Cockatiel · Vegetables
Can cockatiels eat sweet potatoes?
Yes, cooked and plain. Sweet potato is an excellent source of beta-carotene for cockatiels; steam or bake it and serve it without any seasoning.
- Portion
- About a tablespoon (15 ml) of mashed or diced cooked sweet potato
- How often
- 2–3 times a week, rotated with other vegetables
- Sugar
- 4.2 g / 100 g
How to serve it
- Peel the sweet potato
- Cook until soft by steaming, boiling or baking, without salt, butter or oil
- Let it cool, then dice or mash
- Take away leftovers within an hour
Why
Risks. Somewhat starchy, so it should not dominate the vegetable mix. Avoid versions prepared for people with sugar, butter or salt.
Benefits. Red-orange vegetables such as sweet potato are high in beta-carotene, a vitamin A precursor, and Merck lists sweet potatoes among foods rich in vitamin A.
Questions owners ask 1
Can I mix sweet potato with my cockatiel's pellets?
A little mashed sweet potato can help a cockatiel accept new foods, but moist food spoils quickly, so remove the dish within an hour.
Sweet potatoes: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 77.3 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 86 kcal |
| Sugars | 4.2 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g |
| Protein | 1.6 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Calcium | 30 mg |
| Phosphorus | 47 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.64 : 1 |
| Sodium | 55 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 709 µg |
| Vitamin C | 2.4 mg |
“Sweet potato, raw, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 168482). Public domain.
Sources & method 4
The sources below discuss sweet potatoes 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.
- Feeding Birds (client education handout) — Association of Avian Veterinarians
- Fruits and Vegetables in Birds' Diets — VCA Animal Hospitals
- Nutritional Disorders of Pet Birds (Bird Owners edition) — Merck Veterinary Manual
- Basic Care for Companion Birds — Association of Avian Veterinarians
