How to properly feed a parrot?
The most common pet parrot ailment is digestive problems. Every day, more and more caring owners ask ornithologists the question: “I give my pet good expensive food, so why does he have a disorder?”. Let’s figure it out together.
What should be the correct diet for a parrot? Many answer: high-quality, expensive. But here we can not do without clarifications.
High quality food is not a guarantee of its absorption. It is important that the selected diet is suitable for a particular bird: according to species and age characteristics. For example, chicks will not be suitable for adult bird food, and large exotic parrots will not be suitable for grain mixtures as the basis of the diet. Unsuitable food, even the best quality, will not meet the daily nutritional needs of the parrot and will cause digestive disorders and other diseases.
Digestive problems at the initial stage are most often manifested by loose stools. Also, diarrhea can occur with stress, but the stool returns to normal as soon as the bird calms down. It is worth worrying if loose stools are observed for more than a day. In order to prevent dehydration and exhaustion, which occur very quickly in parrots, it is necessary to contact an ornithologist as soon as possible.
The practice of ornithologists shows that many owners simply do not know how to properly feed their pets – even if the parrot has been living with them for a long time. This is because the most important nuances are missed from the very beginning. The owner simply selects the “good” food and gives it to the bird, being sure that he is doing the right thing. However, the diet of the budgerigar is completely different from that of the lory parrot. Each species has its own nutritional needs and should not be ignored.
The basis of the diet of granivorous parrots, such as budgerigars, is a grain mixture. The situation is different with lorises and macaws. Large exotic parrots in nature feed on fruits, nectar and plants, and their digestive system is not adapted to digest large amounts of grain. These pets require specialized food for large parrots (for example, FIORY Micropills) with nutraceuticals and prebiotics that support the digestive tract and remove toxins from the body. It’s the same with grain-eating parrots. Their diet mainly consists of grains, and fruits, vegetables and greens are healthy additions.
The same components are found in the diet of parrots of all species, but their ratio is always different.
Loose stools, low immunity, weak claws and beak, brittle feathers, dull coloration – these are the top 5 most common complaints that birdwatchers face on a daily basis. And all this is the result of an unbalanced diet.
To maintain the health of your pet, carefully approach the choice of food. Learn what parrots of a particular species eat in nature and what food from the pet store best suits their needs, what other foods should be added to the diet. Be careful when choosing treats. Parrots should not be treated with food from the table: choose special balanced treats for birds. So you can be sure of their quality.
Trite, but true: the basis of health and beauty is proper nutrition, and without it, nowhere!
