Can rosehips be fed to parrots?
Rosehips are edible and safe for parrots, and they have incredible healthful benefits for both birds (parrots and finches) and people. This is why Leslie has made rosehips a diet essential, and a part of her ‘Balanced Food Plan for Parrots’.
Leslie covers this topic is detail in her monthly column The Holistic Parrot, issue 215 of Parrots magazine: Rose hips, delicious and antioxidant rich.
All of the roses species produce some red or orange fruits after they flower, and those are the rosehips. You may have seen birds in the wild feeding on them because of the essential nutrients that rosehips provide to a variety of wild animals.
Rosehips on the rose bush
Rosehips are exceptionally rich in vitamin C, that helps support the immune system and a variety of body processes. However, the quantities of these nutrient can be very different from one rose plant to another, and from one location to another.
This is one reason why buying and feeding organic rosehips is so important. To ensure your birds receive the highest quality of nutrients possible.
And most importantly, the value of rosehips lies in their capacity to neutralize free radicals in the body. Rosehips contain many types and high levels of powerful polyphenols, a class of antioxidants.
These antioxidants are known for contributing to free radical neutralization. They are also capable
of reducing the frequency of cellular mutations and can help prevent cancer. Rosehips have also been used to treat conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism, and diabetes.
The graphic above represents the capability of several foods to eliminate free radicals in the body, which are linked to disease and aging. Thanks to the incredible amount of antioxidants in rosehips they have the highest value in the chart. They easily surpass the ability of other foods to neutralize the free radicals.
Because of all this benefits, Leslie recommends using rosehips as one of the ingredients in her ‘Balanced Food Plan for Parrots’.
You can use rosehips fresh and raw (from the rose bush) – removing the seeds and hairs within the fruit. Or you can feed the cut and sifted rosehips by grinding them into a powder. Then, you can sprinkle this powder over a moist food, like BBFE! sprouts. Or you can use this powder to make Leslie’s Rose Hip Jam, a healthy treat for parrots – and people!
Remember to visit our store, where you will find high-quality, organic dried, cut and sifted rosehips for you and your birds!
Stock up on your supply of BBFE! sprouting blend for your birds today!
Keep the conversation going by leaving your comments beneath today’s blog!
