The Do's and Don't of "People Food"
Wanna know the first thing I role my eyes to when people talk about what they feed their birds?
"Oh, they eat anything I eat."
Great. Anything. That's fantastic. Your bird is probably fat, picking, has dull plumage, or any multitude of these things.
Again, I say, birds are like kids. OF COURSE they like your McDonald's french fries, pizza crust, and potato chips. Let me tell you something. I DO TOO! However, that doesn't mean you, me, or our birds should be eating that...especially our birds.
Here are some foods that are TOXIC for your bird, and should be avoided at all costs:
Avoid anything high is salt, sugar, and fat content.
Alcohol
Apple seeds
Apricot pits
Asparagus
Avocado (entire plant and fruit)
Beans - Kidney, Lima
Beans, any dried
Butter
Caffeine
Carbonated beverages
Cherry pits
Chocolate
Cigarette tobacco
Dried fruits (containing sulfides or sulphates, not commonly known, doesn't make it any less true.)
Egg Plant
Gatorade
Milk/cream in large quantities (birds are lactose intolerant).
Nectarine pits
Olives
Onions (raw or cooked)
Parsley
Peach pits
Pear pips
Plum pits
Raw Peanuts
Rhubarb
Tobacco
Tomato (entire plant, a little fruit okay)
Houseplants (most are toxic, not all)
Now that means: no sharing YOUR popcorn (there is bird safe bird popcorn), chips, hamburgers, french fries, pizza, ice cream, cheese, soda. Think: will I benefit from eating this food? If you say no, then chances are it's not good for your bird (with a few exclusions, including avocado, asparagus, tomato, etc. So if you don't think your own body should be feed that, definitely don't feed it to your birds!
Here's a list of great healthy things you can feed your feathered kid and would make great snacks for you too!! (I've bolded the ones my birds especially like).
Apple
Apricot
Banana
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Blood orange
Blueberry
Cantaloupe melon
Cherry
Cranberry
Dried dates
Figs (fresh)
Gooseberries
Grape
Guava
Honeydew melon
Kiwifruit
Lychee (Litchi)
Mandarin
Mango
Melon
Nectarine
Orange
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Plum
Pomegranate (especially the yogurt covered aerials)
Quince
Raspberry
Red Currants
Strawberry
Tangerine
Yellow Plum
And now for Vegetables. Again, birds are just like kids. They're not going to eat their veggies, if they're given a choice. They'll ignore them until you don't give it to them anymore. HOWEVER, vegetables are much healthier for birds than fruit, believe it or not. (Low sugar content). So what I do to encourage them to eat their veggies is rather than giving them fruit and pellets right away in the morning, I clean all their bowls in the morning, and while I am doing that I give them a mixture of veggies (or chop), for the first hour or two in the morning. That's when they're more likely to eat, especially since you're sitting down, and eating too. Then, just as I am about ready to leave for work (or class), I'll give them their dried fruits, fresh fruits, nuts, and pellets. Then around dinner time, I'll give them veggies again. I did this until they started eating veggies without having to force them too. You can also eat veggies with them, they're more likely to them if they see you eating them. (Birds are great motivators to eat correctly!)
Here's a list of great veggies to give your birds!
Artichoke
Beans, cooked only
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery stalks
Chinese Cabbage
Corn (milky & soft)
Cucumber
Eggplant (fruit only)
Endive
Fennel
Green Beans
Hot Peppers
Kale
Lettuce
Peas
Potato (cooked)
Pumpkin (and seeds)
Radish Red Beet (fresh)
Radicchio
Romain Lettuce
Spinach
Sprouts
Squash
Sweet Potato
Turnips
Watercress
Yams
Zucchini
Before you give your bird any produce, please make sure it is washed thoroughly. You don't know who handles that fruit before you.
Also, remember, please consult your vet before you make any huge changes in your bird's diet. I am not a vet, just a brain with a vault of research dedicated to the care of birds.
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