Food for parrots: types and features of selection

1. Peculiarities
2. Rating of the best manufacturers
3. How to choose?
4. Feeding rules
5. Things to know (Q&A)

Any caring owner knows that a balanced diet is the key to the health and vitality of a parrot. The main feathered diet is a grain mixture, so special attention should be paid to its composition. If you constantly offer your pet insufficiently high-quality cereals, then this will inevitably lead to a lack of vitamins, fading of plumage, the development of diseases and even death of the bird.

Peculiarities

Every owner should be well aware of what to feed their parrot and what foods to avoid. Cereals should make up about 2/3 of the total daily diet of birds. For the most part, the dry mix consists of cleaned millet - it accounts for about 70% of the total, and the remaining 30% includes:

• canary seed;
• flax-seed;
• hemp seed;
• oats or oatmeal;
• crushed corn;
• sunflower seeds.

In the wild, birds adhere to proper nutrition instinctively, but pets depend solely on the knowledge of their owners about a competent diet and feeding habits. And also from the availability of products necessary to maintain normal life. Therefore, we will take a closer look at what feeds are, what to look for when choosing a product, and give a small rating of the best feeds according to experts.

Varieties

In the segment of pet products, a wide variety of ready-made food for pet parrots is widely represented. They can be both standard and specialized, consisting, for example, of a mixture of dried fruits and nuts. They are usually used as a food supplement or treat. They produce mixtures that need to be germinated, as well as compositions with mineral components, vitamin complexes and additives necessary during the period of molting and breeding of birds, there are feeds for chicks.

Medicinal feeds are isolated, they are usually offered to birds in courses, on average - for 2 weeks 3-4 times a year.

Keep in mind that for some liver pathologies, fat-soluble vitamins are categorically contraindicated, so if there is even the slightest suspicion of a pet’s liver ailment, then you should definitely consult with a specialist. Before introducing stabilized food into the parrot menu.

Depending on the size of the birds, different types of mixtures are used.

• Small parrots include budgerigars, as a rule, food for them includes oats and millet. A slight admixture of sunflower seeds and hemp seeds is allowed - their content usually does not exceed 10-15%, since they are quite high-calorie, and an excess of ingredients can cause obesity.
• Medium parrots are cockatiels, as well as lovebirds and necklaces. They need high-energy nutrition, the diet should include at least 3 varieties of grains. Store mixes, as a rule, include 6-8 types.
• Large parrots are birds with a mass of more than 300 g, such birds include macaws, cockatoos, jacos, and also Amazons. These birds need an increased intake of vitamins, useful micro- and macroelements, their need for vitamins B is especially great, so vegetables, nuts, juicy berries and fruits are added to grain feed.

During molting, birds require special grain feed enriched with omega-3 and omega-6 fats. It is noted that the condition of the feathers after taking them improves significantly.

Please note that the use of unsuitable feed inevitably leads to the development of pathologies in the gastrointestinal tract, vitamin deficiency and many other problems in the functioning of the vital organs and systems of the bird.

Rating of the best manufacturers

Parrot breeders are well aware that the market today has a large selection of Russian and imported feeds. Unfortunately, domestic feeds in most cases are of low quality and are rather monotonous low-component mixtures. In order for the bird to be strong, healthy, fully grow and develop, it is better to give preference to the products of one of the following manufacturers.

Vitakraft menu vital

These grain mixes are considered to be among the healthiest ones – they contain a large amount of nutrients and additives, so they are both satisfying and healthy. In the manufacture of grain mixtures, high-quality natural raw materials are mainly used, which include several types of millet (red, white and yellow), as well as safflower, canary seed, oilseed nougat. All seeds are thoroughly pre-treated, so the grain mixture does not contain any debris - you can safely offer such food to your birds.

It is noteworthy that the packaging contains a transparent window, through which you can clearly see the contents of the box and its volume.

It is noted that the use of feed of this company strengthens the immunity of the bird, makes the color brighter, and the feathers strong and thick.

Thanks to the inclusion of vitamin and mineral components, the health of birds improves, the parrot retains vigor and energy.

The advantages of the grain composition include:

• the inclusion of vegetables and green leaves of eucalyptus, which makes the food more nutritious and healthy;
• balance;
• the exceptional usefulness of the mixture for the health of birds;
• democratic price.

However, it was not without its downsides. The packaging is quite thin and single-layered, in the form of a package - after opening it, after a while, the grain loses its useful properties. Finding such food in retail outlets is quite problematic: it is quite rare in retail stores.

