05/18/2026
Another batch of chop ready to go!
One question we keep getting is:
“Why do you use little to no fruit in your chop?”
Short answer? Most fruit available to us commercially is bred and harvested to be very sweet and is significantly higher in sugar than what many companion parrots — and especially reptiles — would naturally consume regularly in the wild.
While fruit absolutely has nutritional value, diets too high in sugar can contribute to obesity, fatty liver disease, and other long-term health concerns in parrots. Some owners also notice increased hormonal or hyperactive behaviors when sugary foods are overdone.
Most herbivorous and omnivorous reptiles also do not require fruit as a major dietary staple, with some species needing little to none at all.
Because of that, we focus our chop on staple greens and nutrient-dense vegetables instead — things like mustard greens, turnip greens, collards, watercress, broccoli, squash, and other ingredients that provide fiber, variety, enrichment, and long-term nutritional support.
That doesn’t mean “never fruit.” We actually love using fruits strategically at home for:
✔ Training
✔ Foraging activities
✔ Enrichment
✔ Encouraging movement and engagement
That way fruit stays exciting, while also giving them opportunities to naturally burn that energy instead of just sitting at a food bowl.
This week’s chop includes: sweet potato, fresh sage, green beans, watercress, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, red cabbage, and acorn squash.
Fresh every Monday-while supplies last.
Want to read more about avian and reptile nutrition? Here are a few reputable resources we recommend:
🦜 BioDiveristy Bird Blends
https://biobirdblends.com/
🦜 Association of Avian Veterinarians
https://www.aav.org
🦜 Lafeber Pet Birds – Nutrition Articles
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/nutrition/
🦜 Merck Veterinary Manual – Pet Bird Nutrition
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/pet-birds/nutrition-and-management-of-pet-birds
🦎 Reptiles Magazine – Nutrition Basics
https://reptilesmagazine.com/reptile-nutrition/
