Feeding

Go to any pet store and you will find a dizzying array of parrot food in various
configurations from just plain seed, to a new all pellet formula and every combination
thereof. Despite what the feed companies would have you believe, a diet of seed varieties
will not allow your parrot to achieve its best health. In fact, one of the biggest illnesses of captive Amazons is vitamin A defenciancy. In the wild Amazons feed on fresh
fruits, vegetables, and vegetation that are abundant in their habitat. The food that is
offered to them in your home should be no different. Amazons can be picky eaters and
also are wasteful, nibbling a piece of food here and there before dropping it to the floor or
back in its feed cup. The habit of being picky usually develops by the bird having a
favorite food and eating that to exclusive and ignoring all other offerings. This can be
especially true of seeds such as peanuts and sunflower seeds, which are about like candy
to a bird. Therefore a seed mix containing a large amount of these types of seeds should
be avoided. Favorite food withholding can also be a good training aid. My parrot will do
almost anything for a peanut. I personally mix three different store type brands to for my
own mix of food. It is part seed, part pellet, and part dried fruits and veggies. Observation
of what your Parrot likes should help you in finding the best combination for your bird.
Parrots should have a offering of fresh foods such as small pieces of fruit and vegetables
for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as it's regular diet of seed or pellet mix. A parrot
can table eat with the family, say for dinner, and will eat anything that you eat. The only
caution is that too much salt is fatal in birds. To help with this problem, I set aside some of what
I cook for my Parrot before salting. Caffeine is also a no-no including chocolate.
An old
favorite of parrot feeding was to soak seeds in water allowing them to germinate, this is a
very healthful food for parrots, but, most of the seeds that you run across these days have
been sterilized to ward off parasites and bugs that live in the food. After this procedure a
seed will not germinate, so a trip to your grocery store will be your best source of
germinated seeds. Even still, birds do like seeds that have been soaked for about a day.
This makes the seeds softer and more appealing. This can also help if you have a picky
eater.

Grit

Millet