What Do Macaws Eat?
Macaws eat a wide variety of food in the wild and as pets. This includes vegetables, fruits and nuts. In the wild, they also eat a lot of flowers and seeds. They prefer seeds that are high in fat, like peanuts and sunflower seeds. They also eat a bit of animal protein, such as eggs and cooked meat. They are able to crack the shells of their favorite nuts with their large beaks.
Vegetables
In the wild, macaws seek out a variety of foods to feed themselves and their young. They eat soft leaves, fresh grass, nuts, seeds, fruits, berries, insects and small animals. Some of their favorites are palm fruits and figs. They also enjoy eating grasshoppers, cockroaches and snails.
In captivity, it is important that these beautiful birds get a variety of food in their diet to keep them healthy. They should be fed a mixture of fresh vegetables and fruits as well as pelleted diets. In order to avoid any type of pesticides or herbicides, it is important that these store-bought fruits and vegetables are thoroughly washed before offering them to the bird.
Some good vegetables to offer your macaw are squash, zucchini, carrots and beets. They should be cut into smaller pieces so that they are easy for the macaw to eat. You should also add in some dark green vegetables that are rich in nutrients like dandelion greens, collard greens and kale.
Fruit
Macaws are omnivorous, and they eat a wide variety of seeds, nuts, fruits, and vegetables in the wild. They love apples (without seeds/stem), bananas, peaches, apricots, mangoes, papayas, pomegranates, berries, and watermelon. They also enjoy vegetables such as carrots, celery, bok choy, peppers, collard greens, and sweet potato, as well as dark greens like kale and dandelion greens.
In addition to the above, they also eat a variety of insects such as grasshoppers, roaches and snails. They also have been known to lick clay, and you can often find them at clay licks in nature reserves. They are able to chew nuts and seeds with their beaks, but these should only make up about 20% of the diet. Other protein sources like eggs and cooked chicken can also be offered, as can small pieces of vegetables. Crackers should never be a regular part of the diet, as they are high in salt. This can lead to a number of health issues for your pet.
Nuts
Macaws are able to enjoy a variety of nuts and seeds in the wild thanks to their large beaks. They also enjoy consuming insects in order to get a bit more protein in their diet. They typically consume snails, grasshoppers, worms, butterflies, flies and even moles, lizards and mice when these items are available to them.
In addition to this, they love eating pine nuts. These are safe to feed to your bird in moderation and are a great source of calcium, phosphorus and potassium.
Other healthy foods to offer your pet are safflower, millet, buckwheat and oats. These will provide your pet with a good amount of fiber, as well as protein and other nutrients. Additionally, you can feed your pet a few soaked sunflower seeds, garbanzo beans, peanuts and cashew nuts each week. These items are high in fat, so they should be offered to your pet in small quantities. Then there are fruits like bananas, berries, apples, peaches and pears, as well as veggies like sweet potato and butternut.
Seeds
In the wild, macaws have a huge variety of seeds and nuts to choose from. They aren’t as fond of the fatty seeds that are found in many commercial seed mixes because they don’t contain enough calcium or vitamin A.
It’s important to give your macaw a diet that offers a wide range of fruits and vegetables. A good rule of thumb is that 20% to 25% of the food you feed your macaw should be vegetables and fruits.
You can give your bird a variety of vegetables including dandelion greens, collard greens, kale, spinach, butternut, and sweet potato. You can also offer your macaw apples (without seeds and stems), bananas, pears, strawberries, and watermelon. Any fruit that’s safe for human consumption is safe for macaws to eat. It’s just a matter of choosing the ones that your bird will like most.
