A healthy happy bird is a bird that is fed right. Feeding parrots is really easy thing to do. They eat most of what we eat — and often want to join in our meal times. As you are now their flock, you should encourage them to eat with you, not from your plate, but from their own plate or bowl. It is important to note here, that you never offer food that you have chewed or sucked this is very unhealthy and your parrot could get sick.

In the wild, parrots have 2 main feeding times, 1 in the early morning from 6 and 9 and 1 in the evening from 5 and 7. You should try to keep as close to these feeding times as you as can. Snacking happens all through the day, so you can offer tit bits through out the day, but not so much that they don’t eat at feeding times.

An African grey must eat cereals, fruits, vegetables, sprouts and nuts on a regular basis — remember to take of the shells if you are offering monkey nuts.
Be aware that a seed only diet, causes a lung infection that takes quite a while to be noticed and eventually your bird will need oxygen to help it breath and will eventually die. It is a fatal infection that can be averted with the correct diet. Offer seeds twice a week, to keep their feathers in good condition.

Make food times, fun times, hide food in toys, add brightly coloured food, add nasturtion flowers and carnation flowers, and rose petals, these are all eatable.
Make sure that the fruit and veg you offer your bird is fresh every day, most parrots will eat raw veg but be aware that some like it cooked, I have a bird that likes only cooked veg. I have always advised to keep your parrot on a cereal, this is so that you can hide medicine in it easily, if your parrot needs it.Check with your vet if it should be given with food or water. My birds eat pronutro.

I will list now the fruit and veg that you can be offering every day, I will also mention the no-no’s, things that you shouldn’t be offering your precious parrot.

FRUIT : oranges, apples, pears, plums, grapes, bananas, peaches, apricots, melons, strawberries and pineapple.

VEG : peas, beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, courgettes, brussel sprouts, spinach and baby mealies.

AVOID : Avocado pears, rhubarb, cabbage, mushrooms, onions, leeks, and spring onions, and garlic.

NEVER : Sweets, alcohol, chocolate, caffeine and sugar.

As a treat my Sam and Sprog, eat scrambled eggs with me some days, they love rice and pasta, chicken bones they can’t get to fast enough, and they both love sugar cane.Kedgeree gets hoovered like very quickly — it makes a mess but they love it.

JUNK FOOD, if it is not good for you then it is not good for your bird, Crisps and pop corn can be given as a treat but not too much but avoid the chicken flings, corn curls and cheesies. Sweets are deadly, birds can get hooked on them and this leads to obesity and liver damage. Fizzy drinks, power aid drinks and alcohol should never be offered — just be sensible and think before you give it to your bird.

Make food times fun, for your bird and for you, your bird will love you all the more for taking the time, and making the effort.
Link the words FOOD and FUN and go wild — it really isn’t too difficult.

Recipes and tips…..

Wheetbran muffins….

500g of wheetbran
1 tin of sweetcorn
2 eggs and their shells 1 cup of fresh raw vegetables

Use muffin microwave dish
Mix everything together
Crush up egg shells very well
Keep in an air tight container in the fridge
Take out enough for 1 muffin when you need it
Bake on high for 2 minutes.

Bean vegetable pasta.

1 vegetable cup – a soup
1 cup of fresh vegetables
1 cup of pasta… use fun shapes !
add a little cinnamon or nutmeg

Boil the water and make cup a soup
Cook the fresh vegetables
Cook the pasta till soft
Mix it all together and freeze it in ice trays
Freeze
Take out as much as you want to use — heat in the microwave
Serve it luke warm.

Egg casserole.

Scramble 1 egg with the shell on
10 mls of rice — 2 teaspoons
15 mls of raisens
4 or 5 crushed peanuts
Pinch of nutmeg
5 mls of cheese

Mix everything together
Spoon into a microwave dish
cover the mixture with cling wrap
Cook on high for 2 minutes
Spoon into an ice cube tray or keep in fridge
Take out what you need
Serve luke warm.

Kedgeree.

1 medium sized smoke haddock cut into pieces
1 cup of rice
3 tablespoons of butter
2 hard boiled eggs

Boil the haddock in a pan
Cook the rice in a saucepan
heat the butter, add the pieces of haddock and rice and mashed egg
Cook through
Place in an air tight container in the fridge
Take out and heat when you need it.

Egg and rice.

Hard boil 2 eggs
Take eggs out and boil 2 tablespoons of rice in the water
Mash the eggs and the rice
Spoon into an ice tray or keep in an air tight container in the fridge
Use when needed.

Ice trays are very handy for bird size portions of food , you can freeze what you want them to eat and its simple to take it out and thaw as much as you need.

Sugar cane can be cut into small pieces and frozen so that when it is out of season, you still have some in the freezer for them to enjoy.

Fruit and vegetables should be offered every day, fresh and colourful,for them to enjoy !