Bird Food

Feeding

A quality, prepared seed mix fortified with vitamins and minerals will provide a balanced diet for your bird and give it the best chance of a long, healthy life. A poorly balanced diet may cause obesity and a shortened lifespan.

Feed just enough seed mix for your bird to consume entirely in one day. The seed mix can then be supplemented by small amounts of greens such as lettuce, groundsel, chickweed, dandelion or grated carrot. Orange, apple, honey seed-bars and millet spray make good treats. Never feed treats containing caffeine or chocolate. Cuttlebones are popular and provide a good source of calcium and help keep your bird's beak worn down.

When introducing your bird to new foods, do so gradually over 7 - 14 days as sudden changes of diet can cause stomach upsets. It is important to be sure the bird is eating the new food and not just pushing it around looking for the old food. If he is not eating he may become listless or hyperactive, he may sit with fluffed up feathers on the cage bottom and may have loose droppings. If these signs persist, reintroduce the old food and if he does not start eating again, consult your vet.

There must always be a supply of clean fresh water from a container and a supply of grit which birds require to digest their food.

What do I like to eat?

Seed

A bird's basic diet should consist of a good quality seed mix formulated specifically for that type of bird; this will need changing daily along with their water supply.

Egg Food

Egg food is a very high protein promoting healthy feather growth and is particularly important whilst your bird is moulting. Canaries are particularly susceptible to stress caused by the moult during the summer months so it is wise to offer smaller species of egg food every day. Egg food can be fed on its own either dry or moistened or alternatively it can be added to their main seed supply.

Millet

Millet sprays provide your bird with the millet they would find in the wild as well as providing great entertainment as they peck off the seeds. This natural treat should always be made available and is particularly enjoyed by finches and canaries.

Cuttlefish and Grit

Cuttlefish bones should always be available to provide your bird with Calcium, an essential supplement; birds need grit to aid their digestion and to break down whole seeds.

Iodine

Budgies particularly have a very high requirement for iodine that is essential for their bodies to function normally. Iodine is available in block and liquid form.

Fresh fruit and vegetables

All birds benefit from small amounts of fresh fruit or green foods. Broccoli, apples, salad cress and grapes are good examples of foods to try but there are many others. Whatever you try it should be washed thoroughly and removed before it has chance to spoil. We recommend that you spend a little time reading about different foods in books that are devoted to the type of bird you keep. Not only will this help you avoid things that are dangerous, such as avocados, it will give you many other simple options and techniques that hobbyists have been using for many years.

Click here to view our selection of bird food and treats