Feeding Your Parrot - Why a Variety of Food is Best

Obviously, one of the most important aspects of parrot care is knowing how, when and what to feed it. Parrot feeding is not as simple as it sounds. With dogs and cats, you can feed them any type of dog or cat-food that suits their taste.

Parrots are a bit more finicky when it comes to their diet and you may find that your baby parrot has a will have a weak appetite initially. This can be due to a few factors- the sudden change of environment, what you're feeding it and what time you're feeding it. Even people, when nervous, don't have much of an appetite.

To overcome this adverse reaction to its new surroundings, give Polly a treat that's irresistible to them like a cracker with something sweet on it or some fragrant fresh fruit like an apple or pear. This will let Polly realize that the new place is a source of good food and will speed-up his adjustment.

Other pets may gobble-up anything you feed them at anytime of the day. Parrots on the other hand are by nature foragers. Foraging is not just a survival thing for them. It's actually has a social function because they do this in groups. Parrots forage twice a day in the wild- early in the morning upon waking-up and early in the evening at sundown. Another possible reason why your parrot feeding isn't going so well is you're feeding it at the wrong time. Make it a point to feed it at the same time it would be foraging in the wild. Remember that these birds were originally wild and still have innate instincts.

Knowing what to feed your parrot is crucial to its survival. Malnutrition and improper parrot feeding is the major cause of deaths of parrots in the early ages. Proper parrot care involves knowing which foods are good for your valued pet. Seeds may seem like a good source of nutrition for these birds as this is what they eat in the wild, but in reality they don't have enough nutrients like calcium and phosphorous. The seeds used in seed mixtures are the same grown for cooking oils, so they're not really as healthy as Polly's wild brethren eat in the wild.

Pellets are of course more nutritious, but they might be excessively so and this might cause your parrot to become overweight. It might be a good idea to combine seeds and pellets supplemented by fresh fruits and vegetables. Ultimately, a good method for parrot feeding is up to you, so a great deal of extra research can reap benefits.

Ben Greene is a parrot enthusiast and expert. For more information on parrot feeding, visit http://www.happyparrotguide.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Greene