Is There a Parrot's Diet Food Pyramid?

Parrots need a well balanced diet just like humans do. So what should go into the planning regime parrots? They need cereals or bread, vegetables and protein and the best way to make sure your bird gets a balanced diet is to feed them a combination of pills and traditional table foods.

If you think a diet of parrots in terms of the food pyramid, the base will be commercial pellets that have to recover 60 to 80 percent of what parrots are fed. The pellets are available in various size packages to ensure that the correct amount of different birds fed like a size or a macaw parrot.

Sometimes people tend to think of bird seed as the best item for parrots but the commercial pellets are made with more nutrients and are better than the base of a good parrot diet.

Once the staple diet is established, table foods will help make the rest of the diet. What constitutes table foods? These are the vegetables or cereals that are part of a human diet as well.

Vegetables that are good for parrots are zucchini, carrots, peas, broccoli, beets, green beans, green vegetables, tomatoes, peas and peppers of all colors.


Including fresh foods in your diet, it is important to remember not to leave food in the cage for too long. These are elements that can spoil and can be harmful to your parrot, as they are for humans.

Many people find it convenient to thaw and serve frozen vegetables as these are handy to serve in small portions and no loss of nutrition in the gel.

The carbohydrate part of a parrots diet will come from breads and cereals. This can be incorporated by using different types of pasta, rice, wheat or rye bread or breakfast cereals. The cereal you choose not to be a sugar filled snack but one of the healthier options such as oatmeal or bran-based cereals.

Parrots should only be fed meat protein twice a week as too much meat can be difficult for the kidneys to process poultry. Recommended proteins include cooked eggs, boiled chicken and properly cooked chicken bones.

While seeds and nuts can be a source of protein, experts believe that seeds tend to have more fat and less vitamins and minerals than pellets. While the seeds are up to about 10 to 12 percent of what a parrot eats, which is not a good idea to give more seeds than that.

A domesticated bird does not have much activity as a bird in nature and thus the fat content of the seeds can be excessive for a pet parrot. Keep this in mind when serving your bird seeds and nuts and exercise moderation.

Also be particular about the quality of seeds they serve. They must be clean, free from fungi or insects and must retain their shine and not look covered in dust.

When serving nuts, you can leave the shell on and encourage your parrot to open it because it is considered good mental stimulation for the bird. As this is a learned behavior, the first time a nut must crack the shell partially or choose other ways to introduce the idea is introduced.

Dairy products are not considered essential for parrots and there is also some controversy surrounding its inclusion in the diet of parrots. Many parrots seem to enjoy cheese and other dairy products, but lack the enzyme lactase, which is needed for proper digestion of milk sugars. Therefore, it is best to do some of these rare and infrequent what you feed your bird.

Fruits offer mostly sugar and water to parrots and so it is best to keep their portion limited also. As pellets ensure a more complete source of nutrients, the small pieces of apples or grapes your parrot enjoys a special gift.

Water is an element of a parrots diet and it is important to use fresh water every day. It is not necessary or beneficial to add supplements unless specifically recommended by your veterinarian as this can make the water less attractive to parrots. There is also the additional concern that supplements may serve as a magnet for bacterial growth in the water.

Among the things it is better not to serve a parrot are alcohol, avocado and chocolates as these can be toxic if included in parrots diets.

Although this is the general picture of the parrots diet there are variations depending on the size of your particular bird. Aras, particularly Hyacinth Macaws, need more fat diet and so they need to be fed more nuts.

 Parakeets and parrots, cockatoos Amazon tend to liver problems from obesity and it is important to ensure you do not receive a lot of fat. Thus, with this guide in the minds of people, you can refine the details of your plan parrots.