Diet + Nutrition

Did you know that the most common companion parrot illnesses are related to poor nutrition? Liver and kidney diseases (brought on by vitamin and mineral deficiencies) and obesity and heart disease (brought on by diets too high in fat and calories) are vastly responsible for the premature deaths of countless pet parrots. It is sad to think about it…

The good news? All that suffering is completely preventable! You just have to understand how to feed your bird.

Ordinarily, we try to mimic the life of the wild parrot in the way we do things for our companion birds – we try to use natural branches in the cages for perches, we offer wooden and natural plant materials for toys.

However, that approach does not work with their diet for a couple of reasons:

First, captive birds are fed foods that are available in grocery stores and could not be given their natural diet no matter how hard we might try to duplicate it. Many of our birds do not live in their native countries and we don’t have access to the foods their wild cousins are eating. Additionally, because birds fly from one feeding spot to another, researchers are unable to follow them and we do not have the complete picture of the wild parrot diet. In captivity, our birds eat the foods the avian sciences have deemed appropriate to keep them healthy.

Secondly, captive birds have a very different lifestyle than wild birds, who are only still when they are sleeping. Comparatively, our birds get very little exercise. This means that they must not be fed the high fat diet that wild birds thrive on. Our birds simply do not have the means of burning off the calories. A diet that is made up mostly of seed, the diet you were probably told to give to your bird when you got him, is responsible for generations of fat, unhealthy companion parrots.

The best parrot diet is made up of mostly vegetables – 60% or more. We aim to give our birds about 75-80% vegetables in their diet.

The term “fruits and vegetables” just seems to roll off the tongue, but they don’t go hand-in-hand in the parrot diet. The human-cultivated fruit we get at the market is of poor quality nutritionally. It is entirely different than the fruit that grows naturally in the wild and should be offered sparingly as a snack food.

Cooked whole grains, like brown rice can part of the daily diet but in very small portions. Grains and pasta are very high in carbs which are broken down into sugars, the excess of which are stored in our cells for use when we need energy. Too many carbs results in excess body weight.

On the internet, there are places which proudly post recipes for pet parrots that contain excessive and unhealthy amount of grains, pasta and beans. They are simply casseroles of carbs with little else to offer. Please avoid them and feed your bird in the manner we know is working for captive parrots.

To round out the diet, our parrots should be given a high quality pellet. Pellets on their own are not an adequate diet. They are only PART of the diet, but an essential part. They are there to fill in nutritional gaps making them especially important for picky eaters.

Our pellet brand has the most impressive list of ingredients of any brand available and are minimally processed to keep their nutritional quality intact.

There is a gentle balance to the parrot diet, not too little - not too much. If you feed all the foods that are parrot appropriate in moderation, the diet will be complete and your bird will be healthy. Nothing feels better than your vet telling you what a great job you are doing!

If you are feeling insecure about how to feed your bird, please check out Natural Feeding System: Cooking For Parrots, our popular cookbook set in which you will find everything you should know about parrot health and nutrition. The main diet we feature, intended for everyday use, is perfectly balanced to cover all your bird’s nutritional needs.

For more resources on this topic please check out the following:

50 comments

Kim

I want to purchase your pellets for my blue gold but every pellet I’ve gotten her she just refuses. Wants the “red” pellets that the previous owner gave her! How do i transition her successfully? Please help

Kim
Ellen

Is there somewhere I can find answers to these many questions that people have asked? I am interested in your answers for them. It would help me decide what I should do. Someone asked about how to make the pellets smaller without them turning into dust…..for example. I’m hesitant to buy the pellets without knowing this.

Ellen
Friday

Hi what pellet brands do you recommend for those outside the states that do t have access to yours?

Friday
Evy and Fran

I’m very excited about your bird pellets and will be using them on my Umbrella Crested Cockatoo, and our sweet Goffin Cockatoo.

Evy and Fran
Claudette Dulas

I would like to know which food to give my parakeets . I’ve yet to see the 1 lb. bag and the different size options. Thank you Claudette Dulas

Claudette Dulas
Lori Blecka

Hello. I have noticed that your summer freeze dried feeding mix has been out of stock for several months now. Any idea when it will be back in stock? I am interested in diet converting a seed fed sun conure and I really need help. I have tried the pellets, and she refuses. This is going to be a tough one! Thanks! Lori

Lori Blecka
Vickey

Hi will I be able to get a sun conure bird seed and grain mix recipes in your book? Thanks so!!

Vickey
Alice Nelson

I have been following a long time but a year ago I a cocktail and am trying to get her on a healthy diet. I think that is my main problem. I have your feeding system, 3 books.

Alice Nelson
Carol

When will your freeze dried summer feeding mix be back in stock?

Carol
Niki

https://www.facebook.com/262477633842286/photos/a.298839226872793/905938949496148/?type=3 So this picture is alarming, but you can see the red undertone in the face that you can’t unseen when you notice it. I noticed in my African grey a yellow undertone and I am wondering if this could be indicating something like anemia. It is a long shot. But I have been feeding them frozen vegetables and didn’t realize there are spices on them, one being garlic. I know if is rare but It is just something I can’t unsee. Especially with a second younger African grey as reference. Please let me know if someone knows something I don’t. I feel like I will go into the vet and come out with no information other than intrusive tests are needed. I don’t want to unnecessarily shock my African grey.

Niki
Tim Payne

Hello, not sure where I should have asked this question on your site, but just got a baby Macaw and wanted to know what products you use for bird mites if needed.