Rio

Very high quality balanced food for parrots, which for many years has been considered one of the most successful products of Russian production. The main components of the grain mixture were millet and sorghum, as well as highly nutritious canary seed. The line of feeds for molting birds is additionally enriched with sesame and protein components, and mixtures for birds during the breeding season contain assorted eggs. Special sprouting mixes are also available.

The advantages of Rio feed include:

• increased balance;
• a wide assortment line, including, in addition to the main composition, medicinal mixtures;
• practical, high-strength packaging;
• nutrient enrichment.

Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting the increased cost and a large number of fakes.

Prestige

Belgian food, the quality of which meets all European requirements, standards and regulations. The mixture has many advantages:

• consists of cereals of exceptionally high quality, does not contain any garbage or additives of undetermined origin;
• the packaging is made of a sealed material that protects the cereal mixture from the penetration of water, insects, and other harmful components;
• the package contains a special lock, thanks to which it is possible to close the opened pack hermetically;
• the feed contains only natural and nutritious ingredients that are needed to maintain the health of the bird;
• low price.

At the same time, we must not forget that Prestige is a dry food, therefore, ordinary water, as well as fruits, ripe vegetables and berries, must be present in the bird's diet.

Trill

This is one of the most common cereal mixes that can be found in any store at a fairly reasonable price.

The advantages of such feed include a balanced composition and the presence of a special line of feed with a high content of iodine - it is useful for birds with thyroid problems.

With the latter type of feed, you should be as careful as possible - if you give them to healthy parrots, then in most cases this leads to the development of hyperthyroidism with a transition to oncology.

Padovan Grandmix Cocorite

One of the most sought after food among parrot breeders. This composition includes millet, as well as oats, canary seed and other useful components, it does not contain debris and other impurities, there is no unpleasant smell. The mixture has a high nutritional value, so the consumption of such feed is quite economical. The packaging is cardboard, dense, inside it the food is sealed in a plastic bag.

Unfortunately, the products of this brand contain granular components, which many birds simply refuse to eat.

How to choose?

When choosing food, pay special attention to the following points.

• There is no need to buy a grain mixture if it is sold by weight or simply poured into an ordinary cardboard box - it is not known how long and under what conditions the product was stored. The grains could have been damp and moldy for a long time, insects could appear in them, so feed should be purchased exclusively in a sealed form.
• The grains must look shiny, and the aroma must be pleasant, any foreign odors directly indicate the presence of chemical additives, it is better to refuse to buy such feeds.
• Do not buy mixtures containing balls or granules: your birds only need grains. Feed mixtures containing fruit are also not the best choice for birds. Fruit can ruin a grain mix very quickly, and dried fruits don't have all the nutrients that juicy fresh ones do.
• Be sure to study the composition of the feed, indicated on the box and compare it with the contents. It is good if the package has a small transparent window. If, when opening the box with food, you find sand, grass and any other impurities, it is better to immediately throw away such a product.
• Of course, monitor the condition of your pet when introducing a new product into the diet. If the bird becomes lethargic, silent and apathetic, then it is better to change the feed mixture and as soon as possible.

Feeding rules

After buying food, you should conduct a small test - a few grains should be placed in water and left for a couple of days. If the soaked grains begin to swell and germinate, you can safely dry them, mix with the rest of the cereals from the package and give them to your bird. If the grain is “dead”, then it is strictly forbidden to give this food to pets, in this case, cereals lose their nutrients, and sometimes even contain fungal spores, mold and other pathogenic microflora.

After purchase, be sure to pour the food into a glass jar with a tightly screwed lid - the product must be stored in sealed conditions. The feed mixture must be poured into the bird feeders 2 times a day, after cleaning the containers from the husks left over from the last feeding. The dosage depends only on the size of the birds - budgerigars eat up to 2 tbsp. l. feed per day, large, respectively, more.

And, of course, it is important to understand that grain feed cannot be the only product in the diet of parrots. In addition to cereals, the daily menu should include:

• porridge - they should be boiled in water without the addition of salt, sugar and butter;
• vegetables and fruits - with the exception of overripe and too sweet;
• germinated grains - these products contain a large number of trace elements necessary for the full growth and development of birds;
• eggs - about 4-5 grams per day (a portion the size of a pea), and shortly before fertilization and during the gestation and incubation of eggs, this amount is doubled;
• twigs and young shoots of fruit trees - contain the necessary vitamins and help grind down the beak.

The recipe for delicious porridge for parrots will diversify the menu of your pets.

Things to know (Q&A)