What do parrots eat?

A parrot is a small bird that is distinguished by its brightly colored feathers. Under natural conditions, it feeds on seeds, sweet fruits, berries, and also buds of shrubs and trees. Currently, many people give birth to these beautiful and vociferous pets in their apartments and houses. Therefore, it is important to feed the parrot correctly, take care of it and care for it.

Being in captivity, the bird does not have the opportunity to independently choose its diet, so a person must provide the parrot with such food, which will contain all the necessary substances for its normal life activity. Save on feeding the pet is not worth it, because a poor-quality product can be harmful. One of the best options for feeding parrots in the home environment can be called a purchased cereal mixture. The main thing is that it has high quality, good reputation and is properly packaged. Such a product will help to properly feed the bird, as it is as close as possible to healthy food that parrots eat in the wild. However, like other living creatures, this bright pet wants a varied diet in order to get not only taste delight, but also to saturate the body with additional vitamins and minerals.

So that the feed does not end unexpectedly, it is worth buying it with a reserve, however you can feed your pet with some products that are available at home. In specialized stores you can buy food with a single-component and multi-component composition. The owner should know that the chick will not be able to swallow products intended for an adult parrot, so they should be fed with special crushed mixtures of cereals, seeds, fruits, foliage and honey. In order for a pet to grow up healthy, the owner must know whether he likes monotonous food, or prefers a constant change of products.

An important rule of nutrition is the presence in the diet of poultry wet, cooked and dry food. Pet should not be hungry, so you should know and control how much food he needs per day. If the bird is small, then a single portion for it is 18 grams, and additional treats - 4 grams. With the average size of a parrot, a portion of food should be no more than 32 grams, and treats - 7 grams. If the bird is large, then at one time it eats 90 grams of food, and in addition it can be treated with 20 grams of food.

If the diet of parrots is made correctly, then the pets do not get sick, and their appearance is characterized by purity, beauty and attractiveness. There are several types of bird feed.

• Dry. These include a mixture of cereals, germinated seeds, vitamins and supplements.
• Juicy. This type of food for feeding the parrot include fruits, vegetables, greens.

Clean water is an important element of proper pet food. Changing the drinker should be done daily, even if there is still water in it. Birds can shake out a certain amount of dandruff and powder that may contaminate water. You can use ordinary tap water, also bottled, but it is not recommended to pour distilled poultry.

Vitamins and fertilizing birds are minerals in the form of stones and mixtures purchased in the store. These additions are able to make a pet lunch comprehensive, rich and useful. Greater popularity has recently become sepia.With its help the parrot is engaged in turning the beak, thereby preventing its deformation. Mineral stones consist of a significant percentage of Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Zn. In special stores you can buy goods that contain a significant amount of charcoal, limestone, chalk, corals, seashells, clay, sand. Granulated feed has a certain cereal, vegetable, vitamin, mineral composition. The basis of this product is corn flour in combination with other components.

Some species of birds eat animal food, but there are some that do not need it. In the diet of parrots, the presence of meat is not considered a necessity. The owner can offer the bird meat as a treat. Products of animal origin can be given to a pet infrequently and gradually.

In the poultry diet should include food that can saturate the body with all the important and necessary for its optimal functionality. Otherwise, the feathered friend may get sick. The basis of nutrition of parrots, which is contained in the home, is the grain mixture that is purchased in the store. This is the most economical option of feeding, because in order to saturate the parrot it needs very little.

When purchasing a finished product, you should carefully consider its choice. Food must have a high level of quality and hermetic packaging. Solid mixtures should contain components that parrots love:

• millet - 60%;
• oats - 20%;
• sunflower seeds - about 15%;
• other grains and seeds, for example, hemp, flax, canary.

Sesame, wheat groats, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, dry corn, buckwheat, and millet are also suitable for food for these bright pets. Chumiza is considered one of the best options of grain feed for a parrot. The owner must monitor the quality of the feed he gives his pet. If the cereal mixture has a mold, or there are spoiled seeds, you should not give it to a parrot. Seeds, like grains, must be characterized by purity and freshness.

Particularly beneficial for a parrot is the eating of germinated seeds. This type of feed the host can cook on their own. This product can be stored no more than two days and only in the refrigerator. Stages of preparation of germinated seeds:

• it is necessary to select high-quality grains, for example, oat, wheat or hemp;
• wash the product thoroughly with clean water;
• seeds placed in a bowl and soak in warm water;
• the container is covered with clean gauze;
• prepared grains should be left alone and monitor their readiness.

Most parrots love nuts, but because of their high fat content, it is worth giving them to the bird as a treat. This product should not be salted, it can be eaten by people. You can not treat the bird walnuts, cashews, macadamia fresh, as they have a toxic shell.

