Cooking squash?

Owlet

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Oct 27, 2016
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Does squash need to be cooked before it's fed to a parrot? I plan to freeze it all so I have a big batch I can defrost when I need it
 

chris-md

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Feb 6, 2010
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Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Not really, no. Think about zucchini or summer squash. Neither of those needs to be cooked, nor pumpkin. This falls under the heading "whichever your bird prefers". Some birds prefer their meals warm, others cooler. I will cook a mini pumpkin (one of those decorative pumpkins. As long as they aren't painted or otherwise similarly manipulated, they are edible) for 15 minutes at 350 to warm it up and soften it. Parker will rip right into it if he's in the mood.
 

wrench13

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Salty will not touch raw squash or pumpkin. we cut those little pumpkins and carnival squash in 1/2, punch some holes in it, and zap it for 2 min or less in the microwave. Salty loves them, seeds, guts and all. He will spend a good 2 hrs eating these, its one of his favorite dinners. Cut them in half and after they re cooked, we cut it like a pie, with lots of slices and plop it into his bowl. Make sure its not hot, he loves it warm still. We call it his comfort food
 

plumsmum2005

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Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
BTW I roasted some the squash/pumpkin seeds and Plum loved them, will not touch bought ones. Just rinse off and roast.
 
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Owlet

Owlet

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we ended up cooking it because A) It was rather hard and I'd have a hard time chopping it up otherwise. B) My parents advised it since squash is normally cooked for humans

we just cut it up into little cubes and stuck it in the oven for a bit so theyd soften up.
 

Terry57

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I cook our squash in the oven. I wash the shell really well, and cut it in half, leaving the seeds in there. I use a cake pan with a rack, and add about an inch of water to the pan seasoned with some cinnamon and cayenne. Place the squash upside down on the rack in the pan and bake at 350 for about an hour. You just have to keep an eye on the water and add more if it is getting low.After it cools, I just scoop it out. The seasonings in the water really flavour it well and they all seem to love it.
 

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