What to Feed Your Parrot

What to Feed Your Parrot
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Chris_A_Bloor]Chris A Bloor

Over the last few decades, a new trend popped up regarding pet nutrition, regardless of the type of pet involved. This trend focused on giving your pet the food that they would hypothetically eat in the wild if they were still feral. The supporters of this method argument it with the fact that eating raw, natural food keeps your pet healthy and lively, whereas stuffing him with commercial nutrients can cause some serious problems. At the same extent, supporters of the traditional diet methods say that the natural food diets don’t work, for the simple reason that the pet doesn’t get the amount of exercise, freedom and harshness he gets in his potential “wild” state, thus the natural diet has no effect. Parrots make no exception from the rule, as there have been many parrot nutrition disputes over the last few years, regarding the two types of diets.

So how should a parrot owner go about this problem? Should you only feed him natural stuff such as weeds, leaf buds, seeds and fruit parts? Should you try a commercial parrot food pack that boasts with having “all the nutrients your parrot needs”? Or should you try a combination of the two? Although it’s a matter of personal preference, one could conclude that a combination between natural and commercial food is the best, since it offers everything a parrot needs: tasty natural food and his daily requirement of vitamins from the commercial supplements.

When it comes to food, parrots are not picky at all. Although they might not enjoy everything you give them at first, they’ll usually get used to that food type in a short while. Still, you should note that not all food types are healthy for your parrot (although they’ll still eat them). Food holding large amounts of salt can be extremely unhealthy for your parrot, since he won’t be able to excrete all the salt. So avoid giving him any mashed chips, dinner leftovers and basically anything that you’ve salted beforehand.

Also, make sure your parrot doesn’t get a single type of food on his daily diet. Eating seeds may be tasty for him, but note that seeds are not that healthy and they definitely don’t contain the required amount of nutrients a parrot needs on a daily basis. Some pet dietitians compare seeds with junk food, since they will be eagerly eaten by your parrot, but they’re not the healthiest of options. Still, seeds have a very practical use. If your parrot got used to a specific type of diet and you want to switch to a healthier one (but usually less tasty) that he simply will refuse to eat at first, it’s a good idea to “sprinkle” the new food with some tasty seeds in order to tempt your parrot to eat. Once they get the taste of the seeds, they will dig right in to the new food type and eventually get used to it.

The amount and type of food your parrot requires is also heavily dependent on his species and his size. Make sure you try different diets for him and notice which one works, since the correctness of the diet is directly proportional with your parrot’s life span. A good, healthy diet can give him as much as an extra decade of life, so if you care about your pet it’s a good idea to make sure he gets what he needs from his food.

(c) Chris Bloor

Chris Bloor loves parrots and writes more about parrot food and parrot care at http://www.AcmeBirdCages.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_A_Bloor http://EzineArticles.com/?What-to-Feed-Your-Parrot&id=464874

Related News:

Nature Chest owner takes care when pairing humans with bird companions
For young children (with responsible parents, she reminds), budgies and cockatiels are wonderful pets. Doves, she said, are hard to beat for children. They don’t fluster easily, and are amenable to being held. Older children are usually up to the responsibility of a Quaker parrot...
The Decatur Daily

Lost & Found: Parrot finds his way home through classified advertisement
By Nancy Green - Buck, a Quaker Parrot, is glad to be back at his home on South Natchez Street after spending almost a week out of his cage with the majority of that time at the home of Mr. and Mrs. David Fancher in McCool...
Kosciusko Star Herald, MS

Parrot Squawks To Avert A Burglary
Salvador, a Mexican Red-Headed Parrot helps owner catch a burglar.

Parrot Saves Family By Imitating Smoke Alarm
An Amazon Parrot called Peanut woke its owner by mimicking house smoke alarm at about 3 a.m when the house was on fire.

UI evicting monk parakeets
Monk parakeets, also known as Quaker parrots, are native to Argentina and neighboring countries in South America. They build nests that can weigh more than 150 pounds, Carbone said, with hundreds of chattering green birds...
New Haven Register, CT

New Online Parrot Training Course Helps Save Birds
Bird owners can now learn parrot training techniques that work. These proven methods are effective and work on most types of birds, allowing many owners to keep their unruly pets rather than giving them away.

