Vegetables

Getting parrots to eat vegetables can be a challenge. Not always -- there are birds out there who are like garbage disposals and will eat anything presented to them. Others react in such a way you'd think that zucchini might poison instead of nourish them.

Just like with humans, veggies are an important part of a healthy parrot's diet. At the Center, we try to feed the parrots a variety of vegetables so that they get plenty of essential nutrients.

One way to get picky parrots to eat their vegetables is by food processing them into a mash.

Mash-in-process:
And the completed product:Large batches can be made in advance and frozen. At the Center, we have so many parrots to feed that we usually don't have any left to freeze! But in homes with fewer parrots, this is a great option. Ice cube trays work particularly well for this -- just pop out a square and let it thaw.

One way to introduce mash is by placing it on the food that the parrot already eats. In order to get to his pellets or seed, he'll inadvertently eat some mash -- and discover how delicious it is!