What Parrot Food Should you Feed Your Bird?
What kind of parrot food is best for your pet bird? Parrots need to be fed a balanced healthy diet to stay healthy and if you keep mealtimes interesting they won't become bored - which is important for these birds who crave stimulation. Start by following these basic rules for parrot feeding.
Always feed your parrot a balanced diet. This means including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, some cooked meats and lots of grains. If your diet is healthy, salt free and balanced you can share some of your food with your bird, but in general it may be wiser to stick to a special parrot diet for your bird. Special parrot pellets are available to use for supplementary feeding.
How do you know how much parrot food to give your pet bird? You can figure this out by giving your parrot small amounts of a variety of foods. Notice how much he eats of each kind in one sitting and if there is food left over, make sure you give him or her less the next time round.
It is preferable to give your bird small servings of his parrot food throughout the day, not a large amount once a day. Always make sure to keep his food fresh. Never give your bird moldy or old food and don't leave food in her cage that she has eaten on. Bacteria can grow in the food and make your bird sick.
Along with your bird's parrot food you must make a supply of fresh water readily available, preferably changing the bowl a few times each day. Parrots
can be messy and may poop in their bowls or drop bits of food into it, so try and keep it as clean as possible.
Your parrot food should include nuts and seeds but keep these as treats only. They just don't have the correct nutrient requirements for your parrot. Foods to avoid giving your parrot are chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, kidney beans, lima beans and avocados. These foods are toxic to parrots and can make your bird sick or even kill him.
Parrot food should never be high in fat, calories or cholesterol and you should never overfeed your bird. This will cause him to put on excess weight and cause heart and joint problems. If you notice that your parrot is losing weight, it is probably not getting enough food. Take time to feed your bird a healthy diet and he will be a friend and companion for years to come!
