What Do African Grey Parrots Eat?
In the wild, African greys eat seeds, leaves, insects and bark. They need a variety of pellets, vegetables and fruits in captivity. The best choice is a pellet mix like Classic Blend or Avi-cakes with fresh and freeze-dried vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts. Add a little cooked food to give them calcium (like baked eggs and broccoli), vitamin A and beta-carotene.
Vegetables
African Greys eat seeds, vegetables and fruits and need a good variety to stay happy and healthy. They also need a well-formulated pellet to provide different proteins.
Pellets should be about 75-80% of your bird’s diet. They are made up of sprouted seeds that are high in vegetable protein, vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll.
Seeds like quinoa, chia, sunflower, buckwheat and millet are great for African Greys. They can be soaked or dried and are rich in vitamins.
Canned beans, lima beans and kidney beans are okay for African Greys but it’s better to offer them dried. The canned beans often contain salt, which can be detrimental to your bird’s health. Also avoid offering asparagus, rhubarb and leeks as they are toxic for parrots. Calcium is a critical element in your bird’s diet and can be added to their food with a cuttle bone or a dry powdered calcium block.
Fruits
African Greys love a variety of fruits and vegetables. They are a natural seed eater, but it is important to supplement their diet with fresh and frozen vegetables and fruit.
Vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale are great for them as well as leaf lettuce, spinach and carrots (carrots should be steamed for easy digestion). Alternatively you can offer them a vegetable crunch mix such as Pretty Bird’s Vegetable Crunch, which has added calcium.
Make sure that you offer them a variety of seeds and nuts to keep their nutritional needs fulfilled, such as Kaytee’s Bird Greens which contains alfalfa, parsley, chia seeds, kale and other greens for added nutrients. You can also add a diet food such as Lafeber NutriBerries to give them all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy and active.
Seeds
The best way to keep your African grey happy and healthy is with a quality pelleted diet designed for parrots. A qualified avian vet can provide you with the most current dietary recommendations for your particular bird.
You should also supplement this with fresh vegetables, fruits and seeds. Be sure to wash all produce thoroughly. Also, avoid avocados and lettuce (both can contain harmful bacteria).
Dark green leafy vegetables are essential, especially those that are high in beta-carotene. These include kale, collard greens and leaf lettuce, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Try to offer these vegetables in their raw form for the highest nutritional content, or steam them for easy digestion. You can also add in fruit like mango, papaya and kiwi as well as dried fruits such as raisins and dates.
Nuts
In the wild, African greys feed high in treetops, gathering fruits, berries and nuts. They roost together in large groups during the day and forage alone or with other members of their flock at night.
Seeds can provide a variety of nutrients, including protein and calcium. Kashmir K. Csaky, IAABC-Certified Parrot Behavioral Consultant, recommends filberts/hazelnuts and almonds for African greys since they don’t have the oxalic acid that blocks calcium absorption found in walnuts.
Ideally, an African grey should get most of the vitamins it needs from store-bought pellets and a mix of veggies, fruits and seeds. Cooked vegetables are fine, but from a nutritional perspective, raw foods offer more nutrients. Offer a variety of green vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale.
Cooked Food
In the wild, African Grey parrots are frugivorous and eat leaves, flowers, bark, seeds, nuts and insects. In captivity, they should have a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables supplemented with a variety of seeds, grains, nuts and cooked foods.
Adding a few servings of fresh, chopped vegetables to the diet is a great way to get the vitamins that African greys need every day. Broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale are well-loved by most parrots. However, it is important to remove uneaten food after a few hours.
Cooked beans, pasta, quinoa, rice and bread are good foods that can be offered to the bird. Also, offering sprouted seeds can balance the diet by providing a nutrient-rich source of vegetable proteins, enzymes, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.