what kinds and quantities of fresh fruits/veggies

Question
I was just wondering about what kinds of fresh fruits and veggies to feed our 4 year old Orange-winged Amazon parrot. We have been told a few of the "off limits" foods like celery and mushrooms...but we're wondering more about the quantity, how much to feed at each sitting and how much variety each day? Is variety throughout the day good? Or should each day be more the same? We are afraid of over-feeding our parrot and him getting the runs...please help!

Answer
Hi,

There is much debate on appropriate diets for parrots. But as a general rule, it is agreed that veggies (primarily) and fruits should make up a good proportion of a bird's diet. The recommendations from vets on amount of veggies/fruits usually make is anywhere from 15 to 25%. Most diet recommendations suggest a base diet of pellets (50 to 75%), supplements with veggies & fruits (15 to 25%), followed by limited amounts of seed, nuts, and other healthy (bird safe) human foods like pasta, bread, egg, etc.

The types of vegetables and fruits you should feed should be high in vitamins. (Celery and lettuce are not recommended because they are mainly water, and offer little to no nutritional value). Some good choices include fresh hot peppers, bell peppers, grapes, mango, papaya, apple, pears, corn, peas, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, and other squashes, fresh bananas, (not chips), peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, and other berries. Potatoes, tomato, jicama, dark leafy greens, broccoli, etc. can also be offered.

I hope this helps.

-Maggie