Can Birds Eat Pumpkin Seeds?
Pumpkin, rich in vitamin A and fiber, is a great treat for humans, dogs and cats. Pumpkin seeds, a natural source of omega-3 essential fats, and an aid against internal worms, are also a desirable addition to your diet and the diet of your furry friends. They are also a natural, fabulous treat for your feathered friends as well.
In Fact
Pumpkin seeds are a treat you can give your pet bird. You can clean them out of the pumpkin yourself and lightly toast them on an aluminum cookie sheet to dry them out, or you can buy them already packaged for your pet.
Additionally
Should you decide to buy a fresh pumpkin to harvest the seeds for your pet bird, consider also using the meat of the pumpkin to feed directly to your bird or to bake into pumpkin bread for your bird. This food source will add calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus as well as other nutrients to your bird's diet. Additionally, your bird is bound to love it.
Potential
If you are a bird watcher, you should try putting out pumpkin seeds for your wild birds. Smaller birds may not be interested due to the size and difficulty of the shell, but blue jays, cardinals and grosbeaks reportedly are lovers of pumpkin seeds. If you want to attract smaller birds with them, you may need to supply unshelled pumpkin seeds.
Considerations
On the other hand, if you are planting pumpkin seeds to grow pumpkins, you may not want to get your wild birds as interested in them. Wild birds have been known to dig up planted pumpkin seeds to help themselves to a treat.
Warning
When baking pumpkin seeds for your bird, stay away from Teflon and other non-stick pans. The fumes from these pans can be toxic to your bird. Also, whether you buy them by the bag or bake your own pumpkin seeds, make sure there is no salt on them. Salt is not good for birds.
Related posts
Wild birds can be taught to eat from your hand.People have always been fascinated by birds. Watching them take to the air was what inspired us to learn to fly. Touching the lives of birds allows u...
Care for Baby Mynah BirdsMynah birds, relatives of the European starling, are native to Southeast Asia; some varieties, such as the crested mynah and the hill mynah, inhabit parts of the United St...
Birds can easily build nests against wooden structures.Birds that decide to nest under the eaves of your home can quickly become a problem. Their feathers, nests and droppings are a health and saf...
If your bird suddenly starts over-plucking, consider any recent changes in the bird's food, or environment that may have caused this behavior.Normally when birds groom themselves---a process calle...
Determine a bird's gender through analyzing its markings and plumage.A variety of methods both observational and scientific can help you determine your bird's gender. While some visual cues can hi...
