Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Brenda R. relates

 

George is 18 yo large B/G kept in the family room.

 

Do I give him a majority of pellets or seed?

 

Catherine replied:

 

Dear Brenda,

 

A varied diet is always the best. All pellets nope, all seeds, nope, all veggies and fruits nope. A variety of them all daily, yep.

 

Your 18 yo Blue & Gold macaw parrot at 18 can live another 20-30 years if allowed lots of playtimes, room to move around, and flap its wings.

 

Every morning our birds get a dish of cut-up apple, thawed frozen mixed veggies, and various add-ins like kale, green beans, small bits of egg.

 

Even a small piece of toast is appreciated. 90% of all of it gets nibbled and dropped, but the variety means everything to extend the bird’s life.

 

The fresh foods can only be left in a cage for a few hours, less in the warmer months to avoid spoilage.

 

Dry foods like pellets, seeds, nuts, dried fruits can be left a day or two, but be sure to toss them after 2 days at most, because even the tastiest, most expensive pellets will be stale and of no interest by day 3.

 

Does your bird rake through its seed dish and make a huge mess?

 

Frustrating for sure.

 

If so, consider going with a seed mix that does not contain sunflower seeds. We don’t feel that sunflower seeds are harmful, yes, they are fatty, so are most seeds, which does not make seeds bad as they contain the needed fats and nutrients required for good skin and feathers.

 

 

But sunflower seeds are more attractive and sweeter than other seeds so they will push everything aside in hope of finding one more in their dish.

 

By not having them in the mix to start with, they won’t rake so much and settle in and eat more of the mix.

 

We enjoy these two products that serve our birds well.

 

Higgins Safflower Gold Parrot is a safflower seed-based mix with added foods plus Higgins Intune Pellets.

 

They do offer a Macaw sized pellet, but only in an 18 lb bag or in the Higgins Intune Harmony Macaw 3 lb bags that also contain bits of dried veggies and fruits.

 

A dish of pellets and a dish of a seed mix can be a very good basis for your bird’s daily diet.

 

For a more robust Macaw-sized seed mix without sunflower seeds (again, a safflower seed-based seed mix), consider Volkman Super Macaw which has a great mix of seeds, nuts, and dried fruits.

 

These are just a few suggestions.

 

If you would like more, please let me know.

 

Kindest regards,

 

Catherine