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Fresh fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals for your bird. Watch out for the unsafe foods.

Safe Foods

Vegetables:
  • Broccoli (head and leaves)
  • Asparagus
  • Lettuce – romaine or green/red leaf, chickory, boston, aruula, etc. Any but iceberg, which has little or no nutritional value.
  • Cauliflower
  • White potatoes – whole spud, chopped up. Remove all eyes, as they are poisonous.
  • Squash – peeled and steamed zucchini, acorn, spaghetti, butternut, yellow, pumpkin, etc. Any portion of the squash is good, especially the seeds. They are high in selenium and other healthy minerals.
  • Zucchini
  • Tomato – the tomato only, leaves and stem are toxic
  • Carrots – root and tops too
  • Beets
  • Corn - Corn should be limited as it can cause problems with proper calcium metabolism.
  • Turnips (greens too)
  • Kale
  • Watercress
  • Collard Greens
  • Dandelion – If you collect your own, make sure they are untreated chemically.
  • Chicory
  • Mustard Greens
  • Cabbage
  • Kohrabi
  • Brussell Sprouts
  • Swiss chard
  • Peas (sugar snap or snow peas)
  • Beans- cooked dried beans (such as black beans, navy beans, red beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, lima beans, kidney beans, lentils and dried split peas) they can be cooked until they’re soft or mushy, and spiced with cayenne pepper or cumin, which parrots really like.
  • Celery
  • String beans
  • Green beans
  • Radishes
  • Cooked sweet potatoes
  • Radicchio
  • Endive
  • Mustard & dandelion greens
  • Parsley
  • Cooked red potatoes
  • Sweet red peppers
  • Green peppers and other types of peppers
  • Eggplant
  • Cucumber
Meats and Nuts
  • Cooked eggs including shell, mashed up
  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Fish (such as salmon, trout, halibut and tuna). If using canned tuna make sure it is water packed, not oil packed
  • Peanut butter, nuts, seeds (these are safe fat sources)
  • Almonds
  • Water Chestnuts
  • *Broiled, grilled or roasted poultry is best
Pastas, Breads and Cereals
  • Whole-wheat bread (white bread is okay to give occasionally)
  • Corn bread
  • Crackers
  • Oats
  • Cheerios
  • Rice Crispies
  • Oatmeal (cooked)
  • Life Cereal
  • Granola Cereal (no sugar)
  • Wheat Germ
  • Pasta (cooked) – whole-grain, vegetable or spinach pasta
  • Egg Noodles
  • Rice (cooked) – preferably brown (white rice are okay to give occasionally)
Fruits
  • Apples
  • Berries (blackberries, blueberries)
  • Grapes
  • Grapefruit
  • Kiwi
  • Mango
  • Watermelon
  • Cantaloupe (rind is toxic, remove seeds)
  • Honeydew (remove rind and seeds)
  • Pineapple
  • Cherries
  • Cranberries
  • Banana
  • Pears
  • Peaches
  • Oranges
  • Pomegranate
  • Tangerines
  • Nectarines
  • Star fruit
  • Grapefruit
  • Lemon
  • Papaya
  • Plums
  • Grapes
  • Apricots
* Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before feeding. Remove the pits, grinds seeds from the fruit. Any fruits and vegetables left uneaten should be discarded daily so spoiling is not a problem.

* Fresh vegetables are best, but warmed frozen vegetables are also good.

* If you cook something in oil, choose an unsaturated fat source such as olive oil or safflower oil. Birds don’t need a whole lot of this food group — especially if they are overweight.

* Offer a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to provide a nutritious, balanced diet.

* Be creative when preparing meals. Hang food from the top or sides of the cage, weave food into the bars of the cage or stuff food in the spaces of toys. 

* For larger birds try to feed corn on the cob rather than feeding kernels of corn in a dish. This will help entertain the bird as well as provide physical and mental stimulation.

Toxic Foods (Foods to Avoid)
  • Chocolate
  • Caffeine
  • Fruit pits
  • Persimmons
  • Table salt
  • Rhubarb
  • Onions
  • Apple seeds
  • Apricot seeds
  • High-fat junk food (potato chips, doughnuts, etc.)
  • Avocado (guacamole) and all their leaves, stem, skin & seeds
  • Mushrooms
  • Alcohol
  • Cherry seeds
  • Tomatoes leaves and stem
  • Milk (they can’t digest it)
  • Carbonated drinks
  • Gatorade
  • Butter
  • Tobacco
  • Nectarine seeds
  • Raw Beans (such as…navy, black, kidney, lima, pinto and soy…however if they are thoroughly cooked they are safe and very healthy)
* Make sure that fresh, clean water is always available. If a water bottle is used, the water should be changed every day too and the tip should be checked daily to be sure it is working. Dehydration is a serious problem that can occur within a day or two if water is unavailable.

Other Important Links - Things that are toxic to birds