Parrots are shown eating the following types of nuts:

• almond;
• cashew nuts;
• coconut shavings;
• hazelnuts;
• peanuts;
• cedar;
• pecan;
• pistachios;
• walnut

As an additive to the main diet, poultry should receive fruits and berries. Each of the fruits should be thoroughly washed before serving, to get rid of the peel and dirt. As a sweet treat, bright birds should be served fruit treats.

• Sweet cherry, plum, cherry. You can treat a feathered friend with them only when washed and without stones.
• Rosehip. This berry is considered useful, the parrot can eat it fresh and boiled.
• Watermelon causes a laxative effect on the pet's body, which is why it should not be given much. From the watermelon give exclusively pulp with stones.
• Currants, Victoria, sea buckthorn, cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, raspberries, mountain ash. Parrot can eat these products in a dried and fresh form.
• Grapes requires thorough washing out before serving.
• Kiwi, bananas. Parrots are treated to only the soft part of this fruit without skin.
• Garnet It is considered useful if the bird does not eat it in excess. In a situation when a pet has a liver ailment, the fruit should be discarded.
• Apples, pears. An apple is a fruit containing iron and vitamin C, and pears are high percentage fiber. Of these products, the bird is fed only the pulp without seeds and skin. Seeds of these products can harm the pet.

The parrot's gastrointestinal tract does not respond well to tannic acids, essential oils, which is why birds are forbidden to treat mango, avocado, persimmon and papaya. It is also worth pampering oranges, nectarines, peaches, pitted mandarins. When you enter in the diet of mandarins need to do it gradually, for example, as a vitamin supplement. Buying fresh fruit, you should pay attention to their appearance.

To balance the nutrition, parrots should feed them vegetables, greens.

• Carrot quite useful, its presence in the diet of poultry is simply necessary due to the high content of vitamin A. Carrot is given fresh, while it is worth cutting into slices or rub. Alternatively, you can grate it and serve it to your pet along with a boiled egg or bread crumbs.
• Melon, pumpkin. These products are rich in vitamins, therefore, are considered an important element of nutrition for a parrot. In addition to the beneficial elements, the optimum sugar dose is found in these melon crops, all of which help the parrot's body to grow healthy. Melon and pumpkin seeds are also rich in vitamins. Vegetables should be given to a pet raw and sliced.
• Squashes, squash - These are vegetables with high vitamin content. And they are rich in fiber, which has a beneficial effect on the poultry's digestive system.
• Cucumbers. This green vegetable has a high content of vitamin E, and it can also be used as a source of fluid. It is worth noting that the cucumber grown with the use of chemicals can harm the parrot, so you should abandon the low-quality products.
• Tomatoes. Eating red vegetables is an opportunity to fill the body with vitamins C and B. And there is also a lot of fluid in them, so the vegetable makes up for the lack of water in the body. The parrot loves to eat not only the soft part of a tomato, but also its seeds, in which there are many useful elements.
• Cabbage leaf - a storehouse of numerous micro and macro elements, vitamins, which is why they need to feed their pet. Categorically it is impossible to give a cabbage petiole to a parrot, as the substances contained in it can cause irreparable harm to the parrot.
• Bulgarian pepper. This vegetable can also be eaten by a parrot, but only sweet varieties.
• Broccoli - recommended vegetable for feeding pets. Before serving, it should stand up to 5 minutes in boiling water.

Significant benefits for parrots brings greens in various forms. The best option for a parrot is greens, which are grown in the garden or in the garden, you can treat it with buds from trees, bushes, green plantain and dandelion. Before feeding the pet with greens, it is necessary to scald it with boiling water and thoroughly wash each leaf. Parrots love beet tops, parsley, and spinach.

Despite the need for diversity in the avian diet, there are foods that they are strictly forbidden to eat.The owners should remember that the bird can not be fed with dishes prepared for themselves, as, for example, in vegetables from the soup there is salt and fat, which are contraindicated to it.

Forbidden products include the following:

• mango, papaya, avocado;
• rhubarb, sorrel;
• mushrooms, eggplant;
• potatoes;
• spices;
• soybeans, red beans, raw;
• onion garlic;
• bread;
• chocolate;
• alcohol;
• caffeine;
• sweets and salty foods;
• a fish;
• mushrooms;
• green tomatoes;
• cheese.

And also do not feed the parrots from your mouth, because in this way you can transfer harmful germs and fungi to your pet, which are safe for humans, but very harmful for birds. Despite the fact that the parrot is unpretentious in food, its diet should be treated with extreme caution and care.

For information on how to feed a wavy parrot, see the following video.