How to feed lovebirds?

Pets are favorite pets that can be seen in almost every home. A new resident of the apartment can be a cat, a dog and a parrot, as well as fish, snakes, spiders and lizards. Many parents have pets for their children, and most often opt for parrots, thinking that caring for a bird will not bring much trouble and difficulty.

This idea is a deep delusion of adult family members, and it can provoke a disease of the bird, and sometimes its death. The feathered friend needs to provide the most comfortable living conditions and a balanced diet. The solution to this problem will become even more complex and time-consuming if lovebirds appear in the house.

Lovebirds are one of the most beautiful types of parrots. They can live long in a city apartment. The main difference between this bird and others is the developed digestive system, which constantly works. Starvation, poor quality products and an unbalanced diet can lead to the death of a pet and the absence of offspring. On the shelves of specialized stores you can see a huge amount of grain mixtures, vitamins and various food additives.

The main features of a quality grain mixture for lovebirds:

• the presence of the mark "for medium parrots";
• vacuum packaging;
• pleasant aroma and natural luster of grain;
• lack of preservatives and dyes;
• the specified end date of implementation;
• lack of mold, unpleasant odor, dangerous insects and extraneous debris;
• adequate price.

With the independent production of grain composition mix millet, oats, sunflower seeds and canary seed. This recipe is basic, and if necessary it can be supplemented with other ingredients. Experienced poultry farmers recommend not only purchased grain, but also natural products for feeding birds. The maximum level of natural supplements should not exceed ten percent.

Grain feed is the basis of the lovebird diet. The following cereals may be included in this mixture.

• Feed Oats. A healthy and nutritious cereal that contains unique and easily digestible amino acids. The main feature of the product is the simultaneous eating and strengthening of the beak.
• Unpeeled millet. An irreplaceable feed, the amount of which can reach up to 50 percent in grain mixtures. It contains many vitamins, copper, phosphorus and amino acids.
• Millet. A product that can be given to feathered only in boiled form. In boiled porridge, you can add a small amount of grated carrots or beets.
• Wheat. An essential product containing a small amount of fatty acids. The value of this cereal is the presence of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins E and B. Experts recommend that before feeding, be sure to germinate the grains for 12 hours in a warm room.
• Corn. Useful grain, the grain of which must be soaked, minced or cooked before serving. The composition of the "Queen of the fields" grains includes carotene, trace elements, amino acids and vitamin K.

Seeds and nuts are mandatory products, the amount of which should be at the level of 16 percent.

Consider the list of required seeds and nuts in the diet of poultry.

• Sunflower seed. An indispensable source of fats and fatty acids, as well as linoleic and linolenic acid.
• Cannabis Seed. A useful product that must be doused with boiling water and dried before use. This procedure will help remove the poisonous film and make the seeds harmless.
• Flax-seed. An invaluable component that is not only food, but also a medicine. Flax seed protects the intestines from the effects of coarse fibers, and also helps to cure cough and wheezing. The permissible amount of these seeds is 2 percent.
• Pumpkin seed. An essential ingredient in the lovebird diet.
• Nuts: peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and Brazil nuts. A nutritious treat, which consists of fats, proteins, mineral salts, vitamins and volatile.

Good for your pet’s health canary seed, oatmeal, niger and safflower, rape, soy, rye, fennel, dark rice, poppy and sesame seed. Poultry farmers also recommend giving chopped acorns and chestnuts.

Along with dry food, the bird needs juicy and healthy vegetables and fruits. Specialists are allowed to feed the following feasts to domesticated birds.

• Cucumbers A tasty product that contains a large amount of iodine and a small amount of vitamins. A small piece of cucumber can improve immunity and accelerate metabolic processes in the body.
• Pears and apples. The most delicious complementary foods, which include pectin, sugar, vitamin C, carotene, tannins and various trace elements.
• Oranges and lemons. Tropical fruits that can be given with the peel. You can sprinkle lemon wedges with sugar. A few drops of lemon juice added to the water will greatly improve the condition of the pet.
• Rowan berries. A product that can be given both fresh and frozen.
• Melons and watermelons. Melon, which greatly diversifies the diet of poultry. It contains digestible sugar, organic acids, iron, phosphorus and potassium.

Favorite fruits and berries for birds are:

• banana;
• rosehip;
• grapes;
• Strawberry;
• raspberries;
• kiwi;
• figs;
• pitted cherries;
• grapefruit;
• lime;
• Garnet;
• peach;
• apricot;
• gooseberry;
• grapes.

