Is this a good macaw diet???
I am getting a greenwing and I was planning on feeding him a high quality nut mix with zupreem all natural pellets and fruits and veggies with some beak appetit for a night night meal on some days, with some quinoa and 1 new random birdie recipe treat a week. Does this sound good??? I want him to have a great variety of foods.
Congratulations on getting greenwing, the largest pet macaw species. However your proposed diet may seem ok in the short run but long term its not enough. Due to the large amount of feather growth and thickness of the plumage, macaws are one of the few birds which actually need a high fat content in their diet.
I have handreared macaws, and found that a the basic diet should be made up of 60% fruit and veg, like, sweetcorn, brocoli, apple, carrot, soaked and sprouted pulses like beans, and peas, spinach, melon, pomegranate, banana, guava, papaya, fresh chilli peppers which they adore. Then 40% seed mix. I made up my own, and suffered no problems, and due to the content, theres few if any seed husk wastes.
I used sunflower hearts, pumpkin seeds, banana chips, dried chillis, and also a small pellet supplement, which you can either use designed for parrots, or in a small amount a low fat wheat based complete dog food, which carries essential vitamins and minerals and the birds love it.
As treats, corn on the cob, and half pomegranates are fun, and twice a week, try speading a thin layer of honey on a slice of wholemeal brown toast and giving him a square. Cheddar cheese in small cubes once a week add calcium and protein. Do not under any circumstances give them cooked or raw meat bones. Like dogs they can crack the bones and get splinters stuck in their throat. For entertainment, try gathering a few pine cones for him or even as an occassional treat, try getting a bag of pine nuts which they adore.
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