What do you feed a parrot? Not just seed and water! The best set-up for your bird is to have 3 dishes: one for a seed mix, one for water, and one for fruit, vegetables, miscellaneous treats and table food. You should give your bird fresh food every day. We recommend our Premium seed mixes which have seed, pellets, fruit and nuts. We also recommend adding a powdered vitamin and mineral supplement for all birds. A Calcium supplement should also be given for African Grey Parrots, Toucans, birds that are molting and all egg laying birds.

Instead of filling the seed mix dish full to the brim, try to give your bird only as much feed as it will eat in one day. The water dish must be cleaned thoroughly with soap and hot water every day and sometimes twice a day if soiled with food or feces. Omar’s does not recommend the use of water tubes because they can promote bacteria if not cleaned often enough, causing illness. If you use a water tube, purchase a brush that you can clean it with, and be sure to wash the tube daily with soap and hot water.

Every day you should serve your bird a variety of fruits, vegetables and treats. We thoroughly rinse off and serve all fresh fruits and vegetables raw. The bird will get more nutrients if raw. If you serve cooked or even thawed frozen fruits and vegetables, they spoil much quicker, so make sure you remove them after an hour or so. Remember to also remove the wet food from the floor of the cage too. If you are serving dinner and wish to share cooked foods with your bird, pick up what’s left over in its cage when you clear off the table. Try our Mom’s Healthy snack mix as a treat and Mom’s Nutty Noodle as a cooked food treat.

If you bird does not like different foods, there are creative ways to introduce them, such as a stainless steel skewer where you hang the fruit rather than put it in the dish. Some smaller birds will try some new foods if you sprinkle a commercial egg food mix on it.