What Should Parrots Eat Daily? A Complete Guide to Balanced Parrot Nutrition

When it comes to feeding your parrot, there’s a lot of confusion out there, and plenty of conflicting advice. But after years of research, hands-on experience, and trial and error with my own birds, I’ve found that the best diet is one that’s varied, balanced, and as close to nature as possible.

A healthy parrot diet isn’t about one “perfect food.” It’s about building a daily routine that offers a wide range of nutrients, supports gut health, and keeps your bird engaged and satisfied.

Morning meal for a parrot: Fresh, Raw, and Full of Colour

I always recommend starting the day with fresh food. Think mostly vegetables, chopped small and appropriate for your bird’s size, with a little fruit depending on the season or your bird’s individual needs. Some days I skip fruit entirely, especially with hormonal birds or those prone to sugar highs.

You can also add soaked or sprouted seeds to the morning bowl, these are far more nutritious and digestible than dry seeds and are a great source of enzymes, protein and natural energy. Soaked seeds are a living food and are little pockets of rocket fuel for the gut.

Aim for variety over time rather than stressing about packing it all into one bowl, each week mix the ingredients up to provide variety. Raw is best for most vegetables, but lightly steaming tougher options like sweet potato or pumpkin can make them easier to digest and more appealing.

Here are some great options to rotate through:

Raw courgette, kale, cauliflower, or broccoli

Leafy greens like dandelion, spinach, or fresh herbs

Colourful veg like beetroot, carrot, cucumber or peppers

A few berries or a slice of apple if appropriate

Avoid avocado, onion, chocolate, and anything processed, those are a no for parrots.

Evening meal for a parrot: Dry Mixes, Seeds, and Pellets (But Only the Good Stuff)

In the evening, I move to a drier bowl, this can be a combination of high-quality pellets and dry mix, or a seed mix paired with a dry mix if pellets aren’t part of your bird’s routine.

A lot of commercial pellets are basically just processed seeds with a few extras added. So instead of relying heavily on them, I prefer offering our Soothing Dry Mix and Soothing Seed Mix, they give your bird the nutrition those pellets are trying to replicate, but in a more natural, recognisable form, whilst offering enrichment and foraging opportunity.

What’s in our Soothing Dry Mix?

This blend is packed with freeze-dried vegetables, gut-supporting herbs, and gentle botanicals like chamomile and dandelion root. There are colourful flowers, bee pollen, seaweed, and even fermented ingredients like sauerkraut for natural probiotic support. It’s designed to support your parrot’s digestion, mood, and overall health.

What’s in our Soothing Seed Mix?

This seed mix contains a diverse range of seeds and tiny botanicals like lavender, nigella, caraway, and milk thistle. It's sunflower-free, low in sugars, and without the high-fat fillers that can overstimulate birds. Perfect for hormonal seasons, or birds who do better on a calmer, more grounding mix. And of course, always human grade ingredients. 

Together, these two products cover everything you’d want from a pellet or “complete diet”, but in whole-food form. You can serve them dry, or lightly soak the dry mix for extra hydration and texture. Dry mixes from The Aviary Parrot Food are complementary to a varied and diverse, parrot-safe diet, which can also include a high quality pellet.

Keep parrot diet varied and healthy

Your parrot’s body isn’t built to eat the same bowl of pellets every day for life. In the wild, they’d be foraging from dozens of different sources throughout the year. Variety matters, the seasons matter. Not just for health, but for happiness too.

So mix it up. Watch what your bird loves, but don’t cater to picky behaviour. Keep trying new textures, colours, and flavours. And most importantly, choose foods that support both body and brain.

If you’re not sure where to start, our Dry Mix range was created exactly for that reason, to offer an easy, natural, bird-safe way to support your parrot's daily needs, while keeping mealtimes interesting and beneficial.