Peter,

This a really good question. Most of our small parrots are true granivores meaning they mostly eat seeds, seed heads and related parts. Many of these birds (lets take budgies as an example) eat seeds/seed parts as they become seasonably available. They also supplement diet with vegetation, occasional fruits and even insects and spiders (depending on the species). The problem with feeding a seed diet to housed and relatively sedentary birds is dietary imbalance resulting in micro and macronutrient deficiency or excess (mostly fat [both saturated and omega-6]), obesity, cardiovascular disease and more. We temper this concern by feeding lower density foods (pellets), lower energy grains/seeds (no sunflower, no safflower, etc), higher omega-3 fatty acid sources and supplementing with richly colored veggies (no spinach) and a small amount of berries, figs, etc.

There is no magic percentage off each component. I suggest general guidelines: < 50% pellets with the remainder being human grade grains (spelt, oat groats, barley, steel cut oats, flax seed, chia seed, hemp hearts, quinoa, millet, etc) and a smaller part colorful greens and minimal fruit. I hope this helps! M. Scott Echols, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice)

Since small birds are granivores and mainly grain eaters. How important is veggies in their diet, and what percentage should they be fed, as opposed to other foods?

Jaime,

Cockatiels are true granivores meaning they naturally eat seeds and grains. However, I don’t recommend feeding typical bird seed mixes. The following is my standard recommendation for cockatiels:

50% or less commercial pellets with the remainder being HUMAN grade whole uncooked grains (spelt, oat groats, barley, quinoa, flax seed, chia seed, hemp hearts) and chopped dark colorful greens (no spinach). Cockatiels are not big fruit eaters. However, I can sometimes get them to eat chopped berries and figs. Sprouted grains (as you are doing) are also good. In practice, I find cockatiels the easiest parrot species to convert to pellets and new grains. Simply put the grains/pellets on a paper towel and tap on the towel. The tapping causes the pellets/grains to move around/jump and the cockatiels usually show interest and start eating the moving food!

There are no long term studies on the effects of feeding different pellet diets on parrot health. One study did show the birds spends twice as much time eating Nutriberries (which are made from human grade grains). However, that is more of a behavioral benefit.

Hopefully this helps!

M. Scott Echols, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice)

Carol,

Cooked beans are fine to add into small bird diets. The reason I don’t mention them is that they have to be fully cooked (which not everyone will do) and a lot of small birds will not eat them.

I am a big fan of omega-3’s in the diet- either through supplementation (VetOmega) or adding in extra omega-3 rich foods like flax, chia and hemp.

M. Scott Echols, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice)

In Your feeding guide for small birds such as Cockatiels, Grass Parakeets, Budgerigars, Parrotlets, Lovebirds, Pyrrhura Conures, you recommend whole grains. I don’t see a mention of Beans and Legumes, as in your feeding guide you mention this for larger birds. Is there a reason for not recommending legumes to the smaller species?
If a pellet you are feeding contains Omega 3 would one still require to feed a small amount?
And during times of molting is there any other specific requirements?

Peter,

Fresh spray millet (ideally human grade) can be ok as a part of a balanced diet for parrotlets. I don’t recommend feeding a large proportion of the diet as millet. Here is a link to a form with other diet ideas: https://avianstudios.com/forms/attachment/foods-for-different-avian-species-5/. You can also grow various grains and feed them as ‘grasses with seed heads’. This is a great way for small birds to forage and get fresh foods.

Sincerely,

M. Scott Echols, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice)

Fran,

For parrotlets, I recommend the following:
25-50% pellets with the remainder being human grade whole grains (spelt, oat groats, quinoa, flax seed, chia seed, hemp hearts, barley, steel cut oats), chopped richly colored veggies (no spinach) and chopped berries, cactus fruit and figs.

I do not recommend ‘bird seed’. As you can see, I do recommend seeds and grains as a substantial portion of the diet. Pet bird seed is generally not checked for fungal toxins and other factors that would deem the food as ‘human grade’. Also, most bird seed mixes tend to have higher fat items that birds preferentially eat. This results in a dietary imbalance (most commonly seen as excess weight or obesity in clinical practice). Stick with the human grade grains and make your own mix.

Also, I recommend against feeding dried fruits, sweet fruits (grapes, bananas, oranges), flour based foods (pasta, chips, tortillas, etc) and animal based foods (cheese, meat, yogurt, etc).

I hope this answers your questions.

Sincerely,

M. Scott Echols, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice)