Congratulations! You've taken an important step toward improving your bird's diet, which will contribute to better long-term health. Patience and commitment are key to successfully transitioning to a healthier diet, but keep in mind that this process can take several weeks or even months. It's essential to monitor your bird’s behavior, stool consistency, and food intake closely. If you notice a decrease in stool quantity or size, contact us immediately. If you have any questions or concerns along the way, we're here to help. You can try the following tips individually or in combination. Remember, birds are creatures of habit and tend to stick with what they know, so you'll need to gradually convince your bird that this new food is both safe and nutritious.
Did you know that feeding a parrot a seed mix encourages them to become a “selective eater” of the fattier, less nutritious parts of a seed? This is unfortunately one of the most common causes of illness we see at our hospital and also around the world.
1. GRADUAL CHANGE OF DIET
Start reducing the amount of seed you feed your bird now. For example, you can reduce the amount of seed and then cover it with a little kibble. Also, reduce the amount of seed and millet treats by half. You can also mix in some kibble (about a teaspoon to a tablespoon – depending on the size of the parrot) with the seed. Anything not eaten after a day should be thrown away and replaced with fresh food. Gradually increase the amount of kibble over a period of four to six weeks until you are offering mostly kibble. We aim to offer kibble at 70% of the total for a day. Remember that as long as there is seed, your bird will prefer it and will be more resistant to a new type of food.
2. FEED TWICE A DAY
Feeding your bird two meals a day can be beneficial. Offer a mix of its regular food and kibble for about 15–30 minutes in the morning and evening, while providing only kibble the rest of the time (no treats!). This method helps with the transition to kibble, as mild hunger will make your bird more willing to try the new food, reducing initial resistance and encouraging less picky eating habits. Another advantage is that feeding in your presence allows you to monitor what your bird is actually consuming, rather than what ends up on the floor. Between meals, you can offer small portions of healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, rice, or whole wheat pasta.
Note: Smaller parrot species as well as finches and canaries should be fed 3 or 4 meals a day as they need to eat more often than larger species to keep their weight stable. For them we aim to feed 50% feed, then the rest seeds and vegetables.
3. PRETEND TO EAT THE FEED WITH APPETITE
Since parrots learn largely through imitation—both from humans and other birds—you can spark their interest in new food by making a show of enjoying it yourself. Pretend to eat it, exaggerate your enthusiasm, and let your bird see how "delicious" it is! For larger birds like Amazons, macaws, and cockatoos, place them on a training perch with the new food in front of them, then demonstrate excitement and offer some to them. For ground-feeding species like parakeets and cockatiels, place the food on a flat surface such as a table, white paper, or plate, and allow them to investigate at their own pace. You can even mimic pecking at the food with your fingers to encourage them. If you have multiple birds, one curious eater can set off a chain reaction—once one bird starts trying the new food, the others are likely to follow!
4. MIX WITH SOMETHING YOUR BIRD LOVES
The feed can be softened with water, juice (without added sugar) or even with the breeder's mash offered to the chicks. The different texture and taste can help to make it acceptable. Do not leave a similar mixture for more than 2 hours in your bird's cage because bacterial growth is very rapid! As with seeds, you must gradually reduce the "mash" so that eventually there is only the feed.
Other Tips:
- Feed your bird outside of its cage and/or during meal times.
- Birds instinctively like to eat from the bowl that is highest in their cage. So put the feed in that bowl, and put the seeds in the lower one.
- Crush the feed and sprinkle it on the seeds or on the fruit.
- Some birds do not like a certain size of feed, so you can always try another, as some large birds like smaller, and small birds may like larger.
- For small parrots only: place a mirror in the bottom of the cage and put a few grains of feed. He will soon go to this mirror and will be intrigued by this "stranger" who is there and who is approaching his food. In short, some will be very stimulated by this method.
- Fruit and vegetables can also be finely chopped and mixed with the feed to make a nice "salad".
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- When switching from a seed-based diet to a pelleted diet, the stools will change from green to a brownish color as normal. They may also be a little softer than before and be a little whiter (urates). This is all normal. To make it easier for you to monitor, use a paper towel or something similar to better observe the stools. Gravel, wood shavings, cracked corn are not suggested for this same reason. Very important: a bird that is not eating will have very dark and small stools. If you see this, immediately give him back food that he knows well. Fasting a bird can be deadly!
- For small birds, we are talking about 6-8 hours, while it can go up to 3 days for larger birds. Make sure your bird is eating well, monitor his weight regularly if you are in doubt (nothing replaces a good scale). You can schedule a weigh-in with us at any time.
- If a bird does not eat the feed right away, do not assume that it will never eat it and continue to offer it regularly. This is a normal learning curve, be persistent! It may take a few weeks to a few months for the transition to be complete.
Our ultimate goal is to feed approximately 70-80% kibble and 20-30% fruit/veg/health food. After conversion, you can feed 1-5 nuts and 1-10 live seeds per day (look for organic and human grade please) as a treat.
INTRODUCTION OF VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
Vegetables are offered to improve the quality of your bird’s diet while allowing him to satisfy his curiosity and have fun. Dark green, yellow and orange leafy vegetables are the most nutritious. Avocado, onions, potato sprouts, eggplant and parsley in large quantities are toxic to birds! Fruits should be offered as treats and desserts because they contain few vitamins and minerals compared to vegetables. The most nutritious fruits are figs, papaya, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes and apricots. Avoid dried fruits which are high in sugar.
NOTES:
- Try grated, sliced, cubed, cooked or raw, pureed, etc.
- Introduce him to vegetable skewers, suspended from the ceiling of his cage, mix them with puree, etc.
- Birds are hungriest in the morning, so this is the right time to introduce them to new foods.
- A bird's diet should not contain more than 20% vegetables, fruits and healthy meals shared with you, the other 80% should be made up of his feed.