What Kind of Stuff Would a Bird Eat Out of Your Kitchen?

Captive birds, being flock creatures, love sharing everything with their humans, including meals. Parrots are omnivorous, so plenty of food in your kitchen is appropriate to feed her. Make moderation your mantra, though. Eating a single graham cracker rectangle, for instance, is the same for Mookie as indulging in an entire box of them would be for you.

  1. From the Fruit Bowl

    • Your bird will eat just about any fresh fruit you have on hand. Slice up an apple and share it with her, but toss the seeds and core instead of letting Mookie gnaw on them. Your bird will happily munch on bananas, melon, berries, pineapple, oranges and grapes. You can give your bird fruit every day, but keep portions small. While it contributes vitamins to Mookie's diet, it also contains a lot of sugar. One grape, one slice of apple or half a large strawberry is enough fruit to benefit your bird without flooding her system with sugar.

    Veggies

    • Mookie will be happy to partake in raw or cooled steamed fresh vegetables from your kitchen any time of day. You can feel confident letting her nosh away on carrot and celery sticks, sprouts, corn on the cob, cauliflower, cucumbers and peas. Just avoid the guacamole: Avacado is deadly for birds.

    Cereal and Grains

    • Your bird's food pyramid is a lot like yours; grains are a necessary part of a healthy diet. Making a sandwich on marble rye bread? Slip Mookie a crust of it without mayo, or share your whole-wheat toast with her in the morning, leaving the butter off her bite. Unsweetened breakfast cereal, especially the whole-grain type, is nutritious and tasty. She'll eat cooked and cooled oatmeal, or uncooked dry oatmeal. At dinner time, give your bird a couple of pieces of plain pasta or a scant teaspoon of cooked rice, before you add sauce to them for yourself.

    Protein

    • Mookie needs protein but nowhere near as much as you do. Give her a very small spoonful of scrambled eggs or a small slice from a hard-boiled egg a couple times each week. Or let her nibble on a half-inch piece of any cooked lean meat. A dip in the nut dish will provide your bird a source of protein, and nuts in the shell will make her work for a payoff. Limit the amount of nuts she gets, because of the natural fats in them. One almond or half a pecan twice a week is plenty.