If you take care of birds, you’ve probably shared a meal or two with them. Sharing meals with your pet bird is a common activity especially if you’re having something both tasty and healthy. Your pet may even be accustomed to sharing foods with you. Unfortunately, not all human food is good for birds, this includes some cereals which tend to be very sugary. The question on your mind may be ‘can wild birds eat rice Krispies cereal’ this article looks into it 

Wild birds can definitely eat rice Krispies cereal, birds eat all types of cereal in their bird foods. Rice Krispies cereal is one of the better kinds of cereal to feed birds as it has a lower sugar content. In addition, the birds will love the crunch that comes with eating this cereal.

Can wild birds eat rice Krispies cereal?

Yes, wild birds can eat rice Krispies cereal. Many types of cereals can be fed to birds, in fact, this food can be very healthy for them if fed the correct type of cereal. The best cereal for birds will be low in sugar and be whole grain. In fact, any cereal that does not contain marsh mellow bits, too much sugar or a coating of chocolate is fine for the bird, this includes rice crispies cereal. 

Sugar content is often overlooked in cereals, the average box of cereal contains 19 grams of sugar per one 100 gram serving, rice Krispies, on the other hand, contains 10 grams of sugar, much less than other cereals. This makes rice Krispies cereal a food that your bird can enjoy as long as it is eaten in moderation or served as a treat or a reward

The reason you should only feed birds cereals in moderation is two-fold: fortified cereals, and variety in diet. Fortified cereals: Many commercial cereals that humans eat are fortified with vitamins. When cereals are given to birds in small amounts this isn’t a problem, but if you constantly give your bird cereal this can be too much, a humans vitamin requirements are not the same as a birds vitamin requirements. 

Variety in diet: The other reason why you should minimize how much cereal your bird eats is to allow it to eat other foods. Mixing foods ensures more variety in terms of vitamins and minerals delivered, this gives the bird a well-rounded diet. Feeding your bird rice Krispies cereal alone will cause it to become malnourished 

How to feed birds cereal

Variety is a must in a birds diet. You can achieve this by preparing the cereal in different ways such as sometimes crushing the cereals and offering the cereal as is another time. For more variety, you can add nuts, seeds, peanut oils, peanut butter or meat drippings to the cereal to entice the birds

Tip: Avoid giving birds cereal with milk. Birds aren’t able to digest large quantities of unfermented dairy products such as milk, these animals can only have milk in small quantities. If given a lot of milk the bird can develop digestive problems and even die. 

What cereals can wild birds eat?

Birds can eat a number of different cereals. Formulated bird cereals contain grains and so do human cereals, thus it is common for birds to eat human cereals. If you have on hand, you can feed birds cereals that have no added sugar such as Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran, Wheaties, Shredded wheat or Chex, the rice, corn or wheat variety. 

When picking cereals for birds, also keep an eye out for the zinc content in the food. The best cereal will have a low zinc content. If the bird does not have enough zinc in its diet it will find a way to compensate, the problem comes when the bird has too much zinc. The bird can develop zinc toxicity which can show up in weakness, anaemia, weight loss, lethargy, anorexia, fear picking, diarrhoea and regurgitation. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, yes birds can have rice crispies cereal. This is one type of cereal that does not contain too much sugar or other harmful ingredients such as chocolate or marshmallows. That being said, this food should not be a major part of a birds diet but should rather be served as a treat or a reward. You can feed birds this cereal as is, crushed up or with almonds, peanut butter, peanut oil, fruits, or animal drippings to entice the bird. Other cereals that the bird can eat include Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran, Wheaties, Shredded wheat or Chex, the rice, corn or wheat variety. 

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Can birds eat uncooked rice?, Do wild birds eat lettuce?, Can birds eat uncooked pearl barley?, Can birds eat uncooked oats?