This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.
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Feeding your African Grey Parrot a balanced diet can help keep your pet healthy for decades. Store-bought parrot pellets should account for most of the food it eats. Along with pellets, provide a small serving of fresh fruits or veggies in the mornings and evenings to prevent calcium and vitamin A deficiencies. After an hour, remove whatever fresh food your parrot didn’t eat to prevent spoiling. If you need to switch your parrot to a healthier diet, make changes gradually to avoid stressing your bird.
Steps
Choosing a Well-Balanced Diet
Feed your parrot store-bought bird pellets. Commercial avian pellets, which you can purchase online or at your local pet store, will meet most of your bird’s nutritional needs. They should make up about 75% of your parrot’s diet.[1]- Among their greatest advantages, store-bought pellets are made of a mix of vegetables, fruits, seeds, and grains. Since each pellet contains all of these ingredients, your parrot can’t pick out its favorite foods and leave others, which could cause a nutritional imbalance.
- Feed good quality organic parrot pellets that are free from artificial coloring, flavorings, and preservatives.[2]
Supplement pellets with fresh fruits and vegetables. Filling the rest of your African Grey’s diet with fruits and veggies will help prevent calcium and vitamin A deficiencies. Good options include kale, carrots, mustard greens, cabbage, broccoli, oranges, apples, and seedless grapes.[3]Advertisement
Avoid only feeding your parrot seeds. While seed-based diets were thought to be appropriate in the past, it’s now recommended that seeds account for only a small portion of a parrot’s diet. Seeds are high in fat and low in nutritional content, so they’re bad for your bird’s long-term health.[6]- If your parrot’s diet is seed-based, gradually wean it off of seeds and switch it to a pellet-based diet.
Stay away from harmful foods. While most of the items in the grocery store’s produce section are great for your African Grey’s health, some human foods can be toxic. Steer clear of avocados, milk, chocolate, raw meat, and uncooked eggs.- In addition, your parrot might love fatty or salty foods like potato chips, pizza crusts, and french fries, but you should offer these sparingly and in tiny amounts.
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Creating a Feeding Schedule
Provide fresh items, then remove them after an hour. In the morning, provide your parrot with one to two teaspoons of fruits or vegetables. After an hour, remove whatever your parrot didn’t eat to avoid bacteria growth. In the evening, offer another serving of fresh food.[7]- The amount will depend on your parrot’s age and size, but up to two teaspoons is a good general guideline.
Place its daily pellet ration in the cage. After removing the fresh food in the morning, provide your parrot with a container of pellet food. The amount will vary based on your bird’s age and your brand of food, but the amount should generally be between one quarter and one half of a cup (85 to 170 grams). Check your product for a chart with measurements based on your bird’s species, age, and weight.[8]- Remove and clean the pellet container every night.
Use puzzle toys and hide treats to encourage foraging. In addition to providing a ready supply of food, use food dispenser toys to encourage your parrot to forage. This will help keep it entertained and prevent behavioral issues.[9]- Look for food dispensing toys online or at your pet store. You could also provide a container with a small amount of seeds mixed with pebbles, so your parrot will have to dig to find its treats.
Keep fresh water in its cage at all times. Make sure your parrot has access to clean, fresh water at all times. Change the water and clean the container at least twice a day.[10]- You might find your parrot likes to make a soup by soaking its pellets or dried fruit in water. If this is the case, you should change the water more frequently. If you’re not able to change the water often, use a bottle dispenser to prevent your parrot from making soup.
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Switching Your Parrot to a New Diet
Make sure your bird is healthy before changing its diet. Schedule a checkup with its vet before adjusting your African Grey’s diet. Changing its diet could stress your bird or worsen health problems that had previously gone unnoticed. When you bring your parrot to the vet, ask if they have any recommendations for making dietary changes.[11]- If you need to find an avian vet, you can use the search tool on the website of the Association of Avian Veterinarians: http://www.aav.org.
Wean your parrot off of seeds slowly. Instead of eliminating seeds suddenly, keep a container with seeds and another with pellets in your parrot’s cage. Once you see your parrot eating the pellets, gradually reduce the amount of seeds you offer.[12]- Mixing seeds and pellets in one container usually isn’t effective, since a parrot will likely just pick the seeds out and leave the pellets.
- Try to slowly wean your parrot over the course of four to eight weeks. Parrots tend to prefer seeds over other kinds of food, so have patience.
Try preparing fruits and veggies differently. If your parrot turns its beak when you offer fruits and vegetables, it might have a problem with how they’re prepared. Try switching up how you cut or peel them until you find a method that works. You can also try cooking supplemental food instead of serving it raw.[13]- For example, if your parrot doesn’t touch the whole baby carrots you served, try grating, dicing, or slicing them.
Monitor your parrot’s weight during the transition. Watch your parrot for signs of weight gain or loss while you switch its food. Weigh your parrot regularly with a gram scale to make sure it’s not losing any weight.[14]- Keep an eye out for other causes for concern, such as lethargy or anxiety. Call the vet if you run into any problems.
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Expert Q&A
References
- ↑ http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=5&A=3148&S=0
- ↑ http://www.african-grey-parrot.com/African-Grey-Diet.aspx
- ↑ https://www.beautyofbirds.com/africangreydiet.htm
- ↑ http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=5&A=3148&S=0
- ↑ https://www.beautyofbirds.com/africangreydiet.htm
- ↑ https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/african-grey-feeding
- ↑ http://www.petuniversity.com/birds/parrots-and-parakeets/feeding-parrots.htm
- ↑ http://www.petuniversity.com/birds/parrots-and-parakeets/feeding-parrots.htm
- ↑ http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=5&A=3148&S=0
About this article
African Grey Parrots need a balanced diet that consists of pellets, fruits, and vegetables. When shopping for bird food, choose a high-quality organic avian pellet, which will contain most of your bird’s nutritional needs. Feed your African Grey Parrot a couple of teaspoons of fresh food once in the morning and once in the evening, like kale, carrots, broccoli, oranges, and apples. After about an hour, remove any remaining food from its dish so it doesn’t spoil. Then, put out its 1/4-1/2 cup of pellets for the day. Remember to clean its food dish each night so it doesn’t get dirty. To learn how to transition your parrot to a new diet, read more from our Veterinary co-author!
Reader Success Stories
"I wanted to be sure if I should remove the dishes of food from the cage overnight. My little guy was eating pellets and seed and nut mix in the morning, and didn't want to eat much of the fruits and veggies. And now I know. Thank you."..." more
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