# Parrotlet food and treats?



## BlackRose (Jul 8, 2007)

Can someone please give me a list of things parrotlets can eat...veg and fruit wise mainly including how much of it, how to prepare it and if it needs to be raw or not or certain bits cut off cos they're no good etc. 
Also do you give yours a mineral block? Cos mine has been having them, but then I read you shouldnt give them to them if they're on a seed diet. Well, apart from the extras she's on a seed diet and a mixed pulse with EMP staple.

I'm asking this on a parrotlet forum of course as I don't trust what I search on the net, but doesn't hurt to ask here too as I want people who know what they're on about and tried the foods themselves to tell me what foods are safe and what's not, including all the info. I just wanna widen her diet that's all.
I only know of a few fruit n veg that she already has.
Any human foods she can eat as a treat?

Thanks.


----------



## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

I feed mine a parakeet food as staple and just huge amounts of fruit and veg. A minimum of 3 or 4 types per day and all raw. Mine like apples, pears, melons, carrot, squashes, pumpkins, peppers, grapes, banana, pomegranates, and dried fruits that don't contain sulphites/addatives ect and love greenstuffs including dandylions, various dark greens. Avoiding cabbage and lettuce.
They have huge appetites for their size and I've found a larger proportion of sunflower seeds is unlikely to make them fat because of their high energy output.
Just avoid human foods and avocados and you'll be fine.


----------



## BlackRose (Jul 8, 2007)

Thanks. Is there anything i should skin such as apple? Or some things I should only feed rarely like banana cos of the phosphate in it?
She likes cooked broccoli once its cooled but can she eat it raw? Can she have the stalk?


----------



## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

BlackRose said:


> Thanks. Is there anything i should skin such as apple? Or some things I should only feed rarely like banana cos of the phosphate in it?
> She likes cooked broccoli once its cooled but can she eat it raw? Can she have the stalk?


She can have the stalk too and it's probably better raw. I only give bananas occasionally anyway so I'm not sure about phosphate. Skins are normally fine, if we eat them then they'll normally safe, but apple pips, among others, are known to be dangerous.


----------



## RedGex (Dec 29, 2007)

We have several breeding pairs of celestial parrotlets and they generally do better on a diet with a slightly higher fat content than most birds but they are a very active species! We feed a mix of parrot tonic and parakeet seed as the staple, emp egg food daily, as well as greens such as broccoli (raw, they chew up more than they eat but seem to enjoy it) raw carrot, spring greens, kale, dandelion (very good for birds, leaf and flower) and apple. I also provide a cuttlefish bone, iodine block and mineral clay block. we also put abidec vitamin drops in their water once a week (one or 2 drops per litre)
They seem to do very well on this, the parrot tonic seed we introduced a couple of months ago and not long after some pairs started laying eggs and we now have several youngsters and boy can they eat!!


----------



## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

RedGex said:


> We have several breeding pairs of celestial parrotlets and they generally do better on a diet with a slightly higher fat content than most birds but they are a very active species! We feed a mix of parrot tonic and parakeet seed as the staple, emp egg food daily, as well as greens such as broccoli (raw, they chew up more than they eat but seem to enjoy it) raw carrot, spring greens, kale, dandelion (very good for birds, leaf and flower) and apple. I also provide a cuttlefish bone, iodine block and mineral clay block. we also put abidec vitamin drops in their water once a week (one or 2 drops per litre)
> They seem to do very well on this, the parrot tonic seed we introduced a couple of months ago and not long after some pairs started laying eggs and we now have several youngsters and boy can they eat!!


*Googling Parrot tonic* I'm trying to get a bit more variety for mine as they don't like all the seeds in their staple.


----------



## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

LiamRatSnake said:


> She can have the stalk too and it's probably better raw. I only give bananas occasionally anyway so I'm not sure about phosphate. Skins are normally fine, if we eat them then they'll normally safe, but *apple pips, among others, are known to be dangerous*.


You'd have to feed a lot of apple pips for them to knock a bird off it's perch. They do contain cyanide, but only small amounts. My Amazon parrot loves apple pips.


----------



## RedGex (Dec 29, 2007)

LiamRatSnake said:


> *Googling Parrot tonic* I'm trying to get a bit more variety for mine as they don't like all the seeds in their staple.


Just had a quick look and it is difficult to find any, but I think each company has a different name for similar seed mixes, we get ours from jollyes pet superstore, they've got shops all over the country and they sell it loose so we tend to buy a few kilo's a week so it always fresh rather than getting one big bag.


----------



## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

I have up until very recently kept the smaller spectacled parrotlet. Fantastic birds!!!

With regards to feeding and treats and so on, I believe much is still to be learnt from the wild animal. Maybe a google around the national parks in the COO would help. Where are they seen? What are they seen feeding on??

With regard to quality and variety of seeds and fruits I always used Rob Harvey specialist feeds, Rob runs a mail order service or pick up from Surrey.

Or even better it's the national show this Sunday 14th Oct at staffordshire show ground where there will be more than enough choice of seeds, fruits and compounds.

My latest "discovery" is the Niger seed!! In the right quantity of about 5% it is full or protein, usable oils and fats and a while hosts of vitamins and minerals including Ca. Seems like a wonder seed to me 

Good luck parrotlets are awesome. Also if you want a good all round bird forum with some specialist parrotlet keepers feather flyer is whee I hang out:whistling2:


Good luck

John


----------

