Do macaws (and greys and conures) need pellets?

[emmett518]

I feed my guys a wide variety of foods including

veges of all kinds
fresh fruits
dried organic fruits
various seeds (raw if possible)
nuts in shell (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, almonds)
corn on the cob
frozen veges (thawed)
oatmeal, seven grain cereal, oat bran,
Spoon Sized Shredded wheats
a few mouthfuls of yogurt
scrambled eggs
occasional meats
small pieces of homemade, whole wheat bread
cooked sweet potato
occasional pasta


Do I need to also feed pellets? I'd prefer to feed real foods, and so far, the birds are enthusiastic about the choices.

Thanks

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I say YES

A high quality pellet should always be fed, this is your back up and is a sure way to make sure your parrot is getting all the vitamins they need.

You should check out the birdtricks cookbook, they did a lot of research and worked with avian vets to create a cookbook that covers the dietary needs of our parrots. If your planning on feeding your parrots mostly fresh/prepared foods(which is awesome) you should really take a look at this and consider buying it.

 

[goalerjones]

I rotate every other day with pellets then a good balanced mix.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Wow Emmett, you certainly feed your fids a fantastic diet!

I'd be inclined to say that no, pellets aren't a must have for you, especially if your fids eat all those things you listed.

I personally like fresh better than pellets, too, but I do offer mine pellets under their dry mix.

 

[Birdlover1]

I feed a mixture of pellets and seeds plus what every fruit or vegetables my B&G will eat.