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Correct diet for bird2007-11-24 17:19:10

I think my birds poor health is due to diet, She ( Galah, Ally ) has been plucking her front and back feathers out, I feel awful, I don't know wether it's because her feathers aren't full anymore, But she appears that it may be possible she is losing weight.

Could you please give me information on what a healthy nutritous diet is for birds, My next door neighbor told me she needs more protein, She recommened chicken?! Is this right?

Answers:

If you offer pellets, they should only be 75% of the bird's diet. I prefer to not offer pellets because certain kinds of birds have difficulties metabolizing these which can lead to serious medical problems (especially greys and eclectus).

Beyond pellets, your bird should get a variety of fruit and vegetables. Fresh is best, but is not always an option. Frozen will do if you can't get fresh. My birds usually get fresh bananas and apples because they are available year round. I avoid citrus fruits because they can be acidic. I try to feed other fruits like melons, kiwi, pears, etc. when they are seasonally available. As for veggies, Sweet potatoes and celery are a big hit with my birds as are green beans and a variety of peppers. I don't feed my birds onions because onions are known to thin blood. And I also don't feed letuce because it's high in water content and upsets their stomachs. I avoid feeding pitted fruits and vegetables because the chemicals inside the pits are toxic to birds. As they ripen, some of these chemicals emit into fruit/vegetable. This is especially true of avacados and is the primary reason they are poisonous to birds. I feed my birds approximately one cup of either fruits or veggies per day. If you're doing pellets though, you might not need to give as much. As for what kinds, you'll have to experiment and see which your bird prefers.