By Nicole McCray

Whether you just got a parrot or you already have plenty of experience living with these intelligent and beautiful birds, making good choices about their diet is always a priority. When taken care of, parrots can be wonderful companions for decades, so when you pick one, you’re choosing a friend for a long time. This is why it’s absolutely vital to pick their food carefully, which will ensure they’re strong and healthy for many years.

Every parrot species is unique in its own way, but they’ll all benefit from a wholesome, varied diet that includes a mix of natural ingredients and high-quality kibble/extruded foods. It’s up to you to do the research and ensure your pet’s diet suits their needs. Understanding the benefits of natural and extruded ingredients can help you make the best choices for your feathered friend. Here’s what you need to keep in mind.

What You Need to Know about Processed Parrot Foods

Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to find processed foods for your winged companion, and one of its main advantages is convenience. This food comes in the form of kibble or pellets and is designed to provide balanced nutrition that meets all your parrot’s needs. It’s essential to ensure that the food is well made and uses high-quality ingredients – as such, it can be a wonderful option for your parrot, especially when mixed with natural parrot foods. 

There are a lot of different processed pellet-based options out there, and they can provide valuable nutrients to your pet’s meals. However, the quality of the processed food is crucial here. When parrot food is processed, it undergoes different types of extrusion and cooking of the ingredients, and the main reason for this is so that the pellets can provide an adequate amount of nutrition in a standardized measurable unit.

Rumors say that high levels of processing can reduce the nutritional quality of natural ingredients. In the case of pellets or kibbles, manufacturers mix in vitamins and, in some cases, natural preservatives. Pellets to stay away from, unfortunately, have dyes and fillers that do not add much value. This is why it’s a great idea to combine high-quality kibbles with natural parrot foods – natural food brings different textures, tastes, and vitamins into the mix to compliment the nutritional value of the kibble.

Here are a few pointers that will help you ensure that your parrot eats high-quality pellets that will allow to keep their delicate gut microbiome in balance:

• Look for whole foods on the list of ingredients. Check out the list of ingredients for whole foods like vegetables, fruit, grains, and seeds. These are a clear indication that the kibble is made with quality ingredients.
• Pay attention to fillers and additives. Feel free to skip brightly colored foods because they usually have artificial coloring, flavors, and preservatives.
• Nutritional balance is key. When buying kibble for your parrot, look for the balance of macronutrients (protein, fat, and fiber). Parrots need their food to consist of up to 15% protein, plenty of fiber, and moderate fat content to avoid weight gain. 

What You Need to Know about Natural Parrot Foods

Now let’s take a look at what natural parrot foods bring to the table. One of the main advantages is that these foods are minimally processed and keep their nutritional value. The key here is that these all-natural blends mimic the types of food parrots would encounter in their natural habitat and consist of seeds, grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruit.

Manufacturers dedicated to all-natural parrot food production, like Bird Street Bistro, use nutrient-dense ingredients like carrots, mangos, bell peppers, quinoa, sweet potatoes, spices, and brown rice in their food blends. As you can see, these are all healthy, recognizable items you can find in your own pantry, and together with pellets, they provide a balanced diet with just the right amount of protein, carbs, vitamins, and fiber. 

Not only are these blends good for your parrot, but they’re also tasty and have different textures, which activates your bird’s natural foraging instincts. Since parrots require continual mental stimulation, natural foods can give them exactly that. What’s best is that these blends are easy to prepare, and you can easily mix them with quality kibble to keep your parrot’s diet diverse.

Why All-Natural Ingredients Make a Difference

While we have already scratched the surface of this question, let’s get into more detail about why incorporating all-natural ingredients into your parrot’s food could improve the quality of their life.

Fiber-Rich Foods Improve Your Parrot’s Digestion

The digestive tract is an epicenter of health, and the entire body struggles if something goes wrong with digestion. This goes for humans and parrots alike. Your feathery friend will benefit from the combo of nutrient-dense foods like veggies, rice, oats, and pellets because they’ll help keep a healthy gut microbiome. 

Feeding your parrot whole foods also reduces their chances of malnutrition and obesity. As your bird gets older, the vet bills could rack up quite quickly due to gastrointestinal problems, and a varied diet can make a world of difference in avoiding them. While there are plenty of competent vets who can help you nurture your friend back to health, the stress and cost may not be worth it. Consider using a blend of all-natural foods and high-quality kibble from your parrot’s young age to cover all your bases.

Natural Foods Allow Nutrients to be Better Absorbed

The way your parrot’s body absorbs nutrients depends on the food they eat. According to Russell Havranek, MD, consuming healthy fats with vegetables can enhance the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. This includes vitamins A, D, E, and K.

According to expert veterinary doctors, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals from natural and quality processed foods help boost your parrot’s immune system, keeping their digestive tract healthy and their metabolism at peak performance. Here, it’s important to remember that every parrot is unique, so you should pay attention to how your pet responds to different foods to figure out what they like the most and what affects them the best. 

Conclusion

Choosing the right type of food blend for your parrot may require trial and error because your bird will have their preferences and dislikes. Choosing a diet that combines the benefits of natural ingredients with high-quality pellets can provide your parrot with all the nutrients they need, and an additional bonus is that these blends will keep your feathered friend full for longer and engaged during their meal times. 

Keep in mind that every bird is different, so leave room for trial and error while finding that perfect food blend. As long as you pay attention to the quality of ingredients, a bit of experimentation could go a long way in making your pet happy and healthy.