In winter, these vegetables and fruits can be given in dried form. It is strictly forbidden to give avocados, papaya, mangoes and persimmons to birds.

Greens and tree branches are an indispensable component in the diet of birds. To get the maximum benefit from green mass, it must be collected in ecologically clean areas and immediately given to birds.

Poultry farmers recommend paying attention to the following green products:

• parsley, dill and onion - products that will enrich the body with vitamins and minerals, as well as restore strength, prevent the appearance of parasites and improve the digestive system;
• nettle leaves - burning food, which must be scalded before serving, finely chopped, and only then added to the feeder;
• bean asparagus - useful greens, which improves metabolic processes in the body and normalizes the blood composition.

Should not be forgotten about dandelion and currant leaves, clover and alfalfa. This greens can be given not only fresh in the summer, but also dried in the winter.

Birds love to feast young branches and buds of willow, birch and apricot. Pets in the process of gnawing twigs sharpen beak and claws.

For the full development of the body, veterinarians recommend introducing into the diet animal products that contain a large amount of protein. The most important are the following products.

• Whole milk. It is a source of calcium. Poultry farmers recommend boiling porridge on it or dipping small pieces of bread into it.
• Boiled egg.
• Friable curd mass. Useful complementary foods, which should be given in very small portions, and if necessary mixed with honey.
• Fish fat. The source of vitamins such as A, D, as well as iodine and phosphorus. This additive must be introduced into cooked cereals.

During the feather change and nest formation special attention should be paid to mineral additives, which can serve as the following products.

• Cretaceous rocks. It is an indispensable source of calcium. Only clean feed is acceptable.
• Eggshell Source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. This additive should be given in crushed form, pre-rinsing and warming the top dressing.
• Mollusk shells.
• Dried plaster. A good source of calcium and at the same time a beak sharpener.

Charcoal or activated charcoal, bone meal and lime will be beneficial for birds.

Particular attention should be paid to the drinking regimen of the pet. The cage should be equipped not only with a drinking bowl, but also with a bathing place, where daily it is necessary to pour clean, fresh and filtered water. Feathered people like to feast on freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, tea from rosehip and chamomile, in which you can add a little honey.

Poultry farmers recommend paying special attention to prohibited products that should not be strictly given to parrots:

• bitter pepper;
• caramelized fruits;
• mayonnaise;
• ketchup;
• fast food;
• fried food;
• chips and crackers;
• alcohol;
• tea and coffee;
• salt;
• spicy spices;
• meat;
• fish;
• seafood;
• butter;
• hard and cream cheese;
• milk cream and sour cream;
• potato;
• seeds of all fruits;
• eggplant;
• leaves of sorrel and rhubarb;
• onions and garlic.

The hatching period is an important stage in the life of lovebirds. To obtain healthy offspring, it is necessary to surround the care and attention of pets as much as possible, as well as make the right menu. The basis of the diet of birds should be grain mixtures and mineral additives. The female needs in eggs, cottage cheese, flour worms, pea and rice porridge, walnuts, honey and sesame seed. The female should always have sprouted oats and wheat.

Before feeding, all fruits and greens should be washed with clean water, and then cut into necessary slices. A prerequisite for maintaining the health of the bird is the removal of old feed and washing the feeder every day.

After the appearance of the chicks, which after a short period of time will be able to eat not only from the goiter of the mother, but also the food of the father, the birds should be given friable porridge and sprouted grains. It is necessary to add vitamin complexes to products. In case of problems with feeding the chicks by their parents, the owner of the birds should perform the procedure on their own. With artificial feeding, the chicks grow larger and stronger, unlike young animals, who grew up with their parents. To feed the little chicks you need to purchase a small syringe and a special mixture, which before each feeding will need to be bred depending on the body weight of the ward.

To feed the chick, you need to take it in your hand, fix your head, and draw no more than 6 ml of porridge into the syringe. The mixture should not be very cold or hot.. In the beak raised up, place the tip of the syringe. The chick must choose the speed of eating. The end of feeding is bloating of goiter. The obligatory procedure after eating is wiping the beak with a clean towel. Like young children, after eating, the chicks like to sleep.

Pets are not only a source of positive emotions and fun moments. First of all, they are living beings, who need care, attention and proper care. Before acquiring a bird, it is necessary to carefully study its nature, habits, diet and method of care, so that a defenseless pet does not become a burden and disappointment.

For more information on how to feed lovebirds, see the next video.