Diet

[negb]

OK, so if any of you have seen any of my posts, you'll know I'm trying to decide on a parrot, but have no clue which at the moment.

Anyways their diet has been bugging me (just hearing all the different information) so I thought I'd try to get a basic one down and fit according to the bird I pick (especially if its an eclectus).

So I tried...and here's what I got:

50% pellets
20% sprouts
30% veggies and fruits

3 different fruits and 5 different veggies a day.

Change the variety of fruit/veggies once done or spoiled.

I don't really know how to go about with protein but I was thinking something such as:

Some scrambled egg or a hard boiled egg with shell every maybe...2 weeks?

...And maybe some meat every some often at supper when my family has some (obviously not every night...how often do you suggest?).

What do you think? Feedback would be awesome!

Also, a few questions...

So obviously raw is better but what veggies MUST be cooked?

Is say frozen peas (once cooked) ok for them?

If I cook some rice, freeze it in daily portion, and reheated, could they eat it? I've heard rice freezes well but could anyone tell me how long I could keep it frozen for?

Sprouts:

Can I buy high quality bird seed and sprout them (I know I can but I meant health wise...)?

If no, what mix of seeds/sprouts do you recommend? Places to buy?

I'm sorry if these seem stupid, especially the next question, it's just I'm new to this, and very new to the sprouts.

So...final question:

Are sprouts and seeds the same? Aren't sprouts way better? But they come from seeds....If I'm feeding sprouts, do I still need to feed small percent of seeds?

Wow, sorry. But all replies/input will be greatly appreciated. THANKS!

 

[Printer bird]

Sounds pretty good (although it does depend a bit on the bird as some will require some tweaking to the above). As for protein, we give a protein a few times per week. He gets egg sometimes, beans (cooked - these must be cooked or from a can. Lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans etc) and bits of nut (actually he has tiny bits all the time as he loves almonds and that is what we use as a training reward). I don't feed sprouts very often so I'm not sure that the 20% sprouts is necessary but its fine as far as I know. YOu can feed seeds as treats every now and again but they are high in fat so they should just be added in small quantities. We use millet to hide around his cage so that he has something to find when we are gone and every so often we put a little bit of seed in his pellet dish for something different. For sprouts, I'm not sure you can sprout birdseed or if that's the best option. The kind we buy is from a local organic store and we can eat it too! That way it doesn't go bad. You can get all kinds and just double check to make sure the type you are getting is OK for birds. Most of them are.

You can definitely freeze rice. I freeze little rice balls with frozen veggies and kidney beans in them. They last a month or so. You can also make sweet potato balls with quinoa, millet, a carrot and parsley mixed in and freeze that in little portions too. YOu can also buy a bird porridge mix (called Beak Appetite) and freeze that too.

We feed a mix of fresh and cooked veggies. He often just gets what we are eating plus peppers most days as those are his faves. You have to cook potato things (such as sweet and regular potatoes) and I think corn but I'm not sure if there are any others that you have to cook or not. Perhaps others can answer that.

Once you know what bird you are getting, people can offer more specific answers.

 

[Crackers]

I just posted this in the eclectus section but I will try to make this more relevant to your questions as much as possible. Sorry there is so much information but I can't stress enough the importance of a proper diet. All seed diet is not good. There are a couple of seeds in the sprout mix but they are sprouted and alive! Loaded with nutrients!

Printer Bird has made some good suggestions so I will expand on it since I feed a sprouted diet. Sprouted diet is comprised of grains, beans and seed so it is not recommend to buy a bag of seed and sprout it.

I have been using a sprouted diet along with veggies and fruit for all my parrots. I know that it is like making another meal, but I feel parrot nutrition is very important. Your birds will be happier, they have less health issues and their feathers will have a beautiful sheen to them. Sprouts are living food loaded with a ton of nutrients. I have fed it to Senegals, amazons, cockatiels, and mini macaws. When I get my African Grey, he will receive the same diet. It is highly recommended from many breeders/veterinarians and this diet has been fed to all kinds of parrots commonly kept in captivity with great success.


You can feed grains,beans, assorted fruits and particularly root veggies like slightly cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, yams, broccoli, kale, chard, etc. Most of your root veggies need to be slightly boiled but don't overcook as to remove the nutrients and valuable vitamins. Just enough to be slightly soft.
I also chop up arugula salad mix and add that to their food. I give quinoa and quinoa pasta. Everything that I feed is organic and comes from my local farmers market. I also mix it up each day so they are not eating the same thing each day. The sprouted diet is given everyday but I add a different mix of fruits and veggies each day so they dont get bored of the same thing. Variety is important. You are the chef so enjoy this. You dont have to break it down to how many different pieces of fruit or veggies you give. Just mix it up each day.

