Birds are naturally long-lived animals, and a good diet and husbandry are the major contributors to their longevity. Studies have shown that birds fed poor or deficient diets not only have a greater incidence of health problems, but also have up to a 75% reduction in lifespan. Simply by providing a nutritionally balanced diet, birds live longer, are healthier and make better family members. We believe that the best treatment is prevention, and since many disease conditions can be prevented simply by prescribing good diets, we would like to see all of our bird patients eating a balanced, formulated diet.
Feeding Your Bird
Research and experience show that birds are healthier and live longer when fed formulated diets rather than seed-based diets. Formulated diets, also known as pellets, are manufactured to be balanced and meet the specific nutritional needs of our companion birds.
Ideally, companion bird diets should be comprised of a minimum of 50 to 80% pellets. The remainder should be comprised of vegetables, fruits and healthy table foods. For birds that refuse produce and table food, small amounts of seed can be fed along with the pellets, but this amount should be measured and limited to avoid over-eating.
Formulated Diets
Many brands of formulated diets are available. The best choice is the one your bird will eat! Zupreem is an excellent brand that is widely available and is sold through veterinarians, pet stores, as well as online. Harrison’s, Lafebers and Roudybush are other popular brands of pellets. Keep in mind that some birds will have size or color preferences – occasionally, cockatiels and lovebirds will prefer the parakeet-sized pellets. If your bird doesn’t take to one type, don’t give up – try a different brand, color or size!
Foods to Avoid
**Avocado and chocolate are poisonous to birds and are fatal if fed in sufficient amounts. Also, uncooked dry beans and legumes are toxic. Animal proteins such as meat, eggs, and dairy products should also be avoided as they can be damaging to parrot kidneys.**
Foods high in salt and preservatives are undesirable because birds are very sensitive to them. These include salty snacks such as chips, crackers, pretzels and preserved meats. Light green vegetables such as celery and iceberg lettuce are high in water content and low in nutrients, so they should be minimized. For birds that refuse vegetables other than lettuce, romaine is an excellent choice.
All peanuts and soybeans have detectable levels of aflatoxins, which in very small amounts will cause death to a pet bird. These levels are deemed acceptable by the USDA because they are less than what will cause disease in humans, but even very low levels can be toxic or deadly to birds. Dairy products should not be given to most birds. Most birds do not tolerate milk proteins, milk and milk products (yogurt, cheese) and may cause a low to moderate grade chronic intestinal problem.
Produce and Table Food
Most produce and table foods that are good for people are also nutritional for birds. All fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed before feeding. Do not leave fresh foods in the cage for more than five hours to avoid spoiling.
Please note that diets and ratios can vary between species. Feel free to ask us for specific recommendations for your bird. Some of the more beneficial foods are listed below.
Vegetables (cooked or raw)
- Broccoli
- Green beans
- Dark leafy greens
- Cucumber
- Spinach
- Peppers
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Squash
Fruit (small amounts)
All fruits are acceptable, including citrus. Orange fruits such as papaya, mango and cantaloupe are highest in vitamin A, citrus are very high in vitamin C, and berries contain anti-oxidants.
Protein (should be less than 5% of the diet for most species)
Tree nuts (not peanuts)
Cooked beans (raw beans contain toxins that are inactivated by cooking, except for green beans)
Seed
Seed is excessively high in fat and low in many essential nutrients. It is also a common source of bacterial infection in birds, since rodents may contaminate it during storage at production facilities. Freezing, refrigerating and microwaving seed will not eliminate the bacteria. For these reasons, it is best to eliminate seed from the diet. However, small amounts (less than 10%) may be used as treats for birds that have not experienced health problems, such as recurrent infections or high cholesterol.
Supplements
Birds that consume greater than 50% of their diet as pellets,do not require vitamin supplementation. Excess supplementation of vital nutrients can be toxic. Many supplements contain very high levels of fat-soluble vitamins, which are stored in the body and can easily reach dangerous levels.
“Digestive aids”, such as grit, gravel, cuttlebone and mineral blocks are alsonot necessary and can be dangerous to the health of your bird. All of these supplements have been associated with illnesses in psittacine birds. The exception to grit is pigeons and fowl on non-pelleted diets.
Low Iron Diets
Certain species such as toucans, mynahs, lories, lorikeets and Pekin robins are prone to iron storage disease, which can be fatal if left untreated. These birds require specially formulated foods with low iron and vitamin C content. There are several brands that indicate they are appropriate for these species; please double check that the iron content is less than 90 ppm. Produce and table food with high iron content, such as raisins, dark leafy greens, meat and poultry should be minimized or avoided. Foods high in vitamin C should be avoided due to their ability to enhance iron absorption from the intestines and thus causing iron overload even with low iron diets.
Conversion to Pellets
Some birds convert to formulated food quickly and willingly while others may take weeks or months. Owner persistence is the key to diet conversion. During the first few days of the diet change many birds express their anger by screaming or throwing food. These behaviors usually stop as they adjust to the conversion process. The initial aversion many birds have to pellets will gradually turn to acceptance and then to enjoyment.
It is very important to learn how to monitor birds for normal feces as well as consumption of the new food. Please become familiar with not only the consistency and color, but also the number of feces your bird has before beginning the diet conversion. Clean the cage at the time of the switch and line it with paper. Do not use corncob or other litter because you won’t be able to monitor the droppings well. Watch your bird’s droppings or weigh your bird daily on a gram scale. When a bird isn’t eating, the droppings will be very small and the green part will be very dark green, almost black. Or you may see a lot of urine (liquid) but almost no green part, which means your bird is filling up on water and not eating much. If you notice any of these changes, offer your bird its old diet again. A diet conversion is usually the most important thing you can do for the longevity of your pet. Diet conversion must be taken seriously and your bird must be monitored closely by the primary care giver.
Initially, the pellets should be offered in a separate dish and left in the cage at all times. Usual food items (such as seed and table food) should be restricted to 30 minutes twice daily (smaller birds should be offered four times daily), preferably first thing in the morning and again in the evening. This is sufficient for most birds to maintain a normal body weight. Smaller birds such as finches and canaries should use an alternative method listed below. Most birds will start to nibble on the pellets within a few days. Once they start to play with the food and are breaking it up, you can decrease the amount of time the seeds are offered by 10-15 minutes every couple of days. The last part to be stopped is the evening feeding of seeds.
Birds that refuse to consume pellets after several weeks may be given a softened version. The formulated food can be soaked in water or fruit juice and very small amounts of the usual foods (such as seeds) can be mixed in. The bird must then dig through the mixture to obtain the seed and usually develops a taste for the pellets in the process. The amount of seed in the mixture is then gradually reduced.
An alternative method for finches and canaries is to mix 25% pellets to 75% seeds for 1 week, then 50/50 the next week, then 75/25 for another week and finally 100% pellets.
When all else fails, birds may be hospitalized for dietary conversion. Your bird will be monitored and weighed regularly. In a strange environment, the conversion process usually takes between 5 and 10 days. Please let us know if you are interested in this option.
Diet change can be a stressful event for birds, and stress can predispose them to illness.It is very important that your bird is in good health before changing the diet.We recommend a thorough veterinary exam to identify any underlying health problems and to obtain an accurate pre-conversion weight. This step will ensure your bird’s diet change is done with the least amount of stress and problems for you and your feathered family member.