FAQ: Food for birds

Dry food usually stays in the bowl all day, while fresh food is given once or twice a day. Some owners feed parrots in two portions, morning and evening, to make the amount eaten easier to control.

Better not: husks and dust build up on top, and the bird picks out only its favourite seeds. Check and top up food daily, blow off the husks and wash the bowl every few days.

The best indicator is a stable weight when the bird is weighed regularly at the same time of day. Also check that whole seeds in the bowl are going down, droppings look normal and the bird is active.

Birds weaken very quickly without food, so if a bird has not eaten for more than a day, or looks fluffed up and lethargic, contact a vet immediately. Until the visit keep it warm and offer its favourite food.

Appetite increases during the moult, in cold weather or during breeding, but combined with weight loss or changed droppings it may signal illness. If the bird eats a lot but is losing weight, see a vet.

Give a measured portion the bird finishes in a day, use a deeper bowl with a guard and choose a mix without fillers the bird does not eat. Throw away food that falls on the floor, as it gets soiled with droppings.

With several birds in one cage, place a few bowls in different spots so a dominant bird cannot claim them all. Check that every bird is eating and weigh them regularly, especially if one seems pushed aside.

In the wild birds spend much of the day looking for food, so food hidden in paper, cardboard boxes or foraging toys keeps them busy and reduces boredom and overeating. Start with easy tasks so the bird understands where the food is.

For birds living indoors, winter changes food needs little, but in cooler rooms or outdoor aviaries birds burn more energy. In that case they may eat more, and a slightly richer mix suits them.

Weight loss should be slow and supervised by a vet: fatty mixes and treats are reduced, with more vegetables, pellets and exercise. Restricting food suddenly is dangerous, so weigh the bird regularly.

Even when swapping one similar mix for another, mix the new food with the old for at least a week or two. The bird gets used to the different taste and composition, and you can see whether it really eats the new one.

In most places ordinary drinking tap water that people drink is fine for birds. If the water is very hard or you doubt its quality, filtered or cooled boiled water can be used, but changing it daily matters most.

Sparkling or highly mineralised water is not suitable for birds. If you use bottled water, choose still, low-mineral drinking water.

Birds drink little, but the amount depends on size, temperature and how much fresh juicy food they eat. A noticeably increased thirst, especially with watery droppings, is a reason to see a vet.

No. Juice and sweetened drinks encourage bacteria to grow in the drinker, and tea contains caffeine. Give your bird clean water and use only additives made for birds, as labelled.

In frost water freezes quickly, so it needs changing several times a day, or use a heated drinker made for birds. Never add anything to the water to stop it freezing.

Sunflower seeds are fatty and tasty, so many parrots become hooked on them. Gradually reduce their share in the mix, use them as rewards during training and offer other seeds, pellets and vegetables while monitoring the bird's weight.

Many birds are wary of new food, so you cannot simply replace the old food with the new one. Mix it with the old food, offer it in the morning when the bird is hungrier and show that you ‘eat’ it too, but never let the bird go hungry.

Birds dig for favourite seeds and toss out the ones they do not want, so a lot of discarded food suggests the mix contains many seeds the bird does not like. Try a mix of a different composition or a deeper bowl.

Regurgitating food to another bird, a person or a mirror is often hormonal or bonding behaviour, especially in spring. But if the bird is vomiting, shaking its head or food sticks to its feathers, it may be a sign of illness that needs a vet.