There are many theories and opinions as to what the ideal diet for a granivorous (seed/grain eating) parrot is. Many believe an all pellet diet is the best while others think an all fresh food diet is the best. The following is my opinion and experinces and what works best for my birds.
Before we can decide what is best we need to research as many different theories as possible, and what birds would normally feed on in the wild, then you can make an informed decision.
I feed a diet of a small amount of seed, a daily feeding of a fresh food mix including various veggetables, brown rice, wholemeal pasta, and dryed soup bean mix that has been soaked and boiled for about 20 minutes. I cook large amounts of this mixture and freeze it into daily feeding portions and just defrost one each day.
Suitable veggies include...
carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, capsicum, potato, spinach, corn (either on the cob [excellent for boredome releif] or just the kernals), brussel sprouts, brocolli, cauliflower, all of these should be lightly steamed (exept the capsicum) to help the vitamins become more readily available.
Fruits can be fed to grainivorous parrots but most aren't too fussed on them. I have found strawberries, apple and grapes to be quite popular though.
Nuts can also be fed, be don't feed to many as they are high in fat, my birds just adore nuts and will hold them in their feet and take thier time to eat and enjoy them.
Many people belive that pellets are an excellent diet for birds, i disagree with this. Pellets are not natural and many contain harmfull substances in them. I prefer to steer clear of them.
Nectivorous (pollen and nectar eaters) parrots such as lorikeets need to be supplemented as best as possible, in the wild there natural foods are flowers, berries, fruits etc... There are now some excellent supplements available inculding wet and dry mixes. The dry mix imitating pollen and the wet mix to imitate nectar. Both of them should be provided as directed on the packaging. They also need a daily supply of fresh fruits including strawberries, grapes, banana, apple, rockmelon, mango, etc... Veggetables can also be fed, but i find they prefer fruits.
Seeds should not be fed to nectivorous birds, their digestive sytem is not designed for hard foods as they have un underdevloped gizzard. Luckily most nectivorous birds won't even touch seeds.
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General Care
With any bird that comes out side of it's cage wether it is tame or not, it should have it's wings clipped to prevent it flying into danger, or an open door. Several primary feathers should be trimmed on both wings. If you have never clipped wings before don't attempt this yourself. It is a good idea to take the bird to an avian vet and have them clip them and show you how to do it in the future.
Birds nails should also be trimed regulary so they don't over grow, or scratch you when you are handling them. Clipping a birds claws is just the same as doing a guinea pigs, dogs, or cats. Use a small animal nail clipper and just trim the tip making sure not to cut the blood supply. If you are not comfortable trimming them yourself take your bird to an avian vet and have them do it and show you how to do it.
All birds should be able to bath to keep thier feathers in good condition. You can either supply a bird bath that attatches to the cage, this is good for small birds such as budgies and lovebirds. For larger birds a dish of water can be supplied or you can use a water bottle with a spray mechanism on it and mist your birds with water. If they are started with this when they are young they will usually grow to love it!
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Cages
All pet birds need a cage to live in. But it must be bird 'friendly'. It is sad but many people house birds in very small cages and ones that are potentially dangerous. Birds must have enough room to move freely, flap thier wings without hitting anything and thier tail feathers shouldn't touch the bars when they are perching. This is just the absolute minimum size a bird should have. The ideal sizing would be that your bird has plenty of room move around and excersize, room for some toys etc...
When purchasing a cage it is important to keep in mind the size of bird you are going to keep inside it this will not only determine the length, width and height of the cage but the cage bar width as well. Your bird should not be able to get it's head through the bars and get stuck. Some of the larger birds may also be able to break the bars so a strong wire is needed for large birds such as cockatoos. It is always best to get a cage that is longer rather than tall, tall cages don't allow for much movement other than up and down, long cages allow birds to possibly fly across the cage for excersize. Round cages should not be used, again they don't allow of much movement and excersize but birds like to hide in corners when they are frightened, round cages don't provide for this. It must also be easy to keep clean some cages are badly designed and are hard to maintain. A cage with a slide out tray is best. Alot of cages have grids on the floors, personally i dont like them very much, if you get into a habit of changing the newspaper in the bottom of the cage after you bird has eaten it's fresh food there is no real need for a grid.
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Entertainment
Parrots are intelligent animals and must be kept occupied or they can end up with behavioural problems such as feather plucking and screaming.
Toys that are made with wooden blocks, rope, chains, bells, acrylic peices, large beads etc... are excellent. Bird will spend hours every day chewing and playing with their toys. It is a good idea to have several toys and rotate them every second or third day so they don't get bored with thier toys. It's also a good idea to have some other toys for them to play with when they are outside of their cage that they can chew, and through around. Just mke sure it is safe for them.
Sweet corn on the cob is another excellent way to occupy a parrot for a few hours, there will be a mess to clean up after they have chewed it into a million peices but it keeps them happy.
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