Birds, Parrots, and their Diets

[Yggdrasil]

Well, I've been reading online, and I'm more than a tad flustered right now. Apparently, feeding parrots a diet of seeds only, even if it is a seed mix, is high in fat, and can reduce the bird's life expectancy. I've been feeding my parrot a diet of a seed mix for years now; the mix contains what may or may not be millet, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and some odd-looking parrot treat things.

Now, when the bird was a youngster (Well, after I got past the hand feeding stage with him) I tried to give him some fruits and veggies to supplement his diet. He wouldn't budge, so I stuck with seeds. I'm concerned now, and I don't quite know what to feed him, at least in the fruits and veggies department. As of now, my fridge is absolutely overflowing with both, so any recommendations can be tried readily.

If you can, please give me some pointers as to feeding this parrot, or birds in general for all other avian enthusiasts/keepers out there.

[xxombie]

I don't know about other birds, but rats and parrots actually have extremely similar diets. The base for my rat food is actually a parrot mix.

If you're parrot wont go for raw veggies, try dried ones. The texture is probably a lot more towards what they're used to eating. Just make sure they're not sweetened, lots of sugar generally isn't good times for animals.

[Yggdrasil]

I think I'll try out some dried veggies. I tried to fed him some celery last night, but he ended up mulching half of it and spitting it on the ground. He did eat some, though.

Do rats eat fruit?

[SHARP]

^^Rats'll eat just about anything, but rats kept as pets might be a little different, despite they're taxonomically speaking the same species as the ones that run around in our sewers.

[xxombie]

Yup, rats eat anything, including fruit. Citrus is bad for boys, and only okay for girls in real small amounts though.

[Yggdrasil]

Well, I went out into my backyard, and I picked off a very nice and ripe papaya off a tree. I fed my parrot a slice, but in trying to tear away the tough skin, he completely destroyed the actual fruit as well. So I diced some of the papaya and fed it to him, and he seems quite pleased at the moment.

I think I'm going to go for the smooth-texture type fruits. Suggestions?

[xxombie]

I am so jealous of you and your papaya tree.

If he digs that, try similar fruits like mango. But make sure to remove the fruit from the mango, the skin isn't good for most animals.

Are parrots good at unwrapping and getting into things? Start to peel a banana and give it to her to explore.

[Yggdrasil]

This is going to burn, xxombie. I have 5 papaya trees, each with about 11 fruits growing on them. Also, I have 4 mango trees, and a guava tree. The guava tree is amazing; it spent the entire last year growing fruit. It's stopped for now. Anyhow, I will feed it mango as soon as they come into season, because the prices they fetch in stores are ridiculous.

Parrots are very good at getting into things, but mine is a bit neurotic. It'll just tear something he doesn't like apart, so he usually spoils both the skin and the fruit. I've taken to removing all skins for him. I don't know what kind of vegetables to feed him at all. I'm thinking he might like peppers, but that's about it. I've got everything you can think of in stock, so don't be shy to suggest anything.

EDIT: I also have these two trees which give the most peculiar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee) fruit I've ever encountered. This is a picture of it:

http://fitnessliz.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/lichi.jpg

[SHARP]

Not to butt in, but perhaps Friendo can help you. (http://bbs.zoklet.net/showthread.php?t=5995)

[Hyper-dimension]

Not to butt in, but perhaps Friendo can help you. (http://bbs.zoklet.net/showthread.php?t=5995)

Funny I should find this at the bottom just before posting. :)

SHARP, I think it's pretty important that posters realize the signifigance of explaining what animal they are talking about specifically. 'Parrot' is pretty vague. There are a few hundred parrot species. So, what kind of parrot do you own? I can provide you with some generalized tips, nonetheless.

The staple of the diet should be pellets. If you shop at Petsmart or Petco, the two brands they carry are Kaytee Exact and Zupreem. Either is fine, if you wish try both to see if your bird prefers one over the other. This should comprise about half the diet, with the other half consisting of fresh foods.

Peppers are actually something included in some 'mix' bags of sun-dried fruits and veggies sold as parrot treats. I would stick with mild peppers(bell peppers, banana peppers), anything too strong might send the poor bird into a frenzy.

As for fruits and veggies in general, most are okay. Some should be avoided though, even if the suggesting evidence is debateable. Try to avoid:

Spinach(oxalic salt content is extremely high. I can't remember the details, but it basically interferes with the whole calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus process, by binding with calcium. Forms stones in the digestive tract.)

Broccolli. Same reason as spinach.

Kale. Same as above.

Lettuce. I'm sure you've heard the calorie content of iceburg lettuce is -10. Lettuce is a waste of stomach space.

These are the few that I could provide reasoning for. I'm sure there are others to avoid for lesser reasons, but these are the main concerns.

