Best Parrot Food For African Grey Parrots
African Grey parrots need a diet full of vegetables, seeds and pellets. This premium blend of natural ingredients* is designed to meet their unique nutritional needs. It promotes natural foraging behavior and enhances skin and feather health. All birds need calcium in their diet. It is recommended to feed your parrot with calcium-rich foods like kale, spinach and other greens, broccoli, dandelion greens, endive, figs and apricots.
Vegetables
Veggies provide a powerhouse of nutrients for the parrot. They are full of vitamins and minerals, including calcium. They also provide fiber for digestion and a healthy source of fat. Parrots need a certain amount of fat in their diet to utilize the fat-soluble vitamins and to stay warm.
If you have a picky bird, try mixing some vegetables into their pellets. This may entice them to try new foods. Another option is to make some homemade bread and mix in some pellets before baking.
A good mix for a healthy parrot is a blend of hulled seeds, fruits, veggies and pellets. This is similar to what they eat in the wild. This type of food can be purchased at any pet store and is a great alternative to an all seed diet. It is also more nutritious than a seed-only diet. One option for this is the Kaytee Fort-Diet Pro Health, which has pellets that are nutritionally fortified with a premium blend of grains, seeds, vegetables and fruits.
Seeds
Unlike smaller bird species that can thrive on a premium pellet diet, larger parrots, like African greys, require a combination of high-quality pellets and whole, fresh foods. Many parrots, especially large species, can suffer from obesity, liver disease and nutritional deficiencies if fed an unhealthy seed mix.
In the wild, African greys eat a variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, berries and greens. Unfortunately, commercial seed mixes can contain too much fat, limit the nutrient content and encourage picky eating.
A great alternative is to feed your bird a mixture of vegetables, freeze-dried and dried grains and seeds. Add pulses, such as quinoa or lentils to help balance your parrot’s diet with protein and other essential nutrients. These can be dried, sprouted or soaked and thoroughly cooked before adding to your parrot’s diet. You can also add sprouted beans to your birds’ diet to add more protein, enzymes, vitamins and chlorophyll. It is important to note that legumes are rich in iron. To avoid toxicity, you should only offer these to your parrot as a small part of their daily diet.
Pellets
Many avian veterinarians recommend that pellet food make up 50-70% of your parrot’s diet. Pellets are less messy, don’t have seeds and husks to scatter everywhere, and offer micro-nutrients that aren’t found in seed mixes. Pellet foods are also often less expensive than feeding a variety of other types of birds’ food. Some popular brands of premium bird food include Lafeber’s, Harrison’s, Roudybush, Zupreem Naturals and Hagen.
You may be able to wean a young parrot off of seeds and onto pellets without much trouble. It’s important to track your parrot’s weight so that they don’t lose or gain too much. It’s also important to monitor the amount of treats they get, as many of these are high in fat and sugar.
Fruits
In the wild African Grey parrots eat a wide variety of seeds, nuts, vegetables, and fruits. You can provide this to your pet by offering them a mixture of pellets, fresh or freeze-dried veggies, and whole grains along with fresh and dried fruits.
It’s best to avoid commercial “parrot mixes” as they can be high in calories and offer limited nutrition. Instead, choose a bird food specially designed for African Greys like ZuPreem Sensible Seed with Fruit Blend. This diet is lower in calories so your pet won’t gain unnecessary ounces and contains a higher percentage of calcium for overall health.
Another excellent choice is Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Feather Health Parrot Food which offers a nutritionally formulated diet for African Greys with omega 3’s and antioxidants to promote skin and feather health, as well as digestive health. You can also add in a selection of carefully chosen nuts and seeds to your bird’s meals as they’ll love this extra boost of flavor.
