4,133 answers about birds
Parrots, budgies, cockatiels and finches each come with their own care questions — diet, cage setup, taming, noise and health. This page gathers the bird library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic so keepers can find a straight answer fast. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
380 answers in Feeding & Nutrition — page 4 of 16
A regent parrot should be fed mainly on a quality pellet for small to medium parrots, with a modest measure of small seed, daily leafy greens, and chopped vegetables. This elegant Australian species feeds on the ground under trees, walking as it picks up fallen seed and green pick, so scattering part of its ration and…
A red-bellied parrot should eat a quality pellet as its daily foundation, with a small measured seed portion, generous chopped vegetables, and only modest fruit and nut extras. This stocky African parrot comes from dry country where wild birds work hard for figs and acacia seeds, so a captive bird fed freely on rich…
A red lory should be fed mainly on a formulated lory nectar, offered wet in small fresh batches through the day, with soft fruit and safe edible blossoms as daily companions. Like other lories, it has a brush tongue made for nectar and pollen, so seed mixes and hard pellets are not a suitable staple, however eagerly…
A rainbow lorikeet should live mainly on a proper lorikeet nectar mix, served wet as a nectar or offered as a dry powder alongside water, because its brush-tipped tongue is built for nectar and pollen, not seed. Add soft fruits such as pawpaw, pear, melon, and grapes in small pieces, plus safe blossoms when available,…
A princess parrot should eat a formulated pellet as its mainstay, supported by a modest amount of small seed, plenty of leafy greens, and chopped vegetables every day. This long-tailed Australian parrot is a ground forager built for movement, so scattered greens and sprouted seed suit it better than a heaped treat…
A plum-headed parakeet does best on a quality formulated pellet as the everyday base, backed by a small measured portion of mixed seed rather than a bowl of seed alone. Add chopped leafy greens, grated carrot, peas, and a little fruit daily, and offer sprouted seeds a few times a week for variety this small Asian…
A moustached parakeet's main everyday diet should be a formulated pellet as the base, with a generous daily serving of chopped vegetables and a regular place for fruit in modest pieces. This active Asian parakeet, named for the black stripe across its face, is a busy, strong-willed eater, and a seed-led bowl lets it…
A Meyer's parrot's main everyday diet should be a formulated pellet as the base, served in a measured portion, with a daily bowl of chopped vegetables and leafy greens and only small amounts of fruit. This compact African parrot is an enthusiastic eater with a stocky frame, and a seed-led bowl lets it select the…
A lineolated parakeet's main everyday diet should be a formulated small-parakeet pellet as the base, with a daily serving of chopped leafy greens and vegetables and small amounts of fruit. Linnies are calm, gentle birds with a tendency to gain weight, so a seed-led bowl is exactly the wrong foundation, however much…
A kakariki's main everyday diet should combine a small-parakeet seed blend and formulated pellets, offered partly scattered for ground foraging, with daily leafy greens, vegetables and a little fruit. This restless New Zealand parakeet spends its wild day scratching on the ground for seed and shoots, so a single…
A hill mynah's main everyday diet should be a formulated low-iron softbill pellet, served soft and fresh, alongside a daily bowl of chopped soft fruits and some live or prepared insect food. A mynah is not a seed-eater at all, so the parrot-style seed bowl is the wrong foundation, and its body also handles iron…
A Hahn's macaw's main everyday diet should be a formulated small-macaw pellet, offered as the base of the bowl, with a daily serving of finely chopped vegetables and a little fruit on top. The Hahn's is the smallest macaw, energetic and clever, and an all-seed bowl lets it fill up on fatty favourites while missing the…
A blue-and-gold macaw's main everyday diet should be a quality formulated large-parrot pellet, making up the base of the bowl, with a generous daily serving of chopped vegetables and some fruit alongside it. This big, active macaw needs that pellet base because a seed-and-nut bowl lets her pick out the fatty…
A timneh parrot needs roughly a quarter of a cup of formulated pellets a day, plus a solid bowl of chopped vegetables and leafy greens, with fruit in small pieces and nuts or seed as a measured treat only. Slightly smaller and darker than its Congo cousin, the timneh thrives on routine, so serve the same amounts at…
A superb parrot needs around two tablespoons of a small seed and pellet blend a day, plus daily leafy greens, seeding grasses when available and a modest amount of chopped vegetables. This elegant Australian species feeds largely on the ground and does best on a plain, low-fat ration, so oily seed and nuts stay rare…
A severe macaw needs roughly a quarter to a third of a cup of formulated pellets a day, plus a full bowl of chopped vegetables and some fruit, with a few whole nuts in the shell as the rich extra he works for. This chestnut-fronted mini macaw is busy and strong-beaked for its size, so part of the ration works best…
A regent parrot needs about two tablespoons of a small-parrot seed and pellet blend each day, backed by a daily handful of greens, grass seed heads and chopped vegetables, with rich items like sunflower kept very light. This slim Australian species feeds on the ground in the wild and stays lean on a plainer menu than…
A red-bellied parrot does well on roughly two to three tablespoons of a quality formulated pellet each day, plus a generous small bowl of chopped vegetables and leafy greens, with seed and fruit kept as small extras rather than the base. This stocky African parrot gains weight easily, so measure the morning portion…
A red lory needs fresh nectar substitute offered in at least two freshly mixed servings a day, plus soft fruit such as papaya, mango, apple, and berries, in slightly more generous volume than a smaller lorikeet because of its bigger, more boisterous frame. Like other lories, it has a brush-tipped tongue built for…
A rainbow lorikeet needs fresh nectar substitute available through the day, typically two freshly mixed servings, plus a selection of soft fruits such as mango, papaya, apple, and berries, and edible blossoms when available. This nectar specialist has a brush-tipped tongue and a gut built for liquid food, so seed and…
A princess parrot needs about two to three tablespoons of seed and pellet mix a day, plus a good handful of leafy greens, vegetables, and a little fruit, with part of the ration scattered for ground foraging. This long-tailed Australian parakeet is an active flier and floor feeder, so it does well on slightly more…
A plum-headed parakeet needs about two tablespoons of a small seed and pellet mix a day, plus a tablespoon or two of finely chopped fruit, vegetables, and edible blossoms, offered in two light servings. This dainty Asian parakeet eats delicately and wastes little, so large filled bowls mostly go stale rather than get…
A moustached parakeet needs about a quarter cup of pellets or a quality seed and pellet blend a day, plus a generous serving of chopped fruit and vegetables, divided between morning and evening. This active Asian parakeet thrives when part of the ration is hung or scattered for foraging rather than simply bowled. Keep…
A Meyer's parrot needs about three to four tablespoons of formulated pellets a day, plus a similar volume of chopped vegetables and a small amount of fruit, split into morning and evening meals. This stocky African parrot is calmer and less active indoors than many species its size, so seed mixes and nuts should stay…
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