Popular pet birds for those who enjoy birds since African Grey Parrots are among the most intelligent and sociable ones. To make sure they stay healthy and flourish in captivity, their particular food requirements must be carefully considered though. These parrots have a varied diet in the wild, thus reproducing this diversity in captivity can be difficult but absolutely vital. Covering diet categories, particular food choices, and advice for preserving your parrot’s health, this article will help you navigate the key elements of feeding an African Grey Parrot.
Recognising African Grey Parrot Dietary Requirements
African gray In the wild, parrots have a varied diet ranging from seeds to fruits to nuts to occasionally animal protein. Providing a balanced food that replics this diversity is crucial in captivity. For parrot species, the food types that have evolved are granivory (eating grains and seeds), nectarivory (eating nectar), frugivory (eating fruit), and palinivory (eating pollen). We also classify some parrots—including the African Grey—into a fifth category: omnivory, which blends animal protein with plant-based meals. There is significant debate, nevertheless, about giving parrots in captivity animal protein.
Selecting a Diet for Your African Grey Parrot
Regarding your African Grey’s diet, there is a great variety of foods at hand. From pellets, seeds, grains, sprouts, fruits, vegetables, nuts, flowers, weeds, and supplements you have options. Your first choice will be whether to follow a more recent trend nearly entirely employing a mash and fresh food approach or base the diet of your parrot mostly on seeds or pellets.
Although wild birds would usually eat seeds, when employed as the only meal in captivity they are sometimes devoid of vital micro- nutrients. Bad health results from this. Conversely, pellets are made to offer a balanced diet but might not have the natural variety present in seeds and fresh foods. Green vegetables and orange fruits should be part of your parrot’s diet since neither seeds nor pellets by themselves can supply enough vitamin A.
Fresh vegetables are vital regardless of your preferred major component— pellets, seeds, or chopped foods. A parrot in good health who has been eating right will show clear eyes, lustrous plumage, and a straight posture.
Vegetables Perfect for African Grey Parrots
African gray One can find a great range of veggies and salad greens among parrots. While some owners claim no detrimental consequences, others avoid giving their parrots mushrooms, garlic, and onions because of their controversial character. For African greys, common safe and healthy foods are celery, spinach, asparagus, tomatoes, cauliflower, corn, Brussel sprouts, aubergine, kale, pumpkin, potatoes, collard greens, peas, carrots, cabbage, mustard greens, chillies, yams, and plantains. Still, steer clear of feeding them tomato and potato leaves since these might be poisonous. While some owners debate acorn safety, many parrots—including those kept in aviaries—have no problems enjoying them.
Foods African Grey Parrots Might Like
Almost any fruit can be enjoyed by African Grey Parrots, and they often show preference for tropical variants. Suitable are fruits including bananas, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, blackberries, cherries, grapes, kiwi, mango, oranges, plums, pomegranate, pawpaw, passion fruit, raspberries, peach, banana peel, pears, raisins, dates, apples, papaya, melon. To eliminate any possible pesticides or chemicals, fruit should be carefully cleaned—especially if their source is unclear. African Grey Parrots enjoy fruits, and their natural wild food includes palm oil fruit, which is rather rich and should be given sparingly as a treat. Though some say commercially farmed fruits contain too much sugar.
Safe Flowers for Parrots African Grey
Apart from fruits and vegetables, African Grey Parrots love flowers, which can be a wholesome and aesthetically pleasing addition to their diet. For African Greys, safe flowers are pansies, roses, and nasturtiums. Their cuisine can be presented with these as edible embellishments. Among many parrot owners, roses, marigolds, and sunflowers are common options with some nutritional worth. Certain deadly flowers, like shamrock, holly, poinsettia, datura, laburnum, ivy, mistletoe, daffodils, and lilies, should be avoided, nevertheless. Though it’s preferable to keep things out of reach just to be cautious, a well-fed and active parrot is unlikely to eat hazardous plants.
Foraging and outdoor food for African grey parrots
Growing and foraging for weeds and other plants will be a fantastic addition to those who like giving their parrots a more natural diet. For parrots, for instance, every component of the plant is safe and nutritious, hence dandelions are a great source of food. Breeding hens especially enjoys chickweed; other appropriate plants are dock leaves, hawthorn berries, cotoneaster berries, milk thistle, and like plants. Excellent foraging tools too are fir cones and branches.
Great for supplying fresh, organic greens, products including wheatgrass, lucerne, alfalfa, or parsley can be grown in pots on a balcony or in a garden. Harvesting produce from outside is wise to wash in a moderate disinfectant to eliminate any possible pathogens.
Nutrients in African Grey Parrot Diet
Love nuts, African Grey Parrots can safely consume a range of them including cashews, Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, macadamias, pecans, hazelnuts, shelled peanuts, and pistachios. Still, nuts should be used sparingly—just a handful given daily as treats or for training—and only for that reason. Your parrot’s specific activity level will determine how safely they can eat nuts. A Grey flying around the home or aviary and playing often, for instance, can eat more nuts than a caged bird with restricted movement.
Breaking nuts into little slivers lets you ask for more behavior repetitions during training. A normal training session, for example, would run five minutes and award three or four slivers of almonds. Especially prized as training treats are pine nuts.
Although a Grey’s beak finds most coconuts too hard, empty shells are great foraging objects that provide both physical and cerebral stimulation.
For your African Grey Parrot, which is better— pellets or seeds?
Given their balanced food formulation, pellets are sometimes regarded as a better option than seeds for many parrots. While some brands, like Harrisons, provide organic pellets fit for Greys, others, such Pretty Bird, provide pellets especially for African Grey Parrots. Not all parrots, particularly if they are accustomed to eating seeds, will, however, swallow pellets right away. Although it can be difficult, converting a seed-eater to a pellet-eater is simpler in a young parrot.
While seeds lack micro-nutrients and should not make up most of your parrot’s food, they can still be included in a balanced diet when mixed with pellets and fresh vegetables. Among common seeds parrots can consume include linseed, sunflower seed, and safflower seed.
The Debate About African Grey Parrot Animal Protein
Among avian professionals and parrot owners, there is great disagreement on whether or not animal protein should be included into a parrot’s diet. Parrots supposedly eat insects and grubs in the wild, eating bark and fruits. Known to eat cooked egg, chicken, fish, and even cheese, some captive African Grey Parrots have been observed to have But since animal protein is not a natural component of a parrot’s diet, many vets and parrot owners counsel against giving it.
Senior UK veterinarian Alan Jones notes that African Grey Parrots are facultative omnivores—that is, they will consume whatever is readily available at the moment. While some parrot owners decide to feed their birds scrambled eggs or veggie omelets, others would rather shun animal products completely. See an avian veterinarian to help you decide whether to provide animal protein to your parrot.
Starting seeds and soaking grains for African Grey Parrots
Fresh minerals and enzymes included in sprouting seeds and grains will help your African Grey’s diet be more balanced overall. Often attacked for their excessive fat content, sunflower seeds are a better choice since, while sprouting, their fat content decreases.
Sprouting seeds is rather easy:
- Soak the seeds 24 hours.
- Rinse the seeds then arrange them in a sprouter or a Kilner jar with a punctured lid.
- Let the seeds drain by keeping the container slanted and twice daily rinsing them.
- Put the sprouter in a warm spot free from direct sunshine.
- Usually taking a few days, the seeds are ready to eat when they show a tiny tail.
Maintaining good rinsing and cleanliness of the sprouts will help to stop mold development. Should there be any smell, avoid using the sprouts. Add seeds like radishes, broccoli, or beans to your own salads as well as to that of your parrot.
Offeringhydration and fresh water
African Grey Parrots depend on fresh water, hence it should be always supplied. Change the water minimum two times a day to guarantee it stays pure and free of pollutants. Whether you offer water in bowls, platters, or dedicated waterers, it’s important to keep the container spotless to discourage bacterial growth.
To decrease chlorine, which over time can be detrimental to parrots, some parrot owners use filtered or bottled water. Others choose tap water, even if location would affect the quality and safety of that water. Filtered water is a safe choice if in uncertainty.
Advice on Home Made Parrot Food
Making homemade food for their parrots lets many parrot owners guarantee a diverse and balanced diet for their birds. Two often used homemade dishes are “birdie bread” and “chop.”
Made in bulk and frozen in meal-sized quantities, Chop is a concoction of fresh vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and fruit. It offers your parrot a healthy basis for its meals and may be readily altered to fit her tastes.
Made with organic flour, eggs, and other fruits and vegetables, birdie bread is a baked delicacy. offered its higher fat and calorie count than other dishes, this rich, delicious choice should be offered sparingly.
Should you like to cook for your parrot, there are many of internet resources with ideas and recipes for homemade parrot cuisine. Just be careful not to include anything like chocolate, avocado, or alcohol, which are poisons to parrots.
Foods to Steer Clear from Feeding an African Grey Parrot
African Grey Parrots should avoid meals that are poisonous or toxic; numerous everyday household objects can be fatal or just dangerous for parrots. Foods to steer clear of are avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, high-fat foods, and salted snacks. Additionally avoided should be dairy goods since parrots cannot digest milk or cheese and are lactose intolerant. Some parrots may be able to consume little amounts of yogurt or cheese, but it’s better to keep these foods to sporadic treats.
Furthermore avoided are some fruits and vegetables because of their possible toxicity; rhubarb, for example, has oxalates that can lead to parrot kidney failure. Additionally avoided should be raw potatoes and tomato leaves since they contain solanine, which poisons birds.
Enhancements and enrichment of supplements
Apart from a healthy diet, supplements could help African Grey Parrots especially with regard to calcium and vitamin D. Calcium insufficiency is common among African greys, which could cause health problems like feather plucking and convulsions. Foods high in calcium, such kale, watercress, almonds, and carrots, can assist to prevent these deficits; some parrots may need a calcium supplement though.
Another crucial factor is UVB lighting, which enables parrots to manufacture Vitamin D—necessary for calcium absorption. Should your parrot lack natural sunlight, UVB illumination for a few hours per day may help.
Apart from food supplements, enrichment is absolutely important for African Grey Parrots. Giving toys, chances for foraging, and social contact will help to avoid boredom and advance both physical and mental health. Intelligent birds, African greys need on mental stimulation, hence it’s crucial to supply them with a range of events and activities to keep them interested and content.