Tim Payne
Jeannette Cox

I had a blue fronted amazon that lived into her 40’s but developed heart failure. She was on Harrison bird food as my 7 yr old African Grey. My question is would your food help her to be calmer with a better attitude and would like to try to get her use to veggies. Thank you

Jeannette Cox
Tammy

My figaro picked me i didnt even want a parrot but he would not stop following me around and out side of the pet store. i had to take him back 3 times finally the lady gave him to me . i was like i only came in for fish. so i bought his cage and upgraded it he was 7 weeks old / now 23 yrs old im still in love and he still fallows me around . but im wondering i didnt see any meats or eggs in your recipes is that bad for him ? also he likes milk and yogurt i make all organic from my own cows . his fav food is Quail and hamburger pomagranit eggs and his Nut and seeds i get from store . am i doing wrong ? i want to add veggies too

Tammy
Debora Sator

Hi, This is mainly for the folks that write in about food conversion. I have done it with a 35 year old Blue Front Amazon starting out with reducing the seed diet with half of Bird tricks organic pellets and fresh green beans. Then after about a week I would add some fresh bell pepper, just a 1 inch slice or two. I kept this up until she was consistently eating some of the fresh veggies and the pellets too. It was a year before we could leave out the seed mix portion. I was frustrated, alot. She was a stubborn older bird we adopted when her owner died. She had been on a seed diet with another brand of extruded pellets for most of her life and the change was hard for her. We were able to get her on a mostly fresh veggie diet, she never quite took to leafy greens, except cabbage and Brussel Sprouts. I found a Stainless steel food skewer with a screw end for birds to skewer veggies onto and hang in her cage or on top of her play area, this really helped. I would use zucchini, broccoli, carrot, Brussel sprouts and make a raw shishkabob to hang and she would chew it to shreds, this helped her taste the veggies I was putting in her chop. A treat would be a bite of fresh peach or banana, mango or some brown rice and a piece or two of cooked pasta, like a bow tie or a penne, no sauce, although you can make a fresh tomato one. I have the Bird Tricks cook books and the recipes are really amazing. Our bird loves the Birdie burrito. Sadly we only had our adopted Amazon for six years. She had developed fibroids in her lung cavity that restricted her ability to breathe and passed away. she lived approximately 42 years. We miss her dearly. We have a new rehired BlueFront now and she is on the Seasonal feeding system from the first week we took her home, Her conversion was easy as she loves fresh veggies. Abbie is now 7 and our Avian vet is amazed by her plumage color vibrancy and her agreeable disposition. I shared our feeding system with him so he can share it with other patients and with his own Sun Conure Flock too. Thank You Debora Sator

Debora Sator
Janet Coughlin

I was looking for the Recipe that you the 4 Young girls where making but didn’t find it maybe you could email me it would be awesome if you could 😎✌🦜

Janet Coughlin
Shwetha Ashwin

I have a congo African grey parrot male. I am from India and I sincerely follow all your advice on youtube. I want to understand how to teach my parrot free flight in Bangalore and also the complete diet for that I need to understand. Please help.

Shwetha Ashwin
Julie Banks

I am new and don’t even have a bird yet. Looking to get a parakeet. In one of your videos you showed a product to added water to for their feed. I don’t see it anywhere. What happened?

Julie Banks
WARREN DE ARMAS

I have a young Indian Ringneck male. I’d like to get some food other than universal parakeet (Budgie)food. Whatcha Got for me/

WARREN DE ARMAS
Esther van Hattem

Hi! I was interested in your pellets for a bird I will be taking care of, however, I don’t live in the States. What can you recommend in terms of other brands? Thanks!

Esther van Hattem
Tracy

I purchased and downloaded the nutritional feeding system. What is Birdie Bread Mix and where do I purchase and/or find the recipe to make? I’m trying to prepare the 1-2-3 simple Birdie Bread Recipe and it calls for 1 cup of Birdie Bread Mix. Thanks.

Tracy
SYLVIA EDWARDS

DO U MAKE BATCHES OF YOUR MEAL PLAN IS FOR MY BUDGIES MYS JUST DON’T LOOK RIGHT HELP PLEASE

SYLVIA EDWARDS
Lola Andrews

Hello. (A) These are much too large for my small bird and he won’t touch them. How do I divide them up without turning them to dust he won’t eat? (Our dogs love the ones he tosses onto the floor.) (B) Should I be posting my comments to YouTube? I don’t see any responses from you to these comments on the website. © Is it possible to comment on a comment? I’d like to give Shamshad simple tips on introducing new objects, returning to cage, and most of all not starving the bird, but I don’t see a method. Thanks

Lola Andrews
Shamshad Hassam

hi got the natural feeding download. all was fine but now AG, 11 yrs old is being fussy. took her to the vet and all is fine. i got her some new perches and she was so scared of them I had to remove them. since then she is so fear-based of us and the cage and out time and all over. she won’t even step up(even though it was limited before) now is totally out of the question. before I could get her in and out (on her own, not on my hand) but now she has to be chased to go back in and even bribing her with treats is not helping. as we get closer to the cage she flies off. I have had her for 3 months. my home is the third home (as far as I know). but i feel she must have have been brought up in a very abusive home. also she used to eat the chop in the morning and harrison pallets in the evening. now she is so so fussy she will not eat the chop and sometimes eats the pallets and sometime does not eat for 2 maybe 3 days. I cannot even get her to stay still to train her. it has to come to when I am afraid to get her out of the cage since going back in is so stressful only only on her but me too!!! this is not how I had envisioned my owning an AG. please help me. what to do???? thanks

Shamshad Hassam
Lena Crosson

Just ordered the digital download so excited to try your recipes!

Lena Crosson
Nav

How long can the pellets last in the freeze and in the fridge.

Nav

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