Can Parrots Eat Okra?

Parrots need to eat some vegetables every day so that they stay really healthy.

Give your parrot plenty of variety in vegetables as each kind contains different nutrients.

One of the more unusual vegetables that parrots certainly like is okra which is also called Gumbo and has the nickname ‘Lady’s fingers’. 

Benefits Of Okra For Your Parrot 

Okra is certainly nutritious for your parrot as it is packed with vitamins – A ,B6, C and K.

Vitamin A is important for parrots as it is beneficial to their eyes and immune system and also keeps their feathers looking good.

Okra also contains many minerals including folate, and magnesium.

Okra is rich in antioxidants including  flavonoids and isoquercetin. Okra is also rich in calcium which is really good for your parrot’s bones.

How To Feed Your Parrot Okra? (Raw Or Cooked?)

Okra is perfect for your parrot as part of his balanced diet.

You can give your okra either raw or cooked okra, although it is best to give him raw okra as cooked okra can become sticky and messy with a gel called ‘mucilage’ which is said to help to lower hear disease in humans, but in parrots it can be a problem as it will certainly stick to his feathers.

Check the okra to see if it is really fresh and then wash the okra well before you feed it to your parrot.

If he does not eat it within two hours remove the okra from his cage.

Certainly do not leave any fresh vegetables in his cage for long as your parrot can get sick from them as they deteriorate fast.

How Often Should You Feed Your Parrot Okra?

While your parrot will certainly enjoy eating okra, rather than give him a huge helping, it is best to give him just a few as part of a selection of different vegetables as this will ensure that he benefits from all different vitamins and minerals which will help keep him in great health.

What Other Vegetables Can I Feed My Parrot? 

•  Asparagus
•  Bamboo Shoots
•  Bell peppers
•  Broccoli
•  Beets
•  Brussel sprouts
• Butternut squash
•  Cauliflower
•  Carrots
•  Carrot tops
•  Cabbage
•  Celery
•  Chillies
•  Corn
•  Cucumber
•  Dandelion leaves
•  Endive
•  Fava beans
•  Fennel
•  Green beans
•  Lettuce
•  Marrow
•  Mushrooms
•  Pak choy /bok choy
•  Parsnips
•  Peas
•  Radish
•  Spinach
•  Sweet Potatoes

Can I Feed My Parrot Fruit Too?

The foundation of your parrot’s diet is his seed and pellets but to keep him healthy he needs to have some vegetables every day.

Your parrot will certainly enjoy being fed different types of fruit too, but this must be done as a teat – just a small quantity a few times a week because fruit has a high sugar content.

Too much sugary fruit is not good for your parrot. 

Like vegetables, the fruit should be really well washed to remove any chemicals on the skin.

Be really careful if the fruit has pips- like apple or stones like plums and apricots as these are not good for your parrot and as some contain cyanide, they will make him sick. 

Fresh fruit and frozen fruit are both fine to give your parrot but not tinned fruit as this type of fruit has a really high sugar content.