Birds
Many volumes could be filled with what has been written on bird nutrition. Unfortunately, these are rarely based on sound scientific research. The sad truth is that nobody knows exactly what constitutes a complete diet for many bird species. This is compounded by the diverse nature of the birds, in that there are differences among species both in behavior and their natural history. It is probably truthful to say that they don’t all have the same requirements.
There are many other factors that influence avian nutrition in captivity, including maintenance in a foreign climate, breeding status vs. pet and other environmental stresses.

Three facts are true about the nutrition of the parrots particularly:
1. None of these birds would, in the wild, eat a diet of high oil seeds (sunflower, safflower, peanuts, etc.).
2. The use of oil seeds as the foundation of a bird’s diet leads to nutritional deficiencies and eventually death.
3. The birds that live to be aged eat a wide variety of foods, often eating from the table with their owners.

There is nothing particularly lethal about these seeds, nor is any one type better or worse than another type. Simply, these seeds are inadequate in their nutrition to supply the bird’s needs. If there is a problem with them it is that they have a nutritional value similar to a chocolate bar. Think about the last time you purchased cooking oil, the choices you had were sunflower, safflower, corn canola (rape seed oil), peanut, etc. Now visualize the “deluxe parrot mix” you just purchased. They’re the same types of seed! While it might be true that birds have access to and eat seed in the wild, the difference are enormous. Those seeds would be growing, and more importantly would be available only at certain times of the year, and are often the seed fruit of leguminous trees, palm fruits and nuts.

Furthermore, supplementation will not fix a bad diet and probably is not needed if you have a good diet. Vitamins can be used to fix a short term problem, and there are times when high levels of a vitamin are beneficial, but remember, if you’re eating nothing but chocolate bars every day, a vitamin tablet is not going to make your diet complete.

Recognizing that we can never hope to provide our birds with all the things that would be available to them in their natural habitat (mostly because we don’t live in the rain forest), it then becomes obvious that offering a variety of healthy foods in amounts that are reasonably balanced is the best solution. It is also important to remember that whatever we choose must be easy and convenient, because if it is too complicated or time consuming it might be difficult to continue doing it. After all, dishing up seeds is pretty easy. Therefore, you must find a system that works for you.

Providing a Balanced Diet
No single diet by itself can provide total nutrition for a pet bird, and as mentioned, variety is the key to success. The following are examples of what can be fed from various food groups and a discussion of commercially made bird diets.

Commercial Bird Diets
These diets are becoming more acceptable as the staple diet for a variety of species of birds from canaries to toucans to macaws, and they are very convenient for owners. There are a wide variety of types on the market from granules to colored pellets. They are particularly useful for overweight birds that need to go on a diet! Some commercial diets claim to be complete, but this is rarely the case. Although these diets have proven to be extremely useful in correcting nutritional problems in many species of birds, we do not recommend that this be the only diet that is fed. Not only is it important to provide a little variety to insure all the dietary requirements are met, but remember that birds, especially hook bills, or psittacines, are extremely intelligent and in the wild they would spend a large portion of their day searching for and obtaining their food items. When we provide them with a dry diet that is exactly the same every day, they can become bored with their food and develop such behaviors as overeating, feather picking and tearing up their surroundings (more than usual!). It is good to still provide them with “fun foods” to play with such as corn on the cob, leafy greens, broccoli, oranges and pizza just to name a few. Let your bird buddy share your meals.

Some birds have starved to death when converted too quickly to a commercial diet. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and change the cage papers daily to monitor the number of droppings being produced. If the number is decreased, or there is only water (urine) being passed for more then 24 hours, then return the bird to its former diet and consult your veterinarian.

In summary, we would recommend the commercial bird diets as a replacement for seed and vitamin supplementation (vitamins are already built into the pellets), but would advise you to continue giving a variety of fresh foods daily (or at least 3 times a week minimum). Check with your veterinarian for suggestions as to what brand(s) to try.

The description of the rest of the food groups below contain percentages that refer to an all natural diet that does not contain a significant amount of commercial bird diet.
© 2004 Midwest Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital