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I boguht a seed mix it says parrot seed mix on it. The seeds in it are, Black Stripped Sunflower seeds, Red Milo, cut corn. oats, wheat, peanuts (in Shell and shelled) and safflower seeds. What other seeds should i give it and what seeds that i mentioned are bad for it? I heard sunflower seeds are not too good for Indian ringnecks so i took out a lot of it out of the package. I also took out a handful of peanuts away. I also give it nuts once in a while. Are raisins good for a indian ringneck?

Hi 199411

There are different trains of thought on appropriate parrot diet. Many people believe that birds should not be fed seed at all. My vet is one of those people. He says you should just feed them fruit and veg and pellets. Other very reputable breeders I know don't believe in pellets and think you should feed them seed.

I sometimes offer my guys sultanas or raisins as a treat but don't include them as a regular part of their diet. With any fruit and veg, you need to try to minimise the sugar content... this means giving them more veg than fruit.... and raisins are a form of dried fruit.

Best wishes!

Ellie.

Black sunflower seeds are not good for birds. Look for a mix with grey ones instead. If you bird eats lots of black ones they can make the bird over heated and they can die.

xx_sheena_xx wrote:Black sunflower seeds are not good for birds. Look for a mix with grey ones instead. If you bird eats lots of black ones they can make the bird over heated and they can die.

The black ones are just fine. This is just a myth, don't worry.
Black oil sunflower seeds (known as BOSS) are actually considered the best of the sunflower seeds for nutrition.

Most birds will prefer the larger white or striped sunflower seeds like the ones in your mix for no other reason, it seems, than appearance if they have the choice.
Sunflower seeds in general are fatty though, so for our birds we give them as a treat. Large birds like macaws actually need more fat in their diet, and therefore will typically be given a nice handful daily.


To go with what Ellie was saying, I believe diet depends upon the bird. Just as you wouldn't put a lory or ekkie on a seed diet, you wouldn't put a budgie on an all fruit/veggie diet. A lory needs nectar and an ekkie needs fruit/veggies whereas a budgie is a grassland bird that eats a lot of seed in the wild. It all depends upon the bird. There are no wild growing pellets though. I do feed pellets, seed, and lots of veggies and fruits.

Raisins are okay in moderation. Keep in mind dried fruits are higher in sugar and you want to avoid fruits dried with sulphur as a preservative.

Sometimes I offer my guys raisins or dried grapes as a treat but do not include them in the normal course of their diet. With all fruit and vegetables, you need to try to reduce the sugar contentwhich means giving them more veg fruit and raisins are a form of dried fruits.

I have dried sweetened cranberries, but I'm thinking the extra sugar makes them a no-go.

Comments?

My thoughts on that are that fruits are sweet enough without added sugar.