Understanding the Parrot Diet

By Casey Kukiel


The parrot is a fascinating bird of all colors, sizes, and species, each having slightly different needs, but nutrition is perhaps one of the absolute most important need for all parrots. A nutritious, healthy parrot diet helps these magnificent birds to live the longest lives possible.

At this point in the scientific community, there is not enough research to assess the type of diets that parrots sustain for a long period of time in the wild. Experts do not agree on the perfect diet to follow for pet parrots. But, they do agree that a purely seed diet is not healthy for the majority of parrots. The fact that some parrots do well on a diet based on seeds is a tribute the how hardy parrots are rather then the fact that the diet is balanced. Seeds are deficient in many nutrients like vitamin A and calcium. They are also too high in fat. In the world of parrot, seeds should only make up about ten percent of their diet. In natural seed eaters like budgies and cockatiels can tolerate about twenty-five percent of seeds in their diets.

Pellet foods are made from a variety of foods including grains, seeds, vegetables, fruits plus vitamins and minerals. They provide a nutritious and balanced diet. However, parrots may get bored with eating the same thing all of the time. These are birds that crave stimulation. Pellet food can make up the base of a parrot diet consisting of about fifty to sixty percent.

A pet parrot diet should also contain tasty treats like fresh fruits and vegetables given to the bird either in large chunks or chopped into smaller bits for smaller birds. And, hanging large pieces inside the cage provides stimulation for the parrot. Try offering your parrot a variety of vegetables including things like carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, sweet peppers, or sweet potatoes. Your parrot may also like fresh fruits like apples, bananas, cherries, grapes, mangoes, melons, kiwi, oranges, and papaya. Do be sure when feeding your parrot fruits that you remove the pits and seeds as some can be toxic, like the seeds of an apple. Some other foods that are definitely toxic to parrots include avocados, caffeine, chocolate, cocoa, guacamole, and mushrooms. Never feed your pet parrot things that have a lot of grease, sugar, salt, or anything containing preservatives, food colorings, or similar additives.

A great source of nutrients for parrots are grains, like barley, brown rice, pastas, and wheat. Some owners of parrots regularly feed their pets unsweetened cereals made from whole oats as well as whole wheat bread.

Parrots are definitely sensitive members of the avian family, which is why their owners need to be diligent when it comes to managing their diet. The vast majority of a parrot's health problems can be directly attributed to diet and malnutrition. It's the responsibility of the owner to learn the great importance of the parrot diet and learn how to best take care of their bird's health and nutrition.




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