How To Create a Proper Bird Diet For Your Parrot

It is true; the wrong parrot diet can kill your beloved companion parrot. It is also true that the right bird diet can help your parrot live a long, healthy, and happy life. Only in recent years have we learned what foods should and should not be offered to our feather friends.

The main benefit of making sure your parrots diet contains the right foods is longevity. Just as people can live longer when eating a healthy diet, so can your companion parrot. It was only come to light in recent decades that parrots can live long lives if properly fed a wide variety of foods.

Seven Deadly Parrots Diet Foods

While there are many good things to include in a parrot diet, there are a few items people consume which can actually kill your feathered friend. These foods, known as the "seven deadly foods", are avocado, chocolate, alcohol, seeds of any fruit, raw meat, uncooked eggs, and any food which may have mold or may be spoiled (including bird seed). There is some debate over other foods such as garlic, but most parrots will simply not eat a clove of garlic and the tiny amount used as seasoning in a human food that a parrot might eat is insufficient to cause any hard.

Parrot Diet Items You Should Limit

There are some foods which people eat that a parrot can safely consume a tiny bit of without any problem, but which should be limited in the parrot diet. In large quantities, these foods can harm your bird's health. You may note these are also foods that a human should not eat in large amounts for their own health, too.

Any food which is high in fat must be limited. Wild parrots diets include very little fat. Think of your parrot diet much as you would the diet of a three year old child. A child could have a few potato chips even though they are high in fact, but you would limit the quantity. In a parrot's diet, you could allow a bite or even two from the edge of one single potato chip once in a while. Just do not let it become a habit so that every single day the parrot expects and gets potato chips. The golden adage "everything in moderation" is a good guideline to follow about parrot diet items to limit. Examples of foods in this group include: potato chips, fried foods, buttered vegetables or bread, ice cream, and cake or cookies.

It is also important to limit the amount of salty foods in your parrot's diet. A very small amount of salt goes a long way when consumed by a parrot with such a small body. When you are cooking food for the family that you plan to salt, remove some of the veggies before you add seasoning. Many common foods can be found in unsalted versions which are better for people with certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure and are also better for your parrot's diet. Foods in this category include salted potato chips, corn chips, nuts, vegetables with added salt, many prepared foods such as microwave entrees, bacon, ham, and other cured meats, and salted popcorn.

Sugary foods are poor choices for a bird diet. Just like children, birds can learn to crave sweets if allowed. It is safe to permit a parrot to taste a bite or perhaps two of sugary foods, it is crucial to restrict quantities. Sugary foods include: sweetened soft drinks, some cereals, candy, sweetened fruit juice, ice cream, and cookies.

Good Parrot Diet Choices

If you want to make a quick list of what is good to feed parrots, diet items would include everything not listed on the restrictions above. The wider the variety included in a bird's diet, the more nutrients, minerals, and vitamins the parrot will consume. A healthy bird is a happy companion, and you certainly want to enjoy many, many years with your pet.

Some of the good foods for parrots' diets that are really great for parrots are also the foods which are great for health-conscious humans. Vegetables, either raw or lightly cooked are healthy choices. Bits of pasta, cheese, rice, mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes, well-cooked eggs, and bits of well-done meats, poultry, or fish add variety to a bird diet. In fact, many parrots love to chew on a bone from cooked meat and even dig the marrow from the inside of the bone. Let your parrot's diet include lots of healthy foods.