New Jersey Finch Quest - Diet and Nutrition

Diet & Nutrition
A varied diet largely made up of live foods will give you the healthiest bird. By live foods we mean vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Dead foods are foods that don't spoil quickly (i.e. packaged seeds & nuts). That might seem like a simplistic description, but it is actually quite accurate. A healthy, correct diet can add DECADES to your birds' lives.

Vegetables: Carrots (cooked slightly for better assimilation of beta carotene), string beans, corn, squash, peas, broccoli, zucchini, snow peas, sunflower sprouts, pea shoots, sprouted seeds and beans (excellent for protein) are all favorites. If your bird is reluctant to try these things, try sprouting their seed mix. It will be familiar to them and seeds are much healthier when sprouting (lower in fat, higher in amino acids for instance).

Grains: You can sprout many grains at home. Millet and quinoa are two nice grains to sprout. Also, cooked brown rice and cooked quinoa are relished by many parrots. Quinoa is a South American grain so parrots from this region probably ate it in the wild. Any food you can duplicate from their natural environment is an excellent choice.

Fruits: High in sugar, don't substitute fruit for vegetables. Vegetables always should make up the largest portion of the diet. Fruits do not really need to make up a significant part of the diet. Grapes are relished by most parrots. I strongly recommend organic fruits only or else use a special vegetable/fruit wash that can remove pesticides and bacteria.

Absolutely positively do not feed your birds strawberries unless they are organic or thoroughly washed with a special fruit or vegetable wash. The cancer-causing pesticides used on them should have been outlawed long ago, but continual lobbying by growers has slowed down the process. Humans should not eat them either.

Seeds: Get a good, fresh seed mix. If you aren't sure it's good and fresh, try sprouting it. If the seeds don't sprout in a few days, the seeds are dead. They have no nutritional value. I give a daily supply of seeds, but never so much that the birds ignore their veggies. I believe in allowing free access to seeds because they don't spoil and can be left in the cage all day.

Pellets: There are many pellets on the market. There have been great reports on every one and terrible stories about everyone. I do still feed zupreem or exact pellets as a supplement, especially for breeding birds as it supplies extra protein.

People Food: Pasta, whole wheat breads, bits of very well cooked chicken, and various other "people foods" are fine as long as they are not the majority of the diet. Don't feed the bird food from your mouth and don't bite off a piece for them. There's too much bacteria in your mouth and you can make your bird sick. Make sure chicken is very well cooked and don't leave any food like this in the cage for more than an hour.

Food Preparation: Use the same precautions you use for your human family members. Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria, and other food-borne pathogens can and do affect parrots.

Junk Food: Many parrots cannot excrete large amounts of salt efficiently, so the potato chips and french fries are not a good idea. Same thing for table foods you've added salt too (hey, it's not good for you either). A tiny crumb from a muffins, cookie, or other fatty baked goods once in a blue moon might be okay, but don't get your parrot addicted to these treats. You want to encourage them to eat the best foods and not hold out for garbage foods. Sugar in general is not good for parrots as it can cause hyperactivity.

Any food or drink containing theobromine is forbidden. Chocolate, cocoa, coffee, and tea contain theobromine, which can cause over excitability, cardiopathy, and death.

Absolutely positively do NOT give your bird wine, beer, or other alcoholic beverages. Their livers cannot handle it. It is not funny to see a bird drunk and anyone who thinks it is should find their birds a more appropriate home.

Avocado is poisonous to many parrots, particularly African species. To avoid confusion, don't feed it to any of your birds.

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