Coconut oil – worth the hype? – should I give it to my parrot?

Coconut oil is something that recently has been being more and more pushed as a part of a healthy diet for your parrot. As with anything this is best used in conjunction with a healthy diet.

Health properties unique to coconut oil;

Coconut oil has two main components that make it a fantastic addition to your parrots healthy diet. Loric acid and one of very few good saturated fats your parrot needs. These two are something difficult to find in a regular diet so having an easy way to provide these is fantastic.

Some Benefits you may notice in your bird;

• Aids in digestion
• Helps with hormones
• Decrease in dander
• Helps with over preening and self mutilation
• Improves heart health
• Improves skin condition
• Dr karen becker reported noticing more colour in plumage over multiple molts (will link a video from her at the bottom of this page)
• There are rumors about it reducing cancer and other degenerative diseases.

How to offer;

First you want to ensure you are offering extra virgin, raw, cold pressed and if possible organic coconut oil.

This is not something you should ever apply topically.

For small parrots you want to place a small portion of coconut oil on a teaspoon and let the bird eat a couple beak fulls do not let them eat and eat away at this because then it is no longer good for them.

The actual dosage is 1/8 teaspoon per day per 400grams your bird weighs. When you have a budgie that is 32 grams it works out to basically be a couple beak fulls.