The Correct Diet
Ensuring your parrot has the correct avian nutritional diet is probably the single most important factor in insuring that your pet bird lives a long and healthy life .The basic nutritional parrot's diet should consist of fresh clean water, washed vegetables and fruit, grains, legumes, sprouts, beans, nuts, pellets, people food, and limited amounts of seed.We cannot duplicate the diets that various species would eat in the wild but feeding a large variety of fresh foods will go some way to replicating it.Please note that not all species are the same and some have special dietary requirements so be sure to do your homework on your particular breed of parrot.
Vegetables are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates, and should comprise 15-30% of the diet. Fruits, which are higher in sugar and moisture, should comprise about 5%. It is best to provide a variety of vegetables and fruit. The following table lists good choices of vegetables and fruits for your birds.
Vegetables -
Radishes
Turnips
Carrots (root and tops)
Cooked sweet potatoes
Radicchio
Endive
Mustard & dandelion greens
Swiss Chard
Kale
Parsley
Cooked red potatoes
Green beans
Tomato
Sweet red & green, and other types of peppers
Cauliflower
Broccoli (head and leaves)
Beet & turnip greens
Eggplant
Kohlrabi
Sugar snap or snow peas
Squash (peeled & steamed)
Red beets (peeled)
Romaine or green/red leaf lettuce
Collard greens
Corn
Cucumber
Fruits
Berries
Kiwi
Mango
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Pineapple
Cherries
Cranberries
Banana
Pears
Peaches
Oranges
Pomegranate
Tangerines
Star fruit
Grapefruit
Papaya
Plums
Grapes
Apricots
Wash all vegetables and fruits thoroughly before feeding. Remove the pits and apple seeds from the fruit. Any vegetables and fruits left uneaten should be discarded daily so spoiling is not a problem. Because vegetables and fruits are high in water content, the urine portion of the droppings will increase.
Foods to avoid / Toxic
Some foods are on the do-not-feed list. These include -
High-fat junk food (potato chips, doughnuts, etc.)
Avocado (guacamole)
Chocolate
Alcohol or caffeine
Fruit pits
Persimmons
Table salt
Onions
Apple seeds
Mushrooms
Many birds are picky or reluctant to try new foods, so i thought i would compile a list of suggestions that you may like to try to encourage your birds to eat a healthy balanced diet.
The crafty approach - Try adding your birds favourite treat to new foods,you can push the treat into new foods & as your grey tries to retrieve the treat he will have to pick pass the new food.
Try offering new foods in the morning along with your birds regular food,Birds are hungriest in the morning & may be more willing to try new foods out.
Birds are social creatures,try eating a new food with your bird watching you,they may be more inclined to want to have a taste if they see you enjoying it.
Be persistent keep offering new foods everyday,even if your bird just throws it on the floor at least he has touched the new texture.It may take months for your parrot to accept a new food .
A kebab stick, specially made bird kebab sticks can be purchased, Add different coloured fruit & vegetables & leave it for a few hours,as the bird investigates he will more than likely touch the food.
Presentation- Some birds love chunk's of food to hold while others will enjoy finely chopped or mashed food.Offer some foods cooked & served warm, while others for example carrots can be offered raw.Discover how your parrot likes his food.
