Why The Wrong Parrot Diet Can Kill Your Bird
By Nora Caterino
Giving your parrot the wrong bird diet can result in the death of your feathered friend. Yes, this is a fact. Feeding your parrot the right bird diet, however, can help ensure health and longevity for your beloved bird. Only in the last few decades has research revealed which foods are deadly to parrots and which are the best choices for them.

When a pet bird's diet consists of healthy choices and good foods, the parrot is certain to live longer than if feed a poor diet. Large parrots such as cockatoos can live for a century or even longer. Small parrot species, such as budgies and cockatiels, will live longer than expected if their bird diet is made up of healthy foods.

Deadly Bird Diet Choices

While there are many parrot diet choices which humans consume that are healthy for the parrot, there are a few which are absolutely deadly! The "seven deadly parrot diet foods" include: spoiled or moldy foods, raw meat, eggs that haven't been cooked thoroughly, seeds or pits from fruits, avocado, alcohol, and chocolate. There are a few other foods over which there is controversy as to whether they are safe for bird diets or not, but most of those foods are not items parrots relish. Examples of those questionable foods include garlic and onions.

Limits These Foods in Your Parrots Diet

There are some foods which people eat that a parrot can safely consume a tiny bit of without any problem, but which should be limited in the parrot diet. In large quantities, these foods can harm your bird's health. You may note these are also foods that a human should not eat in large amounts for their own health, too.

Any food which is high in fat must be limited. Wild parrots diets include very little fat. Think of your parrot diet much as you would the diet of a three year old child. A child could have a few potato chips even though they are high in fact, but you would limit the quantity. In a parrot's diet, you could allow a bite or even two from the edge of one single potato chip once in a while. Just do not let it become a habit so that every single day the parrot expects and gets potato chips. The golden adage "everything in moderation" is a good guideline to follow about parrot diet items to limit. Examples of foods in this group include: potato chips, fried foods, buttered vegetables or bread, ice cream, and cake or cookies.

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.

Foods with high sugar are also poor choices for parrots. Diet choices can include very small quantities of added sugar, but use prudence, limiting the parrot to only a bite or two. These foods include items such as: soft drinks with sugar, sweetened cereals, fruit juice with added sugar, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and sugar-coated cereals.

Good Choices for your Bird Diet

If you want to make a quick list of what is good to feed parrots, diet items would include everything not listed on the restrictions above. The wider the variety included in a bird's diet, the more nutrients, minerals, and vitamins the parrot will consume. A healthy bird is a happy companion, and you certainly want to enjoy many, many years with your pet.

Fruits and vegetables are

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great parrot diet choices, either raw or gently cooked. Cooked eggs, cheese, pasta, rice, potatoes (except potato chips or fried potatoes), noodles, bits of meat or fish, and other human foods are good for you bird. Parrots only need a very small amount of meat, so offer just a bite or two; some parrots do love a bone with a few bits of meat left on it to chew and to dig out the marrow which is quite nutritious.

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About the author: Mississippi 'Bird Lady' finally exposes her proven bird diet, screaming and feather plucking secrets to easily get an amazing sociable and healthy parrot in your home.
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