12/27/2022
What Should I Feed My African Grey Parrot?
Remember the saying “You are what you eat?” The same holds true for our pet birds and parrots. A parrot that is offered a seed-only diet may encounter illness and have its lifespan cut short. Improper nutrition can be the underlying cause of other health and behavioral issues for all pet birds, including African grey parrots.
Pet African grey parrot bird food should consist of a pelleted formula base supplemented with a mix of vegetables, fruits, nuts and high-quality seed to give the parrot the optimal diet. Percentages will vary depending on who you speak to. Since we cannot provide the exact diet each parrot species encounters in the wild, our goal for our pet birds is to provide foods that are well balanced and varied.
When you are out food shopping, think bright oranges and deep dark green colors for the most nutrition. Purchase organic when possible. Vegetables that are served in the raw state are best because they contain the needed enzymes that help maintain your African grey’s proper bodily functions. The beta-carotene vegetables (e.g., carrots) should be steamed so they can be digested easily.
I would look for preferably “organic” or at least “all-natural” dry bird mixes. “Fortified diets” are not necessarily good as often inferior, artificial additives are used, which may have no health benefit at all or indeed may even be harmful. It is far better to buy unfortified mixes and add a good quality bird supplement instead.
Dr. Harvey’s Bird Food Mixes or Lafeber are convenient options that lack many of the harmful additives that are commonly found in commercial mixes and have a great variety of quality ingredients (including dried fruits, veggies, herbs / greens and even superfoods, such as bee pollen!) – in short: myriad nourishing ingredients that are not found in other commercially available bird mixes.
