For birds not under human care diet is based on what’s available. What’s in season. Parrots living with humans need some diversity and including all avenues leads to a well balanced diet. Fresh foods make for great foraging and reinforcement for training, seed mixes with seeds, nuts and fruit add a natural, less processed dimension to the diet and pellets add nutrients that parrot owners may not be aware they’re missing.

There are many opinions in the avicultural world about what you bird should and shouldn’t eat as a daily diet. Some people advocate for pellets, some for only fresh, raw foods. These two schools of thought both have merits but a balanced combination of the two should keep your birds happy and healthy.

Pellets are marketed as offering a complete nutritional diet for your bird. They do contain the vitamins and nutrients needed to maintain health in the average companion parrot. In addition they are easily portable and accessible in the event that you need to evacuate or travel with your bird. Most birds are weaned onto pellets when they come from a breeder or pet store.

Nutritious raw food is a good addition to a pelleted diet. Our birds only encounter a limited number of different food items in their wild lives. Offering excessive types of new foods isn’t close to what they would find if they lived in their natural habitat. If you have the ability to replicate your bird’s natural diet then that is an option for you but the average parrot owner has other responsibilities and supplementing with fresh food is the better option. If you choose to feed only fresh and raw foods please take the time to do extensive research from credible sources to be able to insure that your birds are getting everything they need in terms of nutrients and balance.

The secret to successfully feeding your birds is doing what works best in your situation after you’ve done your research. Look into diet options with an open mind and make the right choice for your flock.