Petcare: How to keep a loving bird as pet (part-3)

Part-3

Feeding the Lovebird

Give your bird high quality bird food.

The right food size for your lovebird will be indicated by the image on the label of these bird foods. Look for bird food that has high quality seeds that are hulled and bound together with supplements that contain vitamins and minerals, such as pellet foods. The average lovebird should have 2-3 teaspoons of pellet or seed based bird food a day.

You can also give your bird seed mixes. But keep in mind loose seed mix allows your lovebird to pick and choose what seeds it eats. Nutri-berries, Avi-cakes, and Pellet-berries require your lovebird to work to pry off a piece, so your bird is more likely to get a variety of seeds.

Look for seed mixes from your local pet store that contain canary seed, millet, rice, oats, safflower and a small amount of sunflower seeds. Corn is often a big hit with lovebirds, as well as sprouted seed.

Integrate fresh fruit and vegetables in your bird’s diet.

Pellet foods and seed mixes should be given to your bird on a daily basis, but should not be the only food you give your bird as they do not provide proper nutrition. About 5-10% of your bird’s diet should be bite-sized fruits and vegetables.

Give your bird healthy fruits like apples, grapes, berries, papaya, and mango. You should also feed your bird vegetables like carrots, broccoli, zucchini, squash, cooked sweet potatoes, and dark leafy greens like kale and romaine.

Feed your bird healthy treat foods.

These include cooked whole grains, like brown rice, whole grain pasta, multigrain breads, and sugar free cereals. When you feed your bird fresh foods, make sure you remove anything in their cage that is uneaten so the food does not spoil. You should also wash the bowls in their cage before using them again.

It’s fine if your lovebird shares many of the foods you eat. But limit her consumption of fried, greasy, sugary, and salty foods so she stays healthy.