Do try to include:

Raw mushrooms. Great source of high-quality fiber and protein. As well as B-vitamins, selenium, potassium, iron, and many other vitamins and nutrients.

A great source of roughage would be greens such as:

Mustard greens, turnip greens, and dandelion greens.

Nuts and seeds should still be included, provide a small amount once or twice a week.

One last thing to mention. Meat is actually a necessary inclusion in bird diets. Meat provides compounds a bird couldn't get anywhere else, in particular amino acids(the building blocks of protein) probably not supplied by mushrooms or nuts. White bird meat would be best, although I'm sure any other meat wouldn't hurt on occasion. Boil the meat until it's fully cooked.

My family ate Chinese food one night when I still had my Umbrella Cockatoo(this was in high school when I still lived at home, my parents hated the bird and eventually made me find a new home for her), and I had set her down on the back of one of the chairs at the table. She hopped onto the table and began to pick the chicken off my plate, exclusively.

[Yggdrasil]

Boy, you offer some fantastic advice on vegetables! Thank you. My parrot looks almost identical to the one below

http://www.tjorvar.is/assets/images/Mitred_Conure.jpg

Anyways, got any tips for fruits? Down here in tropical Florida, we've got every variety of fruit under the sun. As I said before, he seems to like soft-textured fruits such as papaya and guava, so I figure this is a good direction to expand in.

[Hyper-dimension]

Boy, you offer some fantastic advice on vegetables! Thank you. My parrot looks almost identical to the one below

http://www.tjorvar.is/assets/images/Mitred_Conure.jpg

Anyways, got any tips for fruits? Down here in tropical Florida, we've got every variety of fruit under the sun. As I said before, he seems to like soft-textured fruits such as papaya and guava, so I figure this is a good direction to expand in.

That's a pretty obscure conure you have there. :) I used to hand-feed Jendays and Suns.

Not sure why I forgot to mention fruit. :confused: Almost anything goes, but there are a couple of things to consider:

Try to avoid letting your bird eat the seeds of fruit from the rose family. The ones I can remember are apples, pears, peaches, and cherries. There are others. Supposedly, the seeds of these fruits contain trace amounts of cyanide. Bird owners also claim other seeds are harmful, such as melon seeds, why I couldn't say.

Avoid avocados. Supposedly, they cause heart failure, so better safe than sorry.

Most importantly, don't feed too much fruit. Birds tend to favor fruit and will avoid eating anything else if you give them too much. It's also important not to feed too much of any one fruit. Feeding him bananas everyday would probably overload him with potassium.

A couple of points I meant to make/didn't mean to make in my other post:

Since your bird is being fed primarily seeds, it's going to take a while to convert him to pellets. You'll have to slowly add the pellets to the seeds, adjusting the porportions over a 2-4 week period.

If you're having trouble getting him to try something new, eat what it is you're trying to give him so he can see you eating it. This is how birds teach their younglings what is safe to eat in the wild.

Mushrooms should be avoided. I confused bird nutrition with reptile nutrition, as these are healthy for lizards and turtles(which I feed mushrooms) but supposedly toxic to birds. Sorry for the mis-advice.

Onions will also kill your bird.

Also, just wanted to say that I'm glad you are concerned about your bird's diet, most owners could give a shit less. :)

EDIT: Do you have any fig trees around? I have two in my backyard here in Louisiana, but apparently they only fruit every couple of years. Birds are supposed to love these and I don't blame them, I could pick a tree clean in a week all by myself.

[Yggdrasil]

It's a South American species, although they seem to be showing up in feral populations across some American cities. Don't blame me ;). Anyways, he may not be as visually dazzling as a Sun Conure, but he's very close to my heart, and he's a dear thing. I was/am concerned about his diet because I recently found out that his all-seed diet is not nearly enough to support a healthy bird. My grandmother has kept the same parrot for 42 years, and it's fine and dandy. I'd like to be able to give my parrot the same time on Earth.

I've got to say thanks so far for all the advice. I will be going out later to shop at Petco, so I'll try and pick him up some of the things we've mentioned. Anyways, I've got a little tidbit that I'd like to share with you guys. My grandmother, when cooking with eggs, gives her parrot the shells. Inside, there are membranes and such which we don't eat, and are usually discarded, but which seem to be good for the bird. He loves them, so I do the same with mine.

I also give him some white rice, cooked of course.

I've never actually seen our grocery stores here carrying figs, but they do carry pomegranates, occasionally. I've been thinking that he might looove them if I got him one. The fleshy seeds seem to be something a parrot would enjoy eating.

Again, thanks for everything. I'll report back this evening with news if I manage to buy him some edibles.

[Yggdrasil]

UPDATE: I went out to the pet store and got him a new perch for his cage, a toy, some pellets, and some dried fruits in a bag. He seems to be really enjoying it, although I'd preferably feed him fresh fruit.