The Circus Diet
by Steve Hartman / The Parrot University

(Called the Circus Diet because those parrots lucky enough to have experienced this cavalcade of flavors, textures and colors describe it is as "more exciting than going to the circus")

There is no such thing as the perfect parrot diet. Parrots have particular taste just like humans and should be offered a wide variety of items they like. The ingredients we use should be used as a guide to a complete diet. Any one of the items can be swapped for a similar item. It is also not important to offer the same items each day. Variety is the spice of life for parrots also.

Our goal is to have about 30 different items in the diet each day. The items vary from day to day depending upon the fresh produce that is seasonably available. All items that need to be cut are diced into small pieces no larger than a pea. There are four reasons for small particles. First, most birds take a bite and drop the rest so if any item is larger than a pea a portion is apt to be dropped on the floor and a significant amount will be wasted. Second, even large macaws consume very little food each day so small particles make it easier to provide a well balanced and interesting meal. Third, if more than one bird is eating from the same food dish it is easier for the less aggressive birds to get some of the tastier, and, or healthier items. Fourth, many parrots are picky eaters. Small particles mixed together have residue from all the other pieces on them. Thus, when a bird eats one item he is getting a taste of everything in the mix. This is important because of the way the food center works in the brain. The birds' brain keeps track of all foods consumed for 6 to 8 hours. If at any time a bird does not feel well when eating a new food the brain records that it may be a result of the new food and cause the bird to avoid this new food in the future. The reason this happens is that parrots evolved as seasonal feeders and generally eat very few items at a time, and continually change diet as other foods become available. Just like humans birds don't always remember exactly what foods or stage of ripeness is healthy so they sample things for a few days before they consume a whole meal of any particular food. After about three days of sampling a new food a bird's brain will no longer be cautious and allow the bird to eat large quantities. Our diet mix makes it impossible for a bird to avoid any food so their brain is quickly programmed to eat all of the items. Once a birds subconscious and conscience brain is programmed to eat a large variety of foods it is very easy to change their diet.

Portion size is very important for captive birds. Ad lib feeding leads to picky eating and unhealthy diets. The MEAL you prepare and place in the cage should be almost completely eaten by the next morning. Never offer more than 10% more food than the bird will eat. Remove the very small uneaten portion the next morning before offering more food. Never leave an open bowl of pellets in the cage. Besides being unhealthy, offering too much food causes the bird to eat small amounts throughout the day rather than consuming a whole meal when the food is first offered. This continued sampling of food all day long can lead a bored parrot into other repetitive behaviors that are categorized as stereotypical behaviors like Pennatillomania (feather mutilation syndrome) and polydipsia.

Due to the large number of ingredients, it is advisable to make a quantity that can be broken down into daily portions and frozen until needed. Add the pellet portion after thawing and warming. If the pellets are added to the mix too long before serving, they will be too soft.

Sprouted Sunflower Seeds
Sprouting turns a seed into a vegetable. Sunflower seeds are at least 25% fat. During sprouting the fat is turned into carbohydrate and becomes a much healthier food.

Soak five cups whole sunflower seeds in water for twenty four hours. (only the first day will the seeds be submerged in water. The other two days they will only be wet from rinsing.) After the first 24 hours dump them into a colander and rinse three times, and then allow to sit for the next twenty four hours. On the third day rinse three times again. The best sprouting results will be if you wait a full three days (72 hours) before feeding. Before feeding it is a good idea to steam the seeds in a microwave for a few minutes to kill any bacteria that may have grown while the seeds were wet. Cook in a microwave for approximately 1 minute to kill excessive amounts of bacteria that may have grown on the seeds surface during the process. The cooking time will vary depending on the wattage of your microwave, you will need to experiment. Cook long enough to create some steam to kill the bacteria, but not so long that you cook the seeds. It is not critical to cook, only a precaution.

Bean, Rice, Corn Crock-pot Mix
Mix equal amounts of ingredients together. Substitutes can be made for any item with similar items. Put bean, rice, corn mix in crock pot and cover with water. Allow mix to absorb water overnight and then cook on high for ~ three to four hours. Before cooking stir the mix to make sure there is enough water to have soaked all the ingredients. It may take a few times to figure out exactly how much water for your particular mix of ingredients and how many minutes for your particular crock pot.
½ c dry navy beans
½ c dry great northern beans
½ c c dry pinto beans
½ c c dry black beans
½ c c dry lima beans
½ c c dry green split peas
1 c brown rice
1 c dry whole corn

Fruits and Vegetables
Dice a variety of fruits, vegetables and root vegetables into small bean size pieces to make 5 cups.

Combine all soft food ingredients, including seeds. Separate into smaller portions for freezing if the food will not to be consumed in 48 hours. Ice cube trays are a convenient method of storage. One or two cubes a day will be plenty for most parrots.

Serving
Warm mixed portion in microwave prior to serving. Add any good quality extruded parrot pellet to the wet portion just prior to serving. All of the pieces of food in this type of mixture will have small amounts of all of the other items on their surface. Since the parrot is unable to remove the residue he will become used to eating all of the items in the mix. If there is any food left at the end of the day reduce the serving the next day until you determine the correct amount to feed. At least 90% of the food should be consumed each day.

Treats
We feed the main meal in the morning and offer treats in the evening.

Parrots, like amazons, that tend to store fat and have a lower metabolism receive a teaspoon of fruit in the evening. Other birds receive nuts or seeds. Smaller parrots like parakeets conures and quakers get about 6 sunflower seeds. Greys, goffins, small macaws and others this size get two to three almonds. Larger cockatoos get three almonds and macaws get three almonds and three brazil nuts.
You may substitute all of these nuts and seeds with other similar nuts and seeds.
Regardless of what you have read, almost all healthy human foods are also healthy for parrots. There is no reason not to supplement your parrots' diet with the same items you are eating. Just keep in mind portion size.