Bird Comfort Foods

Warm soft foods, like oatmeal, can work as a vehicle to help give your bird medication or supplements.

Here are  some comfort food suggestions of varying densities. (In each category, commercial bird food is listed first, followed by human foods that are also good bird comfort foods.)

Warm soft foods (use sparingly): 1 Baby bird feeding formula; 2 human baby foods, especially soft cereals; 3 soft fruits, like mashed ripe bananas and applesauce; 4 strained or soft veggies, such as peas, yams or squash;  5  rice and well-cooked dried pinto or kidney beans. These foods also work as a vehicle for medication or supplements. Watch the temperature on these foods to avoid burns or even death. Test it like you would infant’s food before offering it to your bird.

Firmer foods (rotated daily): 6 Pelleted bird food; 7 medium-density whole-grain breads; 8 organic graham crackers; 9 cooked vegetables such as green beans or carrots; 10 fruits such as banana chunks, grapes or orange slices

Firmest foods (rotated daily): 11 Unsalted nuts; 12 seed mixes; 13 whole-wheat crackers, 14 unsalted rice cakes; 15 firm whole-grain breads; 16 non-sugary cereals; 17 harder fruits such as apples; and 18 vegetables such as raw peas in the pod, green beans, carrot sticks or slices.