Zoo database

African grey parrot

Psittacus erithacus

Natural diet African grey parrot

Grey parrots are herbivorous birds that primarily consume fruits, seeds, nuts, and vegetables. They use their strong beaks to crack open nuts and seeds. In the wild, grey parrots often forage in large flocks for food.

Fruits
Fruits
Grain / seeds
Grain / seeds

Feeding advice African grey parrot

Feed quantity per day

10-15%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 0,5 kg and eats 10% of its body weight, it will get
 
0,5 x 0,1 = 0,05 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

60% Concentrates
40% Other vegetables

Proportions (fresh product)

0,6 x 0,05 kg = 30 g concentrates
0,4 x 0,05 kg = 20 g other vegetables

Diet Suggestions

Recommended

Concentrates

Variety of vegetables

Soluble grit

In moderation

Nuts and seeds

Not recommended

Fruits

Avocado

Bread

Common diseases

An unbalanced diet may result in one of these more commonly occurring diseases/conditions:

  • Calcium deficiency
  • Vitamin A deficiency
  • Obesity

Additional advice

  • Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least two feeding moments per day.
  • Vegetables should be cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • Supplement the diet with ad libitum soluble grit as a source of calcium (read more about grit).
  • Insoluble grit is not required if they go outside, as they will ingest small stones.
  • Avoid feeding bread and other high starch products as this may cause gastro-intestinal disturbances.
  • Although present in their natural diets, feeding fruits might lead to gastro-intestinal disturbances because of the high sugar level and low fiber level in cultivated fruits compared to wild fruits (read more about nutritional values of (wild) fruits and vegetables).
  • Stimulate foraging behaviour by using feeding puzzles and scatter feeding (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).