How much food would you give to this bird

[Murii]

Hello! So I got my bird quite recently and I'm not use to how much it should eat. Previously I had a dog so I knew exactly how much to give him and by the looks of it,it seems like my parrot eats too much and I'm worried about this. I uploaded a pic with him so you can make a better idea. Please express your opinion using grams or even pictures as a measurement! Thanks!

 

[Kiwibird]

I see you are in Romania. What kind of food do you have available to feed him there? Commercial bird food like pellets or seed mix or are you just feeding him fruit/veg/grains? Do you know how much his species should weigh? Knowing a healthy weight for his species and regularly weighing your bird is always a good idea, not just to make sure they aren't getting overweight, but a sudden drop can be the first indication of illness before they show any other symptoms. Because of their shape and ability to fluff their feathers, it's hard to just eyeball if a bird is a healthy weight or not. If you have a kitchen scale, you can make an easy little DIY attachment to weigh him using that (http://www.parrotforums.com/do-your...our-kitchen-scale-into-parrot-scale-10-a.html)

Do keep in mind, unlike dogs, parrots also poop 15/20 times a day, and do consume what seems like a large amount for their size (and it goes right through them).

 

[Murii]

I see you are in Romania. What kind of food do you have available to feed him there? Commercial bird food like pellets or seed mix or are you just feeding him fruit/veg/grains? Do you know how much his species should weigh? Knowing a healthy weight for his species and regularly weighing your bird is always a good idea, not just to make sure they aren't getting overweight, but a sudden drop can be the first indication of illness before they show any other symptoms. Because of their shape and ability to fluff their feathers, it's hard to just eyeball if a bird is a healthy weight or not. If you have a kitchen scale, you can make an easy little DIY attachment to weigh him using that (http://www.parrotforums.com/do-your...our-kitchen-scale-into-parrot-scale-10-a.html)

Do keep in mind, unlike dogs, parrots also poop 15/20 times a day, and do consume what seems like a large amount for their size (and it goes right through them).

I feed him with a mix of seeds and I also tried to give him apple(but he does not like it),carrots(he likes them a lot),cauliflower(he does not like it),raisins(does not like it too),peanuts(does not like them either),sunflower(which likes them a lot! But it's weak in vitamins so I only use it as a reward)

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi Murii and welcome. From your description of what you feed Paco it looks like there are nutritional gaps which will not be any good for him in the long term. Please do weigh him as suggested by Kiwibird because when you know what this is you may know how he's doing.
Please have a browse through the food section here on how to feed your bird. Do let us know how you are getting on with Paco.
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/

PS Kiwibird has provided excellent advice below so happy reading.

 

[Kiwibird]

I hope one of the forum members more knowledgeable on grass parakeets stops by this thread (I know @RavensGryf is), but I'm pretty sure they need a higher amount of seed in their diet than other parrots do along with fresh foods. You will see most parrot articles/threads suggesting low-no seed in the diet which would be appropriate for most new and some old world species, but I don't think that advice applies to grass parakeets, who naturally eat a high-seed diet along with greens and fruit. Here is some info on grass parakeet specific diets from reputable sites, both pointing out they thrive on seeds:

7 Things You Must Know About Grass Parakeets

Grass parakeets eat at least 11 different seeds and more than 60 food items in the wild, so they thrive on a seed diet of cockatiel mix, supplemented with canary seed and leafy greens, sprouts, broccoli, carrots, corn and apple. They enjoy small pieces of grainy or nutty bread, because they love picking out the seeds and grains.

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/redrumpedparrots.html

A good Red Rump diet consist of mixed canary seeds, millets, and a small amount of sunflower seeds. A lot of people use a Parakeet mix and add in some Sunflower seeds. They also seem to be fond of Cockatiel mix. If you use a Cockatiel mix try to buy it without fillers such as maize or dog food as most cage birds won't eat these anyway. To condition our birds we coat the seed mixture with Wheat Germ Oil (1/2 tsp per pound of seed). It helps prevent egg binding and provides vitamins. Fresh water, cuttlebone, oyster shell and grit should be supplied at all times. We provide other supplements such as Petamine breeding formula (during breeding season) and Feather Up (while molting) in small treat cups. Lettuce, spinach, chickweed, peas, green beans, corn, spray millet, eggfood, soaked seed, apple, broccoli tops and carrot tops can also be offered on a regular basis. Be sure to wash all fruits and veggies before allowing birds to consume them!

 

[Murii]

Kiwibird,you're the man. Thanks for all that great info! I'll definitely buy him more mixes and I'll try to force him eat all that vegetables
To be honest I did not thought they need to eat so many types of seeds in order to stay healthy so that's something that I'll keep in mind.
Thanks again!

 

[RavensGryf]

Have you heard of sprouted seeds? These are simple to prepare and grow, and will provide your buddy the higher nutrition he needs, which is closer to his natural diet than 'dry' seeds. In the wild, the grass seeds they eat are fresh, not like the ones in the package. Here is a link which explains the sprouting process step by step .
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/57416-sprouting-made-easy.html

Also, if your grocery stores sell "sprouts" in the vegetable dept, you can try those, as well as fresh produce. Try broccoli, kale, some of my birds' favorites are red bell peppers, yams, butternut squash. If they don't accept it, try presenting it differently - cutting it either larger or smaller than before.

Nuts (very small pieces) would be considered a treat for this species, not a natural part of the diet, and too much will cause weight gain.

Good luck with Paco .