African Grey Parrot diet?

Question

I am bringing home an African Grey Parrot next week and am wondering what brand of pellets to convert him to when he is home.(I do know to convert gradually-wouldn't just switch from one to the other) He is on Zupreem pellets at the breeders', which is also what we fed the Grey my family had when I was in my teens. I have heard Harrison's is an excellent food, and also Roudybush, but I know Greys have their own dietary needs, such as extra calcium, and wonder which type is recommended for them. I also read somewhere that they need extra phosphorus along with the calcium, something I admittedly am not knowledgable on. He will have fresh vegetables/fruits as well. . . .I need a refresher on which are best specifically for a Grey; I seem to remember from my parents' bird that broccoli and Kale are recommended? And how about additives such as flaxseed, wheat germ, etc? I am planning on picking up a food processor to make it easier to chop things up or blend them Any suggestions?? Thanks!

Answer 1

For his regular food, my grey gets a mixture of Abba Parrot mix (fortified seed mixture), Pretty Bird African (pellets) and Zupreem medium (pellets), one third each, by weight. Mix it yourself or the pet store will mix it for you. Buy this food in bulk, prebagged foods can be old. In addition, he gets a small dish of treat food containing 3 to 5 Nutriberries (for parrots), 2 or 3 unshelled unsalted peanuts, and 3 or 4 unsalted roasted almonds (he drops more than he eats, lol). He gets a variety of vegetables, including broccoli, kale, carrots, green beans, unshelled peas, peapods, sweet red/orange/yellow pepper, cucumber, tomato and many others. I usually give him two different vegetables every day, so he doesn't get tired of one or another. Surprisingly, he is not fond of fruit, but will eat watermelon, strawberries, raspberries and bing cherries.

Don't chop things too finely. Try giving him somewhat large (for a bird!) pieces of vegetables, greys so love to hold things in one of their claws and bite it to pieces while eating it. Mine will actually gnaw on a piece for awhile, then put some back in the bowl for later. Cut the more dense veggies such as carrots into smaller pieces. You have to experiment. If he doesn't like carrot STICKS, try little round slices. He may like the food cut in a certain way, but won't touch it if it's cut in a different way. I do chop some vegetables, for example, Elmer likes SHREDDED carrots. And remember, they don't eat all that much... three or four broccoli florets and four ripe peapods (he likes to shell them himself) is plenty for one day, after all, his regular food is in there, too. The next day, 3 or 4 pepper strips and  4 or 5 carrot slices. You know, mix it up, especially once you know what he likes. The preparation is a snap, how long does it take to slice up a pepper or wash 4 peapods? You shouldn't need the food processor unless you find that he likes it that way, you never know. Since you want things to be fresh, and they don't eat as much as you may be thinking, you probably won't be processing large batches of food anyway. Batches that will probably be too small for a food processor. A small blender will probably do the trick.

In addition, when giving treats such as peanuts, usually give two, (because they will nearly always drop one of them! lol) Remember that about 50 percent of what you feed ends up on the bottom of the cage (or possibly your floor), this is normal.

A very good question, thank you for asking. Should you have any additional questions about African Greys, feel free to email me. Enjoy your new bird! (I know you will!)

Regards,

Kookoo

Answer 2

Have you considered Avian Entrees?  Each AvianEntrées mix includes a different assortment of highly nutritious nuggets, and high-quality fruit and vegetables. There are no low-quality, messy seeds, and bird owners will spend less time in the kitchen slicing and dicing. AvianEntrées Diets come in 3 different mixes in sizes for parrots and small birds: Garden Goodness, Harvest Feast and Wild & Spicy.

Answer 3

We have had a Grey for about 4 years and feed him Zupreem. Our Avian vet agrees with it.

Make sure to let him/her try real fruits and vegetables.

Ours loves green beans.