subject: Make Feeding Your Macaw Easy Top Suggestions [print this page] Humans eat things we like and not necessarily things we should. Feeding your macaw or any parrot is simple.
Your birds diet just as your own diet should consist of many different foods and many should be used in moderation. Feeding your macaw or parrot a variety of fresh wholesome unprocessed foods should do the trick. This includes either cooked or raw.
I keep a good high quality commercial parrot mixture in my birds cage at all times. I change it out every morning with a fresher helping. Everything else I feed I consider to be treats or supplemental. I don't feed treats until I notice my bird has been into the pellet mixture. My B & G macaw can be stubborn, occasionally he won't eat any mixture until we have had our morning workout eventually he will eat.
Nuts and sunflower seeds I consider to be treats. I feed them sparingly one at a time. Generally as rewards for this that or another thing and once in a while because I'm a nice guy. Macaws need a little more fat, nuts and sunflower seeds are how my bird gets his.
Vegetables fresh or flash frozen, the green, yellows, white or reds are good for your parrot. Don't feed your bird anything coming from a can. Canned goods are full of preservatives and are not all that good even for humans either. This includes packaged and processed meals, t.v. dinners etc.
High on my veggie list are carrots, brocoli, lettuce, cauliflower, bell peppers, even a raw jalepeno on occasion, sweet potatoe and potatoe because I eat these foods myself. I feed these both raw and cooked. All beans, peas, rice should be well cooked.
Once or maybe twice a week my bird will be given a piece of well cooked chicken or turkey but never with any added oils. In the wild macaws have been know to add flesh to their diets. So I do so once or twice a week.
Fruits are excellent for birds. I don't feed citrus. I don't eat it myself. However apples, bananas, some fresh peach, cherries, grapes, I do eat, so does my parrot. Also I never give my bird the skins or seeds from apples, peaches. Only a sliver of the fleshy parts from a fruit I intend to eat myself. Cherries, grapes etc should be very well washed before feeding.
Some things you should avoid feeding your pet bird.
1.Chips, candies: Should be avoided due to the salt, cooking oils, refined sugar.
2.Caffeine
3.Avocados: Some have been found to be toxic, primarily the skins and pits.
4.Salt
5.Mushrooms: Some may be toxic to birds.
6.Raw peanuts: Can harbor a fungus, feed only roasted and unsalted.
7.Chocolate: Chocolate is toxic to dogs its candy don't do it.
8.Milk other dairy: Never saw a bird milk a cow and some humans can't consume milk. Dairy is difficult for birds to digest.
My rule is. If I know that eating a certain food calls for moderation. That I should avoid eating a certain food altogether like fried foods, sweets. Then when thinking about the size difference between myself and my pet bird it becomes a bit obvious that I should avoid feeding those foods to my pet. When it comes to your parrot well washed organic, cooked and raw food should be your goal. For your pet birds variety is certainly the spice of life.
