Why The Wrong Parrot Diet Can Kill Your Bird

It is true; the wrong parrot diet can kill your beloved companion parrot. It is also true that the right bird diet can help your parrot live a long, healthy, and happy life. Only in recent years have we learned what foods should and should not be offered to our feather friends.

If a parrot's diet contains good, healthy foods, many of the larger species can live to be 100 years of age or more. Even small parrots such as cockatiels will live much longer than expect. When psittacine birds were first kept as pet, people thought their life expectancy was short, only 10 years or so. This was because the bird diet being offered did not contain the nutrients required for the parrot to thrive.

Deadly Bird Diet Choices

There are many bird diet selections which humans consume that are great for your parrot. However, there are seven foods that can provide deadly to your pet. These are: chocolate, alcohol, avocado, fruits seeds of any type, uncooked eggs, raw meat, or spoiled or moldy foods. There are some other foods over which there is some debate such as onions or garlic cloves. A parrot is extremely unlikely to eat enough of those items to cause a problem.

Bird Diet Items to Limit

There are also foods which a parrot may consume which should be limited in quantity. Small amounts will not harm the parrot, yet large amounts can cause serious health problems. You may notice that the foods to limit in a bird diet are those foods that people should limit in their own diets.

Any food that is high in fat must be limited in the parrots diet. When living in the wild, parrots consume little fat. Think of your pet bird diet as you would consider feeding a little child of three or four years. Sure, you might allow a young child one cookie or a few chips, but you would limit the quantity. The same goes for your parrots diet. One or two bites of these foods is okay once in a while but do not allow it to become a habit. Foods in this group include: fried foods, any foods with added butter, ice cream, and cake or cookies. Use moderation as your guide.

Salt is another important item to limit in parrots diets. People should not over-consume salt either, but if you consider how small the parrot body is, you can see what a little salt can be harmful. When cooking any vegetables or other foods, remove a small amount to share with your parrot before adding any seasoning. In this group of foods are: salted meats such as bacon or ham, popcorn with salt, vegetables cooked with salt, and many types of pre-packaged foods such as microwave-ready entrees.

Your parrot diet choices should also limit foods which are high in sugar. Parrots can easily become little junk food junkies and want to gorge on sweets if permitted. While it is perfectly safe to permit a bird's diet to include a taste -- meaning one bite or two -- of a sweet treat, you must limit how much your parrot consumes to very small amounts. Foods in this category include: candy, sugar-sweetened juices, sweetened soft drinks, many sugary cereals, cakes, cookies, and ice cream.

Good Parrot Diet Choices

Many foods do not have to be restricted in your bird diet at all. In fact, everything that is not listed as diet choices to limit are good choices for your bird diet. The more different foods a parrot eats the healthier and happier it will be. The longer the companion parrot will live in most cases as well.

Vegetables and fruits not listed in the deadly foods list are great for bird diet choices. You can serve them cooked or raw, depending on which your parrot prefers. Most parrots also like bits of cheese, pasta, cooked eggs, rice, mashed or boiled potatoes, bits of fish or meat, noodles, and most even enjoy a bone from meat or poultry to chew and eat the marrow.

Article Source: http://www.christiannotepad.com

About the author: Mississippi 'Bird Lady' finally exposes her proven bird diet, screaming and feather plucking secrets to easily get a happy, sociable and healthy parrot in your home.
This and other unique content parrot diet articles are available with free reprint rights.