by Chris McMaster

Created on: August 05, 2011   Last Updated: August 09, 2011

Taking care of a Pionus Parrot can be a daunting task. Just like people, they require a balanced diet to ensure a long, healthy lifespan. It may seem confusing, as some foods that your parrot will enjoy can harm or even kill them. In addition, there’s the threat of over-feeding your pet, which is just as dangerous as not feeding them enough. Fear not, with a little research you'll find that taking care of these beautiful birds is both easy and affordable. A good ratio of variety for your parrot is 50% grain, pellets and cereal, 30% vegetables, 10% fruit and 10% nuts. 

What to feed a Pionus Parrot

Grains, cereal and pellets can be an excellent source of carbohydrates, vitamins and protein, and should be the majority of your parrots daily feeding. Grains such as oats, whole wheat, and granola have excellent nutritional value and are loved by birds. Cooked grains, like rice, plain cereal and whole wheat are also excellent foods. Pellets can be terrible, and they can be amazing, depending on the brand. Some brands of pellets, usually the cheap ones, are empty calories which are useless to birds like the parrot, which require a complex diet. Others like Roudybush have fantastic nutritional value and are excellent, even necessary, to your parrot’s diet. Either way, be sure to factor in what the nutritional value of a pellet is when feeding your parrot, so there aren't any deficiencies.

Vegetables and fruit should make up a large portion of a parrot’s diet, but fruits should be more of a treat, as they’re sugary and not as healthy. Parrots cannot process sugar and salt as well as humans, so fruit such as grapes, melon and strawberries should be given in small amounts, despite how much your parrot will most likely love them. Vegetables, however, are both loved by parrots and extremely healthy for them. Try to keep a good balance of vitamins with broccoli, carrots, peas (with their shoots on for extra nutrition), and squash. Many human dietitians recommend a variety of colors in a person’s vegetable diet, and the same applies to your parrot. The birds can be finicky eaters, so if they refuse to eat a certain veggie, you can look up an alternative with similar nutritional value.

Nuts and seeds are a mixed bag. With nuts, salt and seasoning should be avoided, instead look for whole, unseasoned nuts to feed your parrot. Almonds and walnuts are high in both unsaturated fats and protein which are great for your parrot; however, parrots

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