What do parrots eat?

A parrot is a small bird that has a bright feather color. In natural conditions, it eats seeds, sweet fruits, berries, as well as buds of shrubs and trees. Currently, many people have these beautiful and vociferous pets in their apartments and houses. Therefore, it is so important to properly feed the parrot, take care of it and take care of it.

Being in captivity, the bird does not have the opportunity to independently choose a diet, so a person must provide the parrot with such food, which will contain all the necessary substances for its normal life. Saving on feeding your 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 grain mixture. The main thing is that it be of high quality, good reputation and properly packed. Such a product will help to properly feed the bird, as it is as close as possible to the healthy food that parrots feed on the outside. However, like other living creatures, this bright pet wants a varied diet in order to receive not only taste pleasure, but also to saturate the body with additional vitamins and minerals.

To feed unexpectedly did not end, it is worth buying with a margin, but you can feed the pet and 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 the adult parrot, so they should be fed with special crushed mixtures of cereals, seeds, fruits, foliage and honey. In order for the pet to grow up healthy, the owner must know whether he likes uniform food, or prefers a constant change of products.

An important dietary rule is the presence of moist, cooked, and dry foods in the birds ’diet. The 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 serving for it is 18 grams, and additional treats - 4 grams. With an average parrot, the 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 composed 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 cereal crops, germinated seeds, vitamins and supplements.
• Juicy. This type of food for feeding a parrot includes fruits, vegetables, greens.

An important element in the proper nutrition of a pet is clean water. A drinker should be changed daily, even if there is still water in it. Feathered pets can shake out some dandruff and powder, which can contaminate the water. You can use ordinary tap water, also bottled, but it is not recommended to pour distilled birds.

Vitamins and top dressing for birds are minerals in the form of pebbles and mixtures purchased at the store. These supplements can make a pet's lunch comprehensive, rich and healthy. Sepia has become very popular lately. 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, coral, seashells, clay, sand. Granular 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 those 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 little by little.

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

When purchasing finished products, you should carefully consider its choice. The feed must have a high level of quality and airtight packaging. Solid mixtures should contain components that parrots really like:

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

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

Of particular benefit to the parrot is eating sprouted seeds. The owner can cook this type of food on his own. This product can be stored for 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;
• place the seeds 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, they should be given to the bird as a treat. This product should not be salted, it can be eaten by people. You can not treat the bird with walnuts, cashews, macadamia fresh, as they have a toxic shell.

Parrots are shown eating the following types of nuts:

• almonds;
• cashew nuts;
• coconut flakes;
• hazelnuts;
• peanuts
• cedar;
• pecans;
• pistachios;
• Greek.

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

• Sweet cherry, plum, cherry. You can treat them to a feathered friend only in a washed state and without stones.
• Dogrose. 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 can not be given a lot. From watermelon give only pulp with stones.
• Currants, Victoria, sea buckthorn, cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, raspberries, mountain ash. The parrot can eat these products in a dried form and fresh.
• Grape requires thorough washing before serving.
• Kiwi Bananas. Parrots are treated only with the soft part of these peelless fruits.
• Garnet considered useful if the bird does not eat it in excess. In a situation where a pet has a liver ailment, the fruit should be discarded.
• Apples, pears. An apple is a fruit that contains iron and vitamin C, and pears are fiber in a large percentage. Of these products, a bird should only feed pulp without seeds and peels. Seeds of these foods can harm your pet's body.

The gastrointestinal tract of the parrot responds poorly to tannic acids, essential oils, which is why it is forbidden for the feathered to treat mango, avocado, persimmon and papaya. She should also be pampered with oranges, nectarines, peaches, seedless tangerines. When introducing mandarins into the diet, you need to do this gradually, for example, as a vitamin supplement. When buying fresh fruits, you should carefully consider their appearance.

To balance the nutrition of parrots, you should feed them vegetables, herbs.

• Carrot quite useful, its presence in the diet of the bird is simply necessary due to the high content of vitamin A. Carrot is given fresh, while it should be cut into slices or rubbed. Alternatively, it can be grated and served to the pet along with a boiled egg or breadcrumbs.
• Melon, pumpkin. These products are rich in vitamins, therefore, are considered an important nutrient for the parrot. In addition to useful elements, in these gourds there is an optimal sugar dose, all this helps the parrot's body to grow healthy. Melon and pumpkin seeds are also rich in vitamins. Vegetables should be given to the pet raw and chopped.
• Courgettes, squash - These are vegetables with a high vitamin content.They are also rich in fiber, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive system of birds.
• Cucumbers. This green vegetable has a high content of vitamin E and can also be used as a source of fluid. It is worth noting that a cucumber grown using chemicals can harm a parrot, so you should abandon low-quality products.
• Tomatoes. Eating red vegetables is an opportunity to fill the body with vitamins C and B. And they also have a lot of fluids, so the vegetable makes up for the lack of water in the body. The parrot loves to eat not only the soft part of the tomato, but also its seeds, in which there are many useful elements.
• Cabbage leaf - A storehouse of numerous micro and macro elements, vitamins, that's why they need to feed their pet. It is strictly forbidden to give the cabbage petiole to the parrot, as the substances contained in it can cause irreparable harm to the parrot.
• Bell pepper. This vegetable can also be eaten by a parrot, but only sweet varieties.
• Broccoli - Recommended vegetable for pets. Before serving, it should stand for up to 5 minutes in boiling water.

Significant benefits for parrots bring greens in a variety of forms. The best option for a parrot is considered to be greenery, which is grown in the garden or in the garden, you can treat it with buds from trees, bushes, plantain and dandelion greens. Before feeding the pet with greens, it is worth scalding it with boiling water and thoroughly washing each leaf. Parrots love beet tops, parsley, and spinach.

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

Illegal products include the following:

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

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

See how to feed the budgerigar in the next video.