Dear Parrots magazine,
The best for our birds
I think it is safe to say that we all want is to give the best food to our birds, as they are in a captive environment and cannot choose and select as they would in the wild. This makes it so important that we feed good nutritious food and where possible, food that encourages them to forage, which is a natural instinct they have.
We all live in different homes and under different conditions, which in some cases makes it difficult to source the best foods that are available.
As with us humans, fruit and vegetables are the best for us as they contain lots of important nutrition. I have two Senegal parrots and will never skimp on price, as only want the best for my birds. I have stainless steel kebab type skewers, which I make up with fresh fruit and vegetables every day, and wherever possible will always pick organic. Skewers not only provide a good variety of food, but can provide fun, activity and foraging to keep their minds active.
I am lucky that I have a reasonably sized garden and grow lots of vegetables, which can span much of the year. Beetroot, runner beans, cabbage, spinach, sweetcorn and carrots, which are organic as I enrich the soil with well rotted manure. As well as my family who enjoy their vegetables, so do my Senegals, which are always put first. But, of course not everybody have the facilities to grow vegetables or even have a garden, however, much can be achieved by growing in pots or even on a balcony. So, why not take a look online to see the many different varieties of vegetables that can be grown in confined situations.
Allison Reader, by email