Ideal Diet

[Noely]

Hi Can any one tell me what is the ideal diet to give my cag is weather it be fruit veg or seeds or both and how much of each??

[Laurie]

I don't claim to be an expert by any means, but the first thing that pops to mind is "variety." Fruits, and vegetables, certainly. Seed seems to be kind of a "no-no" around here, but I think only if seed is fed exclusively. (Not enough variety in an "all seed" diet!) I give Klaus a little "bed" of Kaytee Forti-Diet in the bottom of his dish (this has quite a bit of seed in it) then I add a few nuts, some dried fruit, a Nutri-Berry, a grape if I have them, some shredded carrot if I have it, etc. (My husband laughs at the lengths I go to in putting a bowl of food out for my bird.) In addition, Klaus gets a little of what I'm having (as long as it's something he can have) such as oatmeal, cereal, etc. Also, for a treat I've recently discovered heating up a jar of baby-food veggies (beware of additives, though - the ones I buy contain just the veggie & water as an ingredient list), dipping whole wheat bread in and hand feeding it to him. He loves the interaction, and he gets a treat that's really good for him.

Hope this helps a little!

[Kibibi]

A wide variety of fruits, vegetables and legumes would be the ideal diet but it's sometimes difficult to give them enough variety to ensure they get all the required vitamins and minerals. This is troublesome for some Greys who don't like or won't eat a wide variety of fruits and veggies. Some of them can be picky eaters So some pellets are also a good idea to ensure they get a well balanced diet. Like Laurie said, seeds are best given as a treat because they aren't very nutritious or healthy.

I don't claim to be an expert either but my Grey diet consists of about 50% pellets (Harrisons or Zupreem) and 50% fruits/veggie/legumes mix. I'll also give her a nut (almond, peanut, walnut etc) as an occasional treat.

[Shamelessmuse]

Variety! Variety! Greyce gets pellets, seed as a treat (I finally got her to eat seed, she's a rescue and only wanted seed the first week) and then variety. I can tell you a good book that has some great info on diet, what veggies and fruits are good (which ones have high chemical/pestacide residue). Beans, whole wheat pastas, really all kinds of stuff....Oh, the book...as silly as it sounds Dummies Guide to Parrots. I am sure there will be many other suggestions as well that will be fabulous!

[spookyhurst]

The best fruits and veggies to feed are orange (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, mangos, papaya, etc.). Green leafies are great too, but limit spinach because it can inhibit calcium absorption. Nikko will eat the orange, but I have yet to have success with green leafies .

 

Nikko also eats Pretty Bird pellets. I really wanted her to eat Goldenobles (they are organic and have no artificial colors or additives), but she only likes pellets if they are colored and fruit flavored .

 

Nikko has just a little bit of seed. She loves a few sunflower seeds as a midmorning snack. Nuts are good too. An almond in the shell provides her good entertainment while extracting the nut, and has good calcium in it. She also loves pine nuts.

 

As far as amounts, opinion varies widely, and you can find many an article with a google search. Here are a few websites where experts weigh in with their opinions:

 

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww14eiv.htm

 

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww47eii.htm

 

http://www.africangreys.com/articles/nutrition/mashdiet.htm

 

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/6463/food.html

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Noely here is a link that shows the different variety of diets our members feed their greys.

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/bird-food/24030-whats-your-greys-diet.html

 

If you have a read around the bird food room you will find a lot of information.