Do Parrots Eat People Food?

Many different species of parrot inhabit the planet and they have various dietary tastes. In the wild, they will eat what is available; this will vary between regions that they are indigenous to and between seasons. Similarly, the food that humans eat varies between regions and cultures, and there are also often seasonal variations. What you eat, furthermore, depends also on your personal tastes, your beliefs and your inclination toward food groups ̵1; for example, predominantly or exclusively a vegetarian diet or with a lot of meat products.

  1. In the Wild

    • Although what parrots eat varies between species and regions, generalizations can be made. It is also true that parrots can consume a wide variety of foods and their diet is very adaptable. Ron Hines, DVM, PhD. states that when they are resting, they will nibble at the branches that surround them. He makes the point that to survive within a jungle canopy, a very wide variety of foods is required. Many of these are also eaten by humans and include seeds, most types of fruit, nuts, buds, flowers and even the bark of trees.

    Balanced Diets

    • Some humans are not very good at balancing their diets and become overweight. Some pet parrots also become overweight when the foods that they are given contain too much fat. Parrots do not need much fat; their natural diet is predominantly fibrous.

    Variety

    • In the past, there was a belief that pet parrots should only eat seeds, but these lack certain nutritional requirements, such as vitamin A. Pellets are available that are designed to contain all of the requirements for your bird. However, in the same way that you would be bored if you only ate one food, parrots will also find this less enjoyable than if you give them a wide variety.

    No Junk Food

    • Variety is good and it is very likely that your parrot will happily enjoy items such as chocolate and cookies because of the high sugar content. But this can be very damaging to the health of your pet. This aside, parrots will enjoy a wide range of your food, for example most fresh fruits, vegetables, pasta, other grains, applesauce and cooked legumes.