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WHAT TO FEED YOUR BIRD Birds in the wild have a varied diet, including seeds, plants, flowers, nuts, insects, and even special soils. While we obviously can't mimic this diet in captivity, we can and should offer them something much better than the "old standard" bird seed diet. There are many pellets formulated today that have components to make up for vitamins and minerals that the bird might otherwise lack in his diet, and we make pellets the staple of our birds diet . In addition to pellets, we also feed plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, both raw and cooked. The birds also love cooked pasta, rice, beans, breads, and just about anything else that is healthy "people food". If your bird is fed a name brand pellet diet, plus plenty of fresh foods, and fresh seed there is no need for additional vitamin supplements in his diet, and to add them is to run the risk of over-supplementing. NEVER add supplements to your birds' diet unless specifically instructed by your avian veterinarian. We use Roudybush pellets. Medium for African Greys and Large for Macaws which can be purchased in our on-line store. The health and longevity of your pet bird depends on proper nutrition. An insufficient diet is responsible for most health problems. Death and illness in the majority of pet birds is due to malnutrition. A bird cannot live on a total seed or pellet diet. Just like you, birds require a variety of foods to have a balance diet and remain healthy. Part of your birds diet should be fruits. Apples (without seeds). oranges, bananas, grapes, pomegranates, cranberries, cherries, peaches (no pits), pineapple, coconut, nectarines, plums, watermelon, cantaloupe, any other fruit available to you. Part of your birds diet should be vegetables. Sweet potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob, okra, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, peas, and soaked beans of all kinds, bean sprouts( fresh), carrot tops, squash, spinach, etc. All can be fed raw or cooked. When fresh aren’t available frozen mixed vegetables thawed under running water can be fed. ALL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES SHOULD BE RINSED THOROUGHLY BEFORE FEEDING TO YOUR BIRD. DO NOT FEED: avocados, mushrooms, chocolate, carbonated beverages, or alcohol to your bird. They could become sick or die. DO NOT FEED apple seeds or pear seeds, they contain arsenic.(poison). Nuts are different than seed mixes. A variety of unsalted nuts such as pecans, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, hazel nuts, pine nuts, cedar nuts, walnuts, and peanuts are good to supplement and use as treats. They can be fed in or out of the shell. Some of the larger nuts are difficult for Greys to shell. Almonds in the shell are a treat and a challenge for the Greys. Almonds are also rich in calcium which Greys need. There are calcium supplements that can be given to Greys. The foods that you prepare for your family are also a good source of nutrition for your bird. The things that are bad for you are bad for your bird (i.e. sugar, salt). Leftovers that tend to spoil rapidly should be removed from the cage in about 2 hours. Bacteria can begin to accumulate quickly which can cause serious health problems and possibly death. Things such as toast or bread with peanut butter and or jelly, hard cheese, crackers, chips (unsalted), etc. can be left in the cage overnight. If you would not eat it DON’T feed it to your bird. The best time to feed fruits and vegetables is in the daytime. All other dry foods can be fed at night so that the bird has food the first thing in the morning. DO NOT FEED foods that are prepared for other pets such as dogs or cats. These foods could contain traces of salmonella or bacteria (a birds worst enemy). AFRICAN GREYS have an extra need for calcium even as adults. Cheese, yogurt, or cottage cheese, almonds and spinach can and should be fed to help supplement calcium. Don’t forget FRESH water. Birds have a tendency to put all kinds of food and things in their water and if not changed will grow bacteria. Bacteria infections in birds can be very serious and sometimes fatal. I recommend using a water bottle if at all possible to help avoid this problem. We use Lixit Water Bottle for all of our birds. TEFLON PANS ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR ANY BIRD. WHEN HEATED TEFLON CAUSES A TOXIC GAS. All precaution should be taken when using Teflon cookware (i.e. ventilation, exhaust fan, bird not in cooking area etc.) Best prevention for Teflon disaster is to toss the Teflon in the trash!!!
A good resource for information Gillian Willis is a pharmacist and toxicologist.
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