Our goal is to reduce the chances of captive parrot disease, autoimmune problems, plucking, behavioral issues, and systemic issues through biologically available and species appropriate diets. We are learning new information about parrots on a daily basis, so things have and will continue to change for the better. We hope to be a good part of that change and see parrots coming in healthier in the future.
What kind of foods should I be giving my parrot?
Pellets
At Iowa Parrot Rescue, we feed a staple diet of Harrison’s pepper lifetime pellets. This is a nutritionally dense spicy pellet that provides nearly everything your parrot needs. 30% of their daily diet comprises of these pellets.
For smaller, newer, and pickier birds we mix in the Zupreem fruitblend. These have artificial colors so should be avoided for Eclectus specifically. They have a natural formula with the same ingredients minus the coloring. More on eclectus below!
Other pellet brands we like, but don’t feed ourselves are: Roudybush, Lafebers/Nutriberries, Higgin’s, Caitech Ovenbites
Fresh Foods, Sprouts, Grains
Fresh foods should make up the greatest portion of your parrot’s diet, 50% and up depending on the bird. We use the frozen vegetable blends, which contain carrots, peas, lima beans, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, and green beans. To this we add fresh zucchini, yellow squash, COOKED sweet potatoes, celery, and radishes. Because of the large amount of mouths we have to feed here, we feed what we can get in larger quantities. Home preparation has a lot more options.
Those can include: Brussel sprouts, bok choy, beets, kale, winter squash (always cook tubers), peppers (all colors PLUS hot peppers!), dandelion (pesticide free), endive, cucumber, and so much more.
We feed fruit three times a week, which consists of apples, oranges, bananas, and a berry blend. Certain fruits seeds can be given. Those include pumpkin, squash, and melon seeds.
Other fruits we like are: Pear, pomegranate, grapes, mango, apricot, coconut, melon (green, water, orange), plum, cherries (always WITHOUT the pits), tomato (technically a fruit, and should not be given often due to the acidity), dates, figs, papaya, kiwi, etc.
For larger parrots, sprouts and grains comprise a very small portion of their diet. Some birds, like budgies (parakeets) and cockatiels naturally have a more grain heavy diet and should be fed more of this. The easiest way to sprout is to buy soak and sprout mixes, which typically consist of a variety of sproutable grains and seeds that you soak and rinse for a few days until they can be served. The nutrients are significantly more bio-available in sprouted grains and seeds than raw, so the extra effort is worth it for the health of your bird.
Whole/Pseudo Grains we like consist of: rice (brown, wild or forbidden), oats, barley, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth and teff. We also like cooked beans. Raw beans are toxic! Peanuts are one of the few legumes we don’t like to feed, due to both high fat content and a higher likelihood of harboring Aspergillosis fungi.
Seeds
Contrary to popular belief, seeds should not be demonized. They should fit in about 10% of your bird’s daily diet, or be offered in measured amounts a few times a week. That said, they are certainly not all created equally and you should be mindful about what brands and types of seed you are feeding. If it contains sunflower, smells stale, has excessive millet, or dyed seeds, it’s NOT a good mix. Anything from Walmart is pretty much guaranteed to be bad.
We feed Goldenfeast, which are some of the freshest and most varied mixes. Unfortunately the price point is often unattainable. Other more affordable brands we like are Higgin’s gold blends, Tropimix, TOPS all-in-one, and soak-n-serve mixes like Higgin’s Worldly Cuisines and Bird Street Bistro.
We don’t use any Kaytee mixes (low quality and fatty ingredients), Brown’s, Colorful Companions, Higgin’s Vitaseed, Higgin’s sunburst, Sunseed brand, or Wild Harvest.
Treats
This portion should make up the final 10% of your parrot’s diet. Treats can comprise of dried fruit, nutriberries, seed sticks (like Smaker’s and higgin’s sunburst sticks), in shell and shelled nuts (type varies by parrot type), fresh millet, caitech ovenbites, ceylon cinnamon sticks and star anise, birdie bread mixes (various brands), plain airpopped popcorn, and homemade herb foraging blends. Fresh fruit makes a quick and easy treat for training. We don’t like to use anything with added colorants or sulphured dried fruit.
There’s endless varieties of parrot safe and appropriate treats. Something we see a LOT is a desire to give your parrot whatever you are eating. I mean after all, they’re begging for it and we want them to be a part of our activities. This is understandable, but unfortunately can be a death sentence for your family member. Grease and fat contributes to atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries and prevents blood flow to vital organs. So as much as you’d like to give your bird that bite of pizza they want, DON’T. Reach for a better treat instead, like a banana chip or a piece of bird bread. Perhaps make them a foraging tray while you are eating so they can keep their brain busy, too!
Help! My bird won’t eat fresh food…. What do I do?
Every bird has its own history, and some won’t eat fresh food at all. It is great to offer some on a daily basis even if they don’t eat it, because the more they are exposed to it the more likely they are to encounter and try it. Parrots in the wild learn from watching and copying their flock members. A tried and true method to introducing new foods is to try it yourself in front of them. Eat it and make plenty of encouraging sounds, offer it to the bird, eat it again, and continue in this manner until the bird tries it.
We have had birds that, despite all this, still refuse to eat it. At that point we would typically sneak veggies in something desirable like birdie bread, which allows the bird to feel as if it’s eating a treat but they are still getting all the richness from the vegetables… Like sneaking spinach into eggs for children.
The good thing is, pellets these days are nutritionally complete so your parrot will not be deficient in anything given you are feeding a high quality pellet. The biggest obstacle at that point is proper hydration.
Totally Toxic Foods (And foods to avoid)
It goes without saying that there are plenty of everyday foods that are either toxic to parrots or just plain bad for them. Here is a list of some of those:
The toxic ones are alcohol, avocado, onion, garlic, leeks, scallions, cassava (tapioca), mushrooms, chocolate, caffeine (NON-caffeinated tea is great for birds… but you have to be certain it’s an herbal blend), fruit seeds and pits, and uncooked beans.
Not technically toxic, but very bad for parrots are dairy products, meat or animal products including bones, peanuts, and any food only for humans like chicken wings, french fries, spaghetti-o’s, bread, five course meals, and more. These are all examples from birds that have come to us with fatty liver disease.
Some non bird savvy vets and people will tell you cheese is okay because most hard cheeses do not contain any lactose. While this is true, it does not mean cheese is safe or good for birds. It is very high in salt content and fat, meaning higher chances for systemic disease.
Species Specific Requirements
Eclectus Parrots
Eclectus are an interesting species. There is a fair bit of evidence supporting the idea that artificial colors, vitamins, and minerals can cause neurological issues from high concentrations of Vit D3 in their blood. This is often called toe tapping and wing flipping. They can also contribute to plucking.
We combat these issues by sticking to a lower fat diet and eliminating any added vitamins and minerals. We personally use TOPS organic pellets , but some other options are Vetafarm or Roudybush.
Eclectus parrots do well on a mostly fresh foods diet with pellets as a supplement. There are plenty of owners who choose not to feed pellets at all. It’s all in feeding your individual the way that is healthiest for them and you, so don’t feel guilty for feeding pellets. They can be very beneficial for some individuals. Most eclectus should not be fed seed, or be fed very sparingly (few times a month) as they are prone to obesity and their digestive systems are sensitive.
Amazon Parrots
Amazons are very prone to obesity and overeating so care should be taken when formulating a daily diet for them. Most do best when their pellets and seeds are rationed and treats are limited.
Lories and Lorikeets
These are awesome birds because their specific morphology requires a nectar and pollen diet! Their tongues are actually designed for drinking nectar so powdered lory diets are available for those. Vegetables and fruits should still be offered just as the other birds in addition to fresh nectar at least twice a day. Their diet also means really nasty, wet poops. Seeds should be limited, as they are not a big part of their natural diet. Pellets should NOT be given to Lories or keets.
Macaw Parrots
Some species of macaw like Hyacinths and Greenwings have a higher requirement for healthy fats. We accomplish this by offering a walnut or macadamia nut (hyacinths) each morning to fulfill that need for extra energy. A higher requirement for fat does not mean it is okay to offer “table food”… Wrong kind of fat.