One of the major causes of death in pet birds is improper feeding and this alone expresses how vital it is for you to feed your bird pets correctly. Birds have a bigger chance of having diseases when they’re malnourished and for you to help your bird maintain a healthy status, you must be very particular about nutrition. Take note that it’s not sufficient alone for you to feed your birds with a dry seed diet, even though the precise nutritional requirements are yet to be fully pronounced. Amino acids, iodine, and calcium are not even well-contained in some seeds that are said to be “vitamin-enriched, and it’s often recommended that you offer a variety of fresh foods to your birds to supplement their diets and provide them with balanced nutrition
One thing you should know is that birds are often moved by the food’s texture and appearance due to their sense of taste and smell which is not well developed, and once you start feeding your birds wrongly and they’re used to it, it may take a while before they’ll be able to adjust to the new meal you’re trying to introduce to them.
You can prevent several health and behavior problems when you feed your bed with a balanced diet and if you love your birds so much that you don’t want to see them die early or suffer from diseases, make sure you get them a firm nutritional footing.
Dietary differences Among Birds
There are several species of birds and it’s worthy to point out that they don’t all ray the same food for they have their respective dietary needs. Hummingbirds, woodpeckers, chickadees, and a host of other North American wild birds have the respective foods they eat and so do our companion birds. It’s very important that you’re conscious of the species of the birds you have so that you can be sure of proper nutrition. However, regardless of the species of birds you have, you can always get pet food from reliable pet stores online. You can start your search from FeedsAndSeeds.com or any other reliable website you are familiar with. Speaking of classes of birds, we have nectarivores; who eat mostly nectar, omnivores; who can be fed with both plant and animal components, frugivores; whose diets are based on fruits, granivore; who can eat seeds or/and grain, folivores; whose diets are obtained from plants, and psittacines, who are mostly members of the parrot family.
- If your bird is a florivore (maybe a Red-faced parrot, Blue and Gold macaw, Military macaw, or any other) its primary diet would be berries, roots, bark, nuts, fruits, and seeds.
- If your bird is a granivore (maybe a Hyacinth macaw, Cockatiel, Budgerigar, or any other) its primary diet would be grain and seeds.
- If your bird is a frugivore (maybe a Green-winged macaw, Blue-throated macaw, or any other) its primary diet would be mostly fruit and flowers.
- If your bird is an omnivore (maybe a Red-tailed Amazon, Sulpher-crested cockatoo, or any other) its primary diet would be invertebrates, insects, fruits, and seeds.
- If your bird is a nectarivore (maybe a lory, Lorikeet, or any other) its primary diet would be seeds, some insects, pollen, and nectar.
Tasty and Healthy Treats That Birds Love
Fruits
A vast majority of pet birds find fruits to be a favorite and fruits are an excellent choice of food for pet birds because they’re a wonderful source of vitamins, they’re tasty, and they’re nutritional. The kind of fruits your bird prefers is what will determine the specific kind of fruits you’ll go for; maybe apples, cantaloupe, bananas, pomegranate, mango, or any other.
Beans
Helping to keep the digestive system of your birds running smoothly, beans are an excellent choice for your birds too because it’s an outstanding source of fiber and offers an additional benefit of being a great source of vegetable protein.
Sprouts
If you want to give live, raw nutrition to your flock, it’s better you grow your own sprouts — it’s healthier this way. And if you’ll be buying, make sure you don’t unknowingly pass toxins to your pet; there’s a possibility that some of the sprouts may have come in contact with pesticides. Thus, before you offer them to your bird, make sure you wash them scrupulously.
Vegetables
Whenever you serve veggies in your home, make sure you offer your bird some well-washed greens, yellow squash, or broccoli. Companion birds are great fans of fresh veggies, and in natural habitats, a variety of vegetables is what wild birds feast on. Peas, root vegetables, kale, and carrots are other avian favorites.
Pasta
Serve your bird some pasta after you’re done boiling! Full of energy-enhancing carbohydrates, birds do love pasta, and they don’t mind if it’s cooked or uncooked. To make for a fun and tasty snack, let your pet have some raw macaroni noodles with nut butter if it loves crunchy pasta.
Feeding your pet bird right is very essential and other healthy meals you can share with your bird include whole grain bread, popped or unpopped kernels, cereal or grains, nuts, and peppers.
