What Does Your Parrot Like to Eat

If you put aside the yummies like ice cream, cheese let’s not forget the bacon. What does your parrot enjoy for dinner? There is the base of seed, but not all parrots like seed. For instance my Amazon, Gonzo won’t eat seed and actually eats pretty healthy besides his love for tortilla chips and peanuts. He loves apples, grapes, pomegranate, chili, pasta and pellets, oh not to mention ramen noodles that all parrots are partial to. I have tried Harrison’s and ok he is not that healthy, he sticks with his Roudybush pellets. So what does that funny companion of ours like? There are the fruits and veggies. Green leaf veggies are best but that is health food and not all parrots like it. They are much like humans and don’t like to eat what is healthy for them. Remember that give it to parrots eat 15-20% of their body weight. So when feeding them give fruit treats in moderation.

You will have to think what they like to eat or you will a very unhappy friend. When you supply your parrot an all seed or pellet diet they become bored and you will have a very unhappy friend. It is best to give them choices. In their food bowl let them have a chance to eat seed, in another bowl pellets and the yummy bowl fruits, veggies, nuts and pasta. Yes there are more bowls to wash but that feathered friend also likes variety. Think this there meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I like to give my parrots a chance to enjoy their meal with their bowls to choose from. Get a pellet that is formulated with your parrot’s health in mind. If your parrot has never eaten pellets introduce it by putting a small handful in with their seed or fruits and veggies. That is how we introduced it to our baby African Grey, Sparky. He now loves pellets. When you get seed, choose a variety of different seeds, nuts, pasta, chili and star anise in it. We get a special formula from a company that specializes in packaging seed. My Hahn’s Macaw, Lambeau loves seed, but she also eats pellets and fruits and veggies and just let her loose on rice or cheese.

Fruits and Veggies Now the fruits and veggies, there are so many out there; try them all. You will soon find your companions favorite. Unfortunately many fruits are seasonal. During the fall and winter we treat them to pomegranate and during winter and spring cara cara oranges (these oranges are really yummy with flavorings of cherry, rose petal and blackberry). Yes my feathered friends are very disappointed when these treats go out of season. Not that they understand seasons, they just think we are holding out on them till the next year when they come back into season and they eat them ferociously. Of course there are berries in the spring and summer. As you can see there are treats within the fruit component of their diet. Veggies are great because some are in the shapes of toys like green beans, red peppers (cut into strips) and baby carrots, they can hold them. That only makes it more fun. There is squash, sweet potato (most like it cooked), and many more you can find. Remember to wash all your fruits and veggies as they are sprayed with pesticides and it will pass through their small kidneys. They also enjoy eggs and pasta.

Junk Food Junk food, you like to sit down and have that bowl of ice cream or bacon with your breakfast. If you do give your feathered friend junk foods do it with a limitation in mind. They enjoy that delectable treat too. These kinds of foods can put the grams on a parrot just like the pounds on your tummy. NEVER give your parrot avocado, chocolate and alcohol. They are toxic and WILL kill your feathered companion. You also need to avoid eggplant, caffeine, raw potato, onion and rhubarb (including the leaves).

Sparky our African Grey had for months devoured one of our gourmet suppers of marinated portabella mushrooms that was prior to our avian vet advising us that the fungi should be eaten in moderation only. However Sparky tends to regard our dinner plates as another source of adventure, it can amusing chasing him across the table to regain his latest catch.