietary magnesium, parrots can’t absorb calcium.

If a parrot is prone to anxious behavior, it may have a magnesium deficiency. If it also pulls out feathers and its feather health suffers, this suggests a mineral shortfall.

Parrots experience calcification in their arteries, blood vessels, and joints without enough magnesium.

Calcium-Rich Foods for Parrots

If you suspect a parrot has hypocalcemia, you should adjust its diet. Before making significant modifications, discuss the matter with a veterinarian.

Here are some dietary sources of calcium:

Dark, Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are among the best calcium sources for parrots. Unfortunately, light-colored greens, like lettuce (iceberg lettuce, in particular,) offer limited nutrition. Calcium-rich leafy greens include:

Parrots enjoy dark, leafy greens, so provide some as a mid-day snack.

Nuts And Seeds

While nuts and seeds contain some essential nutrients, they won’t satisfy all of a parrot’s dietary needs. The following are good treats due to their high calcium content:

NutsSeeds
AlmondsChia seeds
HazelnutsCelery seeds
Macadamia nutsPoppy seeds
WalnutsSesame seeds

While they contain lots of calcium, they’re also fatty and can lead to weight gain. Use these foods as complementary snacks and training rewards.

Beans And Lentils

Aside from protein, the following beans are high in calcium:

  • Black beans.
  • Chickpeas.
  • Goa beans (winged beans).
  • Kidney beans.
  • Navy beans.
  • Soybeans.
  • White beans.

Before feeding beans to parrots, they must be cooked. Raw beans contain hemagglutinin, which Future Virology explains is linked to severe respiratory problems in birds.

Cooked beans can be fed whole or mashed and offered as a chop.

Fresh And Dried Fruits

Whether fresh or dried, fruit is vital to the health of parrots. The fruits highest in calcium include:

If a parrot develops a taste for sweet treats, it may experience gastrointestinal distress, like diarrhea.

Hypocalcemia in birds

Oatmeal

A 100-gram serving of oatmeal contains around 80 mg of calcium. Half a cup of oats offers more calcium than an 8 oz glass of cow’s milk. Oatmeal is healthier when raw.

Eggs

Eggs contain calcium, protein, and other essential nutrients.

If you don’t mind cleaning up the mess afterward, offer a parrot a boiled egg. It’ll enjoy making its way through the eggshell, where most calcium is found.

Alternatively, you can also grind eggshells and sprinkle them over other foods.

Parrots can benefit from the calcium in the shell and vitamin D3 in the yolk. As discussed, parrots can’t absorb calcium into the body without sufficient vitamin D and magnesium.

Lactose-Free Cheese

Milk is vital for healthy bones because it has a high calcium content. Unfortunately, parrots can’t consume milk due to lactose in cow’s milk and dairy products like cheese.

Lactose is a sugar found in most dairy products and is broken down by lactase, an enzyme in the body.

Birds, including parrots, don’t generate lactase, which means lactose can’t be digested. It’ll sit in the stomach until expelled, often in the form of diarrhea.

Lactose-free cheese is a safe parrot snack, as it won’t cause stomach upsets. It still contains all the calcium of traditional dairy.

Ensure you buy lactose-free cheese, not dairy-free, because cheese alternatives created for the vegan diet rarely contain calcium.