Food safety
Can Birds Eat Rice? Yes, Plain Cooked Brown Rice
Yes, pet birds can eat rice. VCA Animal Hospitals includes brown rice in its list of suitable foods for budgies, and cooked brown rice makes a good moist food to mix with other items. Serve it plain, cooked without salt, butter or oil, and cooled to room temperature. Keep it a small part of the day's fresh food, alongside vegetables, behind a base of formulated pellets. White rice is fine occasionally, but brown is the better pick.
By Matt GarnettUpdated November 13, 20264 min read4 sources
Why plain rice is fine for pet birds
VCA's list of foods suitable for budgies runs from apple and asparagus to zucchini, and includes brown rice. Rice is a whole grain that most parakeets, cockatiels and larger parrots readily accept, and cooked rice is soft enough for even small beaks.
VCA also notes that cooked egg and pasta can be used as moist foods to mix with ground pellets when converting a bird to a healthier diet. Cooked brown rice works the same way: a soft base that other chopped vegetables can be stirred into.
What about uncooked rice?
A common story says uncooked rice makes birds swell up and burst. None of the bird nutrition sources cited on this page lists raw rice as a danger, and VCA lists brown rice simply as a suitable food. Even so, cooked rice is softer and easier to eat, and it is the form to offer a pet bird.
The real cautions are about what is cooked with the rice. VCA advises avoiding processed foods and foods cooked with butter or oil, and says very salty foods should never be fed. Fried rice, seasoned rice mixes and takeout rice are all off the menu.
How to prepare rice for a bird
Cook brown rice in plain water with no salt, butter, oil or bouillon. Let it cool completely to room temperature, then offer a small spoonful in a separate dish from the pellets. You can stir in finely chopped vegetables such as carrot, broccoli or peas.
Cooked rice spoils quickly. VCA advises leaving fresh foods in the cage no more than a couple of hours, especially in warm weather. Refrigerate leftover plain rice for your own use and serve the bird a fresh portion each time.
Fresh foods spoil fast in a warm room; offer them in a clip-on dish in the bird cage and remove leftovers within a few hours, or hide a piece in a foraging toy.
How much rice to offer
For a budgie, canary or finch, about a teaspoon of cooked rice mixed with vegetables a few times a week is plenty. For a cockatiel or conure, a tablespoon is a reasonable total for table foods at one meal, as VCA suggests for conures.
Larger parrots can have more, but the balance stays the same. The Merck Veterinary Manual says extra items should not disturb the nutritional balance of the diet, and notes that parrots on seed- and table food-based diets are the ones most often found short of key amino acids. Rice is an extra within the fresh-food share.
Foods to never mix with rice
Lafeber's do-not-feed list for pet birds includes avocado, which contains persin, a toxin reported to affect the heart in birds; chocolate, which contains theobromine and caffeine; and onion and garlic, which have caused fatal toxicity in birds fed large amounts. Keep all of these out of any rice dish you share.
VCA adds caffeinated products, alcohol and very salty foods to the never list. Rice cooked in broth, with soy sauce or with seasoning packets is likely to carry salt, onion or garlic, so cook a separate plain batch for your bird.
When to call an avian vet
Call an avian veterinarian if your bird stops eating, sits fluffed up on the cage floor, has diarrhea or seems weak after eating anything unusual. Merck advises having a bird that eats poorly checked to rule out illness.
If your bird may have eaten something toxic such as avocado, chocolate or a large amount of onion or garlic, call your vet straight away. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 and Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 can also advise; a fee may apply.
This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.
Common questions
Is uncooked rice bad for birds?
None of the bird nutrition sources cited here lists raw rice as a danger, and the story that it makes birds burst is not supported by them. Cooked rice is still the better choice because it is soft, so cook it plain and cool it first.
Can parakeets eat cooked rice?
Yes. VCA lists brown rice among suitable foods for budgies. Offer about a teaspoon of plain cooked rice, cooled, a few times a week, ideally mixed with chopped vegetables.
Can birds eat white rice?
Plain cooked white rice is fine occasionally, but brown rice is the one VCA lists and is a less refined grain. Cook either kind without salt, butter or oil.
Can birds eat fried rice?
No. Fried rice is cooked in oil and usually contains salt, soy sauce, onion and garlic. VCA advises avoiding foods cooked with oil and very salty foods for birds.
How long can cooked rice stay in a bird cage?
Remove it within a couple of hours, as VCA advises for fresh foods, and sooner in warm weather. Cooked rice spoils quickly and can upset a bird's digestion if left all day.
Sources we checked
This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. If your pet is unwell or injured, contact your veterinarian.
