Bringing up a Healthy Bird

1. Feed your bird a nutritional diet in order for him to live a long and happy life. When a bird is malnourished he could die at an early age. They also can pick up disease when they are not being fed properly.

2. If you have a bird that is a member of the parrot family he should be fed different types of food. Giving your parrot only seeds is a common mistake. Too much fat, too little protein and hardly any vitamins are what you will find in seeds. Your bird should have less than 50% of their diet be seeds.

3. Healthy table foods such as food with whole grain, pretzels, pasta and wheat bread can be given to your bird. If you give your bird enough time and encouragement he will probably come to enjoy some dairy and poultry items. Low-fat cheese, yogurt and chicken can be given to your bird. Do not give your bird any foods that are high in fat and stay away from avocados, as they will be toxic to your pet.

4. Good sources of nutrition for your bird are beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables. Give your pet a lot of time to get used to these different kinds of foods. They might need as long as a year to accept any of them but it is the best thing for your bird.

5. Make these changes very slowly. For an hour at each feeding offer your bird these fresh foods. These foods will become unappealing and can develop bacteria if left in their cage longer than an hour.

6. It is a good idea to feed your bird two times daily. Because your bird will become hungry between feedings he will become more active. With a large appetite your pet might be more willing to try new and different foods. This also gives you a chance to keep a close eye on what your bird is consuming. When your bird is sick, laying eggs, taking care of their babies or nesting then they should always have food available to them. A bird may not be feeling well when they don't eat as much as they usually do.

7. Try cooking the vegetables and warming the food to help your bird get used to these new foods. Figuring out your birds preferences can take a little bit of time. Until you make sure your bird is eating enough to stay healthy only offer him seeds at meal time. Consider feeding your bird outside his cage because they tend to accept new diets better this way.

8. The last key to your bird's nutritional success is water. Make sure the water is fresh and his bowls are cleaned on a daily basis with soap and hot water. Use bleach once a week to disinfect his bowl. Be careful to get all of the bleached cleaned out the bowl. Until you know your bird is getting enough fruits and vegetables consider giving him a daily multivitamin in his water.

Give your bird a healthy life by feeding him proper and nutritional foods.