Parrot Capitalizes on Digital Music Craze with New Streaming Audio Car Kits, Compact Speaker Systems
Parrot leads the industry in audio streaming products, having introduced six all-new cars kits and stereo speakers in the last 12 months. In March 2007, the company launched the Parrot Boombox, a powerful, portable single-unit stereo speaker. Next, Parrot launched the second-generation of streaming audio-enabled car kit -- the Parrot MK6100. And finally, Parrot just introduced two more new streaming audio products -- the Parrot PARTY, a personal-size portable stereo speaker small enough to fit in a backpack or purse, but powerful enough to fill a room with music.

Delivery and Assembly of Parrot Cages in Any Room of your Home in 49 States and Canada Now Available
Bird owners no longer need be burdened with carrying large, heavy and awkward parrot cage boxes up stairs & through a house apartment or condo. 2 person teams will now professionally guide a parrot's new home from delivery truck to the room of the bird owner's choice. WindyCityParrot.com has moved into a 16,000 square foot fulfillment center April 1st, 2008 due to tremendous growth on the web. The new facility will enable deeper inventory levels and more rapid fulfillment

Healthy Diet for Your Parrot
Is your bird a seed only eater? Did you know in that wild seeds form only a small portion of the natural diet? While seeds are an important part of a pet parrot's daily diet they should not comprise all of it.Parrots are opportunistic omnivores, which in plain English means they eat whatever they encounter in their day ("opportunistic") and, like us, eat from all the food groups – veggies & fruits, grain, and animal protein ("omnivores").

Train Your Parrot: Accessories
No environmental examination when you train your parrot, can be complete without an evaluation of accessories-chewing, ringing, holding, climbing, swinging, preening, and "bopping" toys. The easiest, least expensive, and most accessible of these are tree branches with bark. Branches with bark help keep beak and toenails appropriately worn and help prevent foot problems and numerous behavioral problems. I like ailanthus or sumac branches. Loro Parque in the Canary Islands provides fresh pine branches weekly. I think most taller trees are probably safe. I consider all shrubs, fruit trees, and trees that might have been sprayed with chemicals to be potentially toxic. Clean and examine branches for bugs.

Meet The Ecletus Parrot, Glossy And Brilliant
Parrots are birds with gaily and boldly colors. Parrots have even, thin plumage on their whole bodies with solid color spots, which usually contrast themselves.

Parrot Keeping
Parrots are becoming more popular as pets with each passing day. This is evidenced by the proliferation of Internet discussion lists which provide access to information regarding parrot care and behavior.

How To Recognize A Respiratory Tract Ailment In Your Parrot
A respiratory tract ailment can be fatal to your parrot if left untreated. Find out how to recognize if your parrot is having problem with its breathing.

Parrot Jewelry: Colorful, Exotic, Fun!
Parrot jewelry is the mark of a bird-lover, someone who likes freedom and the sight of creatures exercising that freedom across the open skies. It is also the mark of someone who likes lively, colorful things.

Which Parrot is Right For Me?
Which parrot is right for me? This is a question that you must ask yourself before you think of keeping these lovely birds as pets. It is as important as your decision to have a child.

Grains Parrot Feeding, Quick Recipes
Most often, birds like the taste of grains which are a good combination of nutrients: complex carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins; providing them a healthy food. The great variety of grains found on the market gives also different nutritive values for the birds. Grains are usually combined with seeds vegetables, pasta or pellets for the variety of food.

The Available Methods For Parrot Gender Determination
Usually, a bird?s gender is unknown to other species of beings; it is a well kept secret for the bird itself and its kind. When nature created the birds, it never took into consideration the human specie and the knowledge that this last one needs.

5 Ways to Pamper Your Parrot
We are all busy these days and I know it's hard to meet all the demands in your life. But, it's time for a breather.

Bird Tricks Introduces New Parrot Training Advice That Enables Parrots To Do Magic Tricks
Many parrots are being abandoned by their owners because they require more time and attention than many people have. Bird Tricks can provide parrot training that includes entertaining magic tricks that allow for the bird and the owner to experience new and fun things together.

Singh Resorts Brings Signature Style Vacation Homes to New Parrot Key Resort in Key West Grand Opening Special Now from $349/night at a Luxury Beach H
Singh Resorts has announced a Grand Opening Special for its unrivaled oasis in the Florida Keys, Parrot Key Resort in Key West.

What to Feed Your Parrot

Related News:

Related Articles: