What do Parrots Eat?

Parrots need a balanced diet to maintain their health in an optimal state. It is important to know what parrots eat so as not to offer them a poor or inadequate diet with which they do not get the nutrients they need each day, causing a vitamin deficiency. The feeding of the parrot must be complete, balanced and varied, adapted to the species and its energy requirements.

Formerly, it was very common that the basis of the parrots’ diet were sunflower seeds. The usual thing was to fill his bowl of pipes and offer him some other food from time to time. This is a fatal mistake: the pipes cannot provide all the necessary nutrients , they have a lot of fat and they don’t have vitamin A, essential for birds.

Foods that Parrots Eat for a Balanced Diet

The feeding of parrots is a very important factor that will determine their quality of life and that will prepare them to defend themselves against possible diseases or climatic changes. In addition, this will be reflected externally in its plumage, its vitality and its character. It is best to imitate the diet they would follow in their natural habitat , but this is not always possible because we cannot find the same variety. Seeds, fruits and vegetables are some of the foods that parrots eat in nature.

It is very common to find all kinds of seed assortments in animal stores, so it is common for them to become the basis of the diet. Although they feed on seeds, they don’t do it the same way they would in captivity. The biggest problem with these mixtures composed of seeds of birdseed, sesame, sunflower, millet and oats is that the parrot can select the food that it likes the most and discard the rest. Usually, everyone chooses the pipes and sets aside the other components of the mixture. This means that we return to the starting point, sunflower seeds are the only thing that parrots eat and with them they do not get all the nutrients they need.

So what should the parrot feed be to get a balanced and healthy menu every day?

• 50% feed for parrots
• 20% fruit
• 20% vegetable
• 10% of other foods

I Think for Parrots

Feed is the basis of feeding these birds. The first thing we get with them, unlike with the seed mix, is that the option to select the food disappears . That is, we will offer you all the ingredients in the same proportion within each granule or extruded croquette; This way we make sure they get all their nutrients. The feed that parrots eat consists of ingredients such as cereals, fruits, seeds, vegetable oils, vegetables and fruits, as well as a multitude of vitamins and minerals selected for optimal health.

You can opt for different brands of food for parrots , as well as different shapes and sizes, adapted to each species. The feed colors tend to like and find it more fun, the color can not be more boring and monotonous. Either option is just as good, but you should keep in mind that with the colored feed, as if the croquettes have different shapes, they can select the food because some of them is not to their liking.

Fruits and Vegetables that Parrots Eat

40% of the parrot’s diet must consist of different fruits and vegetables: the more variety, the better . Ideally, a mixture of at least 3 different fruits per day. It must be fresh and washed and you can offer it in small, large pieces, hung from the cage or in forage toys. The vegetable can also be cooked.

• Fruits they can eat every day : apple, pear, orange, tangerine, strawberries, watermelon, apricot, kiwi, pineapple, pomegranate, papaya, grapefruit, persimmon.
• Fruits that you can eat from time to time (2-3 times a week): banana, melon, grapes, cherries, peach, mango, loquat.
• Vegetables that parrots can eat daily : Green, red and yellow peppers, carrots, broccoli, beans, spinach, cauliflower, chard, endive, escarole, radish, celery.
• Vegetables that can eat 2 or 3 days a week : lettuce, cooked potato and cooked sweet potato.

Other Foods Y0ou Can Include in Parrot Feeding

There are some foods that parrots eat in smaller proportions or occasionally that also enrich their diet. These are legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans, soy), fresh cheese, yogurt, pasta, rice , egg, bread, cake …

In this 10% we could also include nuts such as nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts or pine nuts. These are ideal as prizes, to reward our parrot or simply to pamper him.

The mixture of seeds is also beneficial for our parrot, only not as the basis of its diet. You can offer them occasionally or within that 10% of the daily menu that parrots eat. On our website you can find many different preparations with all kinds of seeds such as Versele Laga, Cunipic, KIKI, Vitakraft, Lolo Pets and Vivanimals .

Prohibited Food for Parrots

The digestive system of parrots does not tolerate the same foods as us; Some are even toxic and can cause death. Two of the most dangerous foods for these animals are avocado and tomato , so they should never be part of the fruits and vegetables we give to our parrot.

Chocolate, cocoa and any type of candy is also harmful to parrots’ health; soft drinks, alcohol, sugar, salty foods , milk, onions, garlic and any fried foods . Although milk is not good, if you can give dairy products without salt such as fresh cheese or yogurt. Potato and any tuber in general is also dangerous without boiling, so it should always be cooked.

Now that you know everything parrots eat and in what proportion you should offer them, you have no excuse for a complete and healthy diet.

Miriam Zazo
Veterinary Tiendanimal