Here is a website that talks about what to feed parrots:
Parrot diet by Aves International

This website is large be she also has species profile pages of the most common parrots. If there any additions to the sprouted diet, she will list it. For example, large macaws get the sprouted diet but she also adds specific nuts because they require oil in their diet. So I encourge you to read her profile pages. Again, the website is large but has a ton of information.

I have see other health issues which was directly related to diet. About 12 years ago, I had to take my parrot to vet for an eye infection. It was linked back to a poor diet and nutrition. Every since then, I have done alot of research and I have completely stopped feeding processed diets altogether. I do use safflower seeds for training but that is in limited quantities.

I know some people feed pellets and do fine with it. However, I would stay away from any processed packaged diets for any parrot. Again, this my opinion based on research and experience as well as seeking professional advise.

I buy my sprouts from China Praririe:
China Prairie Company is Second Nature for parrot food

I purchase 5lbs of the Avian FRESH Diet-Psittacine & 5lbs of the Avian FRESH Diet-Micrograin. I mix them together in a large container and store in the fridge. This my preference. You can read up on the different types of sprouts and make your choice. I also buy their FRESH Addition which contain nest blue-green algae, barley grass, alfalfa leaf, trace mineral clay, probiotics, and herbs and spices. It is all natural and I only put a small amount on the food and then mix it around. I also keep this in the fridge.

Below is a picture of what I feed in the morning. When I get home, I do training in which my parrot gets safflower seeds as a reward. I also give fruit or veggies and/or some nuts for him to snack on as well. The seeds and nuts are given in small quantities. This all sounds like alot but trust me, it is easy! I have been feeding like this for about 12 years.

I generally do not freeze anything. I make as much as I need for a week, keep it in the fridge and warm up it in the morning. If you want to freeze food items, I dont see the harm in it other than it might lose some of the nutrients and you have the risk of freezer burn. I cut the fruits and veggies that do not get heated each day. I do not feed corn or soy products. Most of them are a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO).

Keep in mind this is easy and very healthy for your birds!!

I also want to add that I do not work for any of these companies nor am I a representative. They are just good resources that I have used over the years of feeding my parrots.

This is a sample of what my parrot food looks like (which is probably the right amount for an eclectus. This is a bit much for a Hahns but I did this as an example so people could see what it looks like when prepared):

 

[negb]

Wow, even more information! Haha, thanks though.

Crackers, I can't see your picture by the way, I'm not sure why...

 

[negb]

Crackers, with the amount of sprouts you buy, how long does it last your bird and how much do you feed each day (or per meal)?

Also how long with it last in the refrigerator?

 

[Pedro]

negb, if your considering the eclectus this site is well worth researching:

I have posted it for another member. But just in case you miss it. I have posted it for you as well. It's a great site.

index

 

[Crackers]

Hello,

I buy 10lbs at a time and it lasts me 4-6 months at a time.

I make up a weeks worth and it will last a week in the fridge. I use the sprouting jar from China Prairie.

I generally give a 1/8th of cup to 1/4 cup of sprouts (I eyeball it) and the rest is made up of beans, grains, fruits and veggies. It is only fed once a day. When I get home after work, I feed fruits and veggies. I also give nuts and seeds when I train but I use these as rewards.

The ecletus site that Pedro suggested looks like a good resource and is basically recommending the same diet as I am suggesting. You cant go wrong with sprouts, veggies and fruit. I recommend the diet I listed from the website links I provided you. I basically followed those instructions and from China Prairie. They will send you information with your order on how to sprout the mix. If you ran out of sprouts and don't have time, you can also use this mixture as a cook and serve.

Crackers, with the amount of sprouts you buy, how long does it last your bird and how much do you feed each day (or per meal)?

Also how long with it last in the refrigerator?

 

[Crackers]

Thats strange. I can see it. Not sure if anyone else can see it.

here is the link to it.

Parrot Food picture by deecasey - Photobucket

Wow, even more information! Haha, thanks though.

Crackers, I can't see your picture by the way, I'm not sure why...

 

[Pedro]

When i am advising new parrot owners on the care & diet of their chosen companion. I recommend that they research all they can about diet. Take ideas from everyone they possibly can & then work out what is best for them. We are all in this for the benefit of our birds & IMO not one of us has a better way of feeding our birds than the other. The most important issue with diet for birds is balance. I feed approx 40 breeder parrots so what i mix up would be totally unsuitable for for 1 companion parrot. Although my companions do share much the same foods but i am careful to mainly keep them on a maintenance diet because although they need a healthy diet they certainly don't need the diet i give my breeders.

All the info in this thread should give negb some great ideas to use which ever species they end up getting. Once a bird has been decided they can then give a diet that is suitable.

 

[negb]

I am leaning towards a green cheek conure at the moment or possibly another subspecies of the conure.

