[Milatheparrotlet]

Hi,
My sister went to the vet with her parrotlet (Miko) recently. She brought up his diet among other things (Miko mainly eats seeds and is very picky with fruit and veggies). The vet told her that she could feed him spaghetti bolognese and pancake since parrots are omnivores. I thought this was strange advice, considering not all ingredients used in these are healthy for parrotlets (butter, onion, salt etc.).

Do any of you give their parrots these types of food? Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I want to make sure I don't give him something harmful.
Thank you!

 

[rizzie5022]

I used to feed my guy what ever we were eating in tiny amounts. I made sure not to include things that are not allowed, but he would go crazy over some meat, he especially loved salmon

 

[HarryTheParrotlet]

Harry loves pasta but I generally keep noodles separate from the sauce for her because of the sauce contents. She has found her own work arounds on occasion. Check out this video on double hot spicy chicken noodles:

Harry licking spicy sauce!

This is before I confirmed her sex 😉.

And here some ciabatta bread.

Ciabatta bread

 

[Anya]

I think diversity is a good thing when it comes to feeding our birds, but I am surprised that a vet (was it an avian vet?) suggested feeding birds Spaghetti Bolognese and pancakes. When is anything high in sodium and sugar good for our birds? Some recipes for Spaghetti Bolognese require heavy cream and wine. I give my bird plain wheat spaghetti occasionally. Sometimes I will mix some chopped tomato or mix it is the chop. That is okay. We do need to be careful what we offer our birds because the truth is birds are healthier if they are not eating processed foods. Just because a bird likes something does not mean it is good for them. There are vets out there that believe our birds have not evolved enough to eat processed foods and that our birds’ nutritional needs are basically the same as their cousins in the wild. Our birds are not domesticated animals so that makes perfect sense to me. I certainly hope the vet suggested other things besides spaghetti and pancakes! To each their own, I guess, but I personally would never offer these to Pugsley. Not no way. Not no how.

 

[Bigboy]

Bigboy loved chicken. But I always felt really weird whenever he ate it. He didn't do all that damage to that wing by the way. But he would have if I let him.LOL

 

[vkelman]

The vet told her that she could feed him spaghetti bolognese and pancake

That vet is obviously not the Aviary veterinarian and doesn't know anything about parrots. He / she should not give advices on parrot diet and frankly should be disqualified for irresponsible advices.

My parrotlet also loves to try what I'm eating and in particular is attracted to boiled eggs and to chicken meat. To give them boiled eggs, the white chicken meat or some piece of spaghetti without any sugar, salt, milk products, fats, oils or sauce, unfrequently and in a very small amount is OK. But definitely not what was said by that crazy vet.

Ups: look at what Dr Jason Crean is saying anything at Dr Jason Crean, Consultant and on @drjasoncrean | Linktree

 

[kiki and me]

I usually give kiki little bits of salmon, sweet potato,rice or bread. She doesn't seem to like fruits or veggies anymore but I do buy quality seeds and pellets.

 

[Milatheparrotlet]

Thank you for your replies! It was strange because she is certified as an avian vet. We will 'cook' seperate dishes for him with only parrot-friendly ingredients (no butter, salt etc).

 

[ginziputzi]

I am a little late to the discussion but I can say I have always fed Kiwi what we are eating provided it is healthy for birds. That includes small pieces of meat and fish and plain pasta. This is balanced with pellets and fresh veggies and fruit. I have given her small pieces of pancake on the rare occasion we have the, but no maple syrup or butter. She was never that interested in it - she prefers small pieces of whole grain toast over pancakes. I have had to limit her intake of bread though - she has twice had some yeast issues that the vet thinks could be associated with bread. During my last avian vet visit, I was told that there are new studies coming out about the effect of feeding animal proteins to birds and there is some suggestion to can contribute to heart issues not dissimilar to humans. This has not changed what I feed Kiwi but it was something to note and discuss with your avian vet. I think it is always a question of moderation and common sense - too much of anything is never advisable.

 

[GrandmaLil]

Your Kiwi is the older lady isn’t she? If she is, we all aspire to keep our babies as healthy as you have kept Kiwi. The main thing I have to be careful of is Pip’s incredible love for certain nuts and for peanuts. If he sees me with the peanut bowl (in the shell and unsalted of course) he comes running! Ever try shelling peanuts with a bird sitting in you palm eating his? It’s not easy. Lol
i totally agree with using moderation. I usually give him a little of what I’m having at a meal as long as it’s not harmful, and I occasionally weigh him just to make sure he isn’t gaining weight.
Anyone Else have the issue that no matter what you offer them, they have to hop over and look into your dish to make sure You aren’t having something they want too?

 

[ginziputzi]

Your Kiwi is the older lady isn’t she? If she is, we all aspire to keep our babies as healthy as you have kept Kiwi. The main thing I have to be careful of is Pip’s incredible love for certain nuts and for peanuts. If he sees me with the peanut bowl (in the shell and unsalted of course) he comes running! Ever try shelling peanuts with a bird sitting in you palm eating his? It’s not easy. Lol
i totally agree with using moderation. I usually give him a little of what I’m having at a meal as long as it’s not harmful, and I occasionally weigh him just to make sure he isn’t gaining weight.
Anyone Else have the issue that no matter what you offer them, they have to hop over and look into your dish to make sure You aren’t having something they want too?

Yes - lol - Kiwi is the older lady. She turns 19 on April 1st, little stinker. 💚 Thank you for your very kind words.

Keeping an eye on their weight is an excellent suggestion. I always forget that useful piece of advice but it is so helpful in monitoring their health generally. A drop in weight is also a signal that something might be going on.

I laughed out at your comment about them checking out your plate to see if you’re holding back! Absolutely a Kiwi-ism, especially if I offer her veggies and she smells meat. Lol!