Can cockatiels eat cherries?

Yes, in small amounts

Yes, in small amounts, with the pit removed. Cockatiels can eat cherry flesh, but the pits contain cyanide-releasing compounds and must never be offered.

Portion: Half a pitted cherry, cut into pieces
How often: Once or twice a week
Sugar: 12.8 g / 100 g

How to serve it

Rinse the cherries
Take out the pit and stem
Cut the flesh into small pieces
Take away leftovers after a couple of hours

Why

Risks. Pits from cherries, plums, apricots and peaches contain cyanide-releasing compounds, and cockatiels have strong enough beaks to crack them. The flesh is sweet.

Benefits. A piece of cherry makes a colorful occasional treat.

Questions owners ask 1

My cockatiel cracked a cherry pit. What should I do?

Remove the remains and phone your avian vet for advice straight away. Watch for weakness, fast or labored breathing or collapse.

Cherries: nutrition per 100 g

Water	82.3 g
Energy	63 kcal
Sugars	12.8 g
Fat	0.2 g
Protein	1.1 g
Fibre	2.1 g
Calcium	13 mg
Phosphorus	21 mg
Calcium : phosphorus	0.62 : 1
Sodium	0 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)	3 µg
Vitamin C	7 mg

“Cherries, sweet, raw”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 171719). Public domain.

Sources & method 4

The sources below discuss cherries for cockatiels (or for pet birds generally). Confidence: high. Rated on the JOMIZOO Feeding Scale; when good sources disagree we choose the more cautious level.