Crackers, thanks for the link to the picture. I can see it now

So your bird's diet is mainly sprouts, correct? What do you use for beans and grains? Does the beans provide enough protein?

You know what... Could you just give me a list of the meals you feed each day? Such as measurements. I'd like to know what beans and grains you use but fruits and veggies don't matter as long as you tell me how much. I will of course adjust on the bird I decide on, so just wondering for now.

Thanks!

 

[Crackers]

Green cheeks are great! let us know what you decide.

It is not mainly sprouts. He gets the sprouts every day but it is a mixture of all kinds of things such as beans (such as navy, kidney, garbanzo), grains (such as rice, quinoa), root veggies (such as sweet potato, beets), leafy greens ( such as chard, arugula) fruits, etc. I do not recommend an all seed or pelleted diet (processed).

I buy all my fruits and veggies from the farmers market. I have organic farmers that I trust so I get all my produce from them. I also buy only organic beans and grains.

I really can not give you measurements as I just eyeball it but everything is in small amounts. I promise you, you will get the hang of it. Keep in mind that a conure is small. Some people feed two or three times a day. I feed two times a day. The night time feeding is usually fruit and veggies, nuts and seeds that I use for training.


Sometimes I give a little cooked egg. Some people give chicken bones.

I think this link would be the best resource for you. It explains the fresh diet and how it is done. Parrot diet by Aves International

I also recommend you read this link as well: The importance of phytonutrients in the diet of birds

and even though this is an African Grey website, they have a good article on pelleted diets and about feeding fresh whole foods:
Why Food is better than Pellets

You just have to research and do what works for you and your bird. Good luck!

I am leaning towards a green cheek conure at the moment or possibly another subspecies of the conure.



Crackers, thanks for the link to the picture. I can see it now

So your bird's diet is mainly sprouts, correct? What do you use for beans and grains? Does the beans provide enough protein?

You know what... Could you just give me a list of the meals you feed each day? Such as measurements. I'd like to know what beans and grains you use but fruits and veggies don't matter as long as you tell me how much. I will of course adjust on the bird I decide on, so just wondering for now.

Thanks!

 

[Printer bird]

I have a green cheek and we feed him pellets during the day when we are out an he gets about two tablespoons of Harrison's High Potency (as recommended by the vet). I don't really measure, I put in just enough to cover the bottom of his dish. He usually gets a piece of pepper clipped in his cage when we are gone as he likes them best and I know he will eat it before it goes bad. When I get home, we chop up whatever veggies we have in the fridge and he sometimes gets a bit of what we are eating too (if suitable - usually the base ingredients such as beans, rice etc). He also gets frozen veggies from the organic market when we are short on variety. That's what he gets until bedtime although we usually give him a few more pellets. He would not eat veggies for about three months or so after we adopted him (he's a rescue) and has only been eating veggies for the past few weeks and eats most of what we offer him! At last! So we are building up the veggies but it has been a slow process. We do not offer many fruits as suggested by our vet other than berries a few times per week (too much sugar). My parents like to spoil him, though, and he usually get apple and mango when we visit them.

What Crackers is suggesting sounds awesome! The variety is great and I am going to try to get the sprouts in more often. We only cover the bottom of his dish with veggies (so about two tablespoons or so) and that is usually more than enough for him (a GCC). The amount in Cracker's dish would be waaaaayyy too much for a green cheek but that is because they are a much smaller bird. You will find out quickly what and how much your bird will eat. If they don't finish it all, offer less. If they finish it and are hungry, offer more. You can't go wrong with the veggies, though. They won't get fat on kale! As long as the veggies are removed after a few hours so that they don't go bad, you really can't overfeed on them. I would say you'll figure it out in a week or less. Don't worry, no one will know your bird better than you.

 

[Crackers]

Thank you Printer bird on expanding and providing some great information! Thank you for your help! I am not good with measurements! Sometimes, everything is all gobbled up and then other days, I think I give too much and there is a small amount of waste. If there is some waste, no big deal. Some days my bird will leave it or kick it out of the bowl.

I would definitely say that most of what is in the bowl is the spout diet, grains, veggies, root veggies and a small amount of fruit. I like to give fruit as a treat while he is hanging out on his cages.

It really is not an exact science. Just have fun with it and do what works for you.

I am not saying not to feed pellets but I do consider them a processed food and it should not be the main diet. As a supplement in small quantities, you should do fine. I would also research the different brands. Everyone feeds different brands. I usually go for organic and/or brands that have the least amount of Soy/corn products and chemicals, etc.

 

[negb]

Thanks so much to both of you. I'll definitely make sure to check out the sites and do my research. You were much help.

 

[Crackers]

Great! Let us know how it works out and if you need any further help.