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Feed your lovebird once a day, one tablespoon of pellet food. Look for premium pellets designed for lovebirds that don’t contain any additives or preservatives. While 70% of your bird’s diet should consist of pellets, you should also feed it 30% of fruits and vegetables, like broccoli, bananas, apples, and carrots, as these foods contain the nutrients your bird needs. Give your lovebird small nuts as a treat in addition to its regular diet, such as acorns, hazelnuts, and brazil nuts. Continue reading for additional advice from our veterinary co-author, such as how to hand-feed young lovebirds!
Reader Success Stories
- Ann Marie “In my two palm trees in Mesa, Arizona, I have at least twenty wild peach-faced lovebirds.” wanted to know what kinds of vegetables and fruits I could give them three or four times a week. Thanks for the help. Great info. “. ” more .
The most often overlooked aspect of caring for a pet bird is nutrition. All too frequently, owners mistakenly believe they are giving their bird a healthy diet when in reality, they are not Poor nutrition is a common source of many health problems. It’s critical to keep working to make your bird’s diet better. This calls for reading, closely analyzing, and integrating the data in addition to applying some “common sense.” Above all, discuss nutrition with your veterinarian!.
A bird would naturally eat small stones, gravel, or grit whenever it pleased in the wild. This is to aid in the mechanical digestion of seeds. The necessity of it in captivity is debatable, particularly in light of specially designed diets. Providing a tiny quantity in a different dish will let the bird determine whether it needs it or not. Never put gravel on the cage’s bottom since that will force the bird to eat it from its “toilet,” which is the dirtiest area of the cage. Charcoal-infused gravel is said to absorb specific vitamins from the digestive system, rendering them inaccessible to the bird. White oyster shell may be part of some gravel mixes. Some sick birds will eat inappropriate amounts of grit. If irregular or excessive consumption is witnessed, consult your veterinarian.
As a guideline, most Lovebirds can be maintained on 1. Depending on the size of the bird, 5 to 2 level “measure” teaspoons of seeds should be added daily to a shallow dish per bird. To guarantee that the birds at the bottom of the “pecking order” have an opportunity to eat, separate dishes should be used for each Lovebird if there are multiple birds in the cage. This may not be possible in a flock situation. If there are any seeds remaining in the dish at the end of the day, it may indicate that there were initially too many seeds offered. A balanced diet should only contain a small amount of seeds.
Much has been written about supplementation; if your bird is eating a great diet, does it need extra vitamins, minerals, or amino-acids? The powdered supplements are often regarded as more stable. Blend these items with water, or better yet, put them straight on wet food. It is of little use to sprinkle these powders over seeds or dried foods because they will eventually sink to the bottom of the serving dish. It is suggested that a bird consuming 20752075E2%80%9380% of its diet in the form of formulated or pelleted food might not require supplements. At different stages of a bird’s life, certain vitamins or minerals may be more crucial than others (e g. egg laying requires calcium supplementation). Your veterinarian can assist you in determining the diet and specific requirements of your bird.
All of your bird’s nutritional needs can be satisfied with the development of pellets, crumble, and hand-feeding mashes. There are various formulations available to address specific diseases and life stages. Starting hand-reared babies on a pelleted diet is the most convenient option. It is recommended that “seed eating” birds be gradually transitioned to a pelleted diet since pellets are the best diet.
FAQ
How do you feed lovebirds?
Can you overfeed lovebirds?
What do lovebirds need to survive?