African Grey Diet
Hi Doc. I
have an African Grey that is 3 years old. I've had him since 3 months
old. I'm concerned about his eating. No matter what I buy him, he
wants nothing to do with anything but sunflower seeds. He will eat grapes
and apples if I hand feed it to him. How do I get him to eat a more
varied diet, short of starving him?
It is wise
to be concerned about his diet. Sunflower seeds are very
non-nutritious, and full of fat in the form of oil. African Greys eat
fruits, leaves, insects, bark and flowers in the wild. In captivity,
they should eat a varied diet of fruits, vegetables supplimented with
some seeds and nuts. Rice, beans, corn, tortillas, pasta, potatoes,
bread and cooked chicken are healthy foods for Greys. They also need
extra calcium supplimentation, so add bones, oyster shell, and cuttle
bones to the diet. Now, the difficult task of getting him to eat his
new diet. It is not appropriate to starve birds into eating what you
desire. Instead, you need to appeal to their playfullness and
curiosity. Texture and presentation are often more important than
taste. Try cutting carrots and brocolli stems into silver dollar sized
slices, then stringing together and hanging the string in the
bird's cage. Try stuffing rice and beans into rolled cardboard and
taping them to the cage. Make the bird want to destroy things. Food is
fun. Mix the desired foods with the seeds, making him have to dig
through to find what he wants. Gradually decrease the percentage of
sunflower seeds over several weeks. Some people have had luck with the
pelleted bird diets- worth a try.
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