We are what we eat. Same with your bird. A varied diet will help him/her feel their best, live the longest, and be as healthy as possible. It is also fun to watch them eat, and when they glow from the inside…. it feels really good to know you had a hand in that! Below is a list of main staples, as well as fresh foods that will help your bird thrive, and also a list of the deadly few to avoid. Don’t forget to check on houseplants for toxicity if you keep live ones in your home. Contact us with any questions, or for help in sprouting…. it is great! Click here to link to our favorite sprout kit….
We feed our specialty feed mixes, fresh foods along with fresh filtered water each day.
PELLET USE IN THE DIET
A highly debated topic in the bird world often discusses how much of the diet should be comprised of a commercially manufactured extruded pellet. The manufacturers say the pellet diet needs to be 100% of the diet. Every bite of another food your bird takes makes the % of vitamin uptake altered when pellets are used. Vets have been pushing pellets for years because they see birds deficient in Vitamin A. This is not an issue when feeding a diverse diet. Pellets need not be part of that. We leave pellets in the large flight cages always, but not for nutrition…. only to prevent fighting if they run out of the daily food ration as we keep our resting birds on what is called an “austerity diet” to prevent breeding desire when they are on a break. Our Australian grasskeets (Budgies, Cockatiels, Scarlets & Bourkes) don’t get pellets at all as they hail from an arid region and don’t drink much water daily, which is important to process this food. The feed mixes (links above) have 50+ ingredients and that, along with fresh foods (focusing on veggies and fruits high in Vit A) make the use of pellets completely unneeded.
We use GoldenFeast Goldn’obles pellets (as stated above) as they are quinoa based, instead of being an endocrine disruptor like most of the pellets with corn or soy as the main ingredient.
We sell pellets by the pound to our customers if interested.
SEED MIX
It is tough to find a complete seed mix these days. Many are filled with colored dyes and cheap pellets added. I also find them very “blonde” meaning that they are comprised of only a couple of the cheapest pale colored seeds available and they are not nutrient varied. We developed our own custom seed/nut/fruit/veggie/bee pollen/probiotics + species specific mixes that took our birds to many best in show wins, as well as superior breeding results…. the benchmark for vigor and health.
Click on this Text to buy Linnie Mix
Click on this Text to buy Budgie Mix
Click on this Text to buy Bourke Mix
SAFE FRESH FOOD LIST (see bottom of page for toxic bird food list)
Cooked grains – can also be sprouted
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Amaranth
- Whole Oats
- Hulless Barley
- Spelt or Kamut
- Teff
- Brown Rice
- Wild Rice
- Buckwheat
Cooked legumes – or sprouted with 1/4″ tails
- Adzuki
- Mung
- Sprouting Peas
- Lentils
- Garbanzo/Chickpeas
Vegetables – Fed fresh, lightly steamed, or even frozen (thawed) out of the frozen section in grocery store
- Pumpkin
- Carrots
- Acorn or Butternut Squash
- Red or Green Pepper
- Kale
- Dandelion Greens
- Mustard Greens
- Collard Greens
- Turnip Greens
- Broccoli
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Romaine or other dark leafy lettuce
- Jicama
- Peas
- Zucchini
- Green Beans
- Tomatoes
- Cabbage
- Chinese Cabbage
- Bok Choy
- Carrot Tops
- Cactus Leaf
- Okra
- Kohlrabi
- Spaghetti Squash
- Cauliflower
- Radish
- Chayote Squash
- Brussel Sprouts
- Escarole
- Endive
- Corn
- Beet Root
Fruits – vegetables should be served with a 2:1 frequency to fruits
- Papaya
- Mango
- Any type of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
- Pomegranate
- Kiwi
- Oranges
- Melons
- Nectarines
- Cherries
- Apricot
- Grapefruit
- Banana
- Pears
- Apples (no seeds, those have arsenic)
- Figs
- Pineapple
- Lemons
- Limes
Other Foods
- Whole Wheat Pasta
- Whole Grain Breads
- Corn Bread (mix fruits and veggies in for a delicious treat)
- Cooked Eggs
- Sprouted Seeds
TOXIC FOOD LIST – AVOID!!
– Avocados
– Dairy Products (Yogurt OK)
– Fruit Rinds
– Rhubarb
– Raw Meats
– Onions
– Chocolate
– Salty/Sugary Foods
– Alcohol
– Fruit Pits
– Peanuts
– Uncooked Rice
– Uncooked Beans
– Seeds of: Pears, Oranges, Papaya, Grapefruit, Grapes, Apples & some Melons
– Mayonnaise products
– Caffeine
Some information borrowed from ” Up at Six ” and has been checked for accuracy. When in doubt, check with a certified avian veterinarian.