Cockatiel · Vegetables
Can cockatiels eat tomatoes?
Yes, in small amounts, ripe flesh only. Cockatiels can eat ripe tomato, but never the leaves, stems or green fruit, which contain solanine, and keep portions small because it is acidic.
- Portion
- One or two pieces of ripe tomato about 1.5 cm (⅝ in) across
- How often
- Once or twice a week at most
- Sugar
- 2.6 g / 100 g
How to serve it
- Choose fully ripe tomatoes
- Cut off all green parts, including the stem and calyx
- Wash and dice
- Take away leftovers after a couple of hours
Why
Risks. The green parts of the tomato plant, and unripe fruit, contain solanine. Ripe fruit is non-toxic but acidic.
Benefits. A little ripe tomato adds variety to the vegetable mix.
Questions owners ask 1
Can I let my cockatiel play on my tomato plants?
No. The leaves and stems are toxic to birds. Keep cockatiels away from tomato, potato and other nightshade plants.
Tomatoes: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 94.5 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 18 kcal |
| Sugars | 2.6 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g |
| Protein | 0.9 g |
| Fibre | 1.2 g |
| Calcium | 10 mg |
| Phosphorus | 24 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.42 : 1 |
| Sodium | 5 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 42 µg |
| Vitamin C | 13.7 mg |
“Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 170457). Public domain.
Sources & method 4
The sources below discuss tomatoes for cockatiels (or for pet birds generally). Confidence: medium. Rated on the JOMIZOO Feeding Scale; when good sources disagree we choose the more cautious level.
- Tomato Plant (toxic and non-toxic plants list) — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Unsafe Foods for Birds — LafeberVet
- Client education: Toxic plants — LafeberVet
- Fruits and Vegetables in Birds' Diets — VCA Animal Hospitals
