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Pea Pod Playtime

Give your parrot a reason to play with its food! Snow peas and snap peas are a healthy and convenient snack that incorporates foraging and item manipulation!

These types of peas were cultivated with an edible pod, and can be fed cooked or raw- just makes sure they are washed well. Both types are a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron, and a range of B-vitamins. Try offering snap pea pods and snow pea pods whole, halved, by hand during out-of-cage play time, or even skewered on a stainless steel treat/toy kabob.

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Pepper Poppers

This is a fun fresh treat for all kinds of birds. Many African Greys and Cockatoos who hold their food and meticulously eat it bite-by-bite will have a blast.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp corn (cut from a cob or canned)
  • 2 tbsp finely diced tomato
  • 2 tbsp cooked black beans
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
  • a squeeze of lime juice (you can even add a tsp of lime zest!)
  • 4-5 fresh jalapenos

    • Directions:

    1. If using canned corn, strain and rinse. Also, strain and rinse cooked black beans.
    2. Wash all peppers. There are 2 ways to stuff the peppers. The first way is to cut off the top and carefully cut or scrape out as much of the insides as you can. This will make more space for the filling. The second method is the cut down the length of the pepper on one side, and you can squeeze the top and the bottom toward each other to gently open the cut and scrape out the insides.
    3. In a small bowl, add the corn, tomato, beans, and cilantro. Add a squeeze of lime juice and mix together.
    4. Fill the peppers and feed!

    Wash hands well after handling peppers and avoid touching your face. REMEMBER, parrot pepper-kisses can be spicy!

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    Why Birds Make “Soup”

    Have you every changed your birds’ water dish only to find it cloudy with with pellets, food, and bits of toy floating around an hour later? Or maybe you’ve watched your parrot drop food in its water? You are not alone. Many owners refer to this as “Birdy Soup” and quite a few species do this- particularly conures, caiques, eclectus, and cockatoos.

    Some birds take food over piece by piece, others by the mouthful. Some birds eat the food right away, other let it soak and expand. One idea behind this behavior is that the water softens the foods, making large pieces easier to swallow and less abrasive as they don’t have saliva like humans do to help coat food and move it down their esophagus.

    Many birds are observed doing this even with soft fruits and vegetables, leading some to suggest it is for cleaning purposes.

    It could be a learned behavior and some birds just enjoy the new taste or texture!

    Because food and pellets spoil when wet, it is important to change the water frequently if you have a parrot that makes “soup”. The natural sugars can encourage bacterial growth causing it to foul drinking water over the course of a day.

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    Birdy Ambrosia

    This sweet ambrosia recipe can be made two ways! It can be served as a mash and fed warm, or it can be rolled into balls and baked for a less-gooey bite-sized treat that can be held in little birdy feet.

    Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup uncooked rice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 orange
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tbsp chopped pecans
  • 1 tbsp shredded coconut (unsweetened)
  • 1 tbsp chopped dried cherries
  • 1 tbsp chopped diced dried pineapple

    • Directions:

    1. To make Ambrosia Balls, preheat oven to 350′ F. If feeding as Ambrosia Mash, you do not need to use the oven.
    2. In a medium pot, add water and the juice of 1 orange and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover pot, and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook approximately 20 minutes, or as directed on rice package. An extra tablespoon or two of water may be necessary to keep rice from drying out.
    3. The cooked rice should equal approximately 1 cup, place this into a medium mixing bowl.
    4. Mash the banana and stir into the warm rice. Add in the pecans, shredded coconut, and chopped dried fruit and stir together until evenly mixed. At this point, you can feed out the mash once it has cooled down. For Ambrosia Balls, continue to step 5.
    5. Place a sheet of wax paper on a baking tray. Using a spoon, scoop out a bit of mash and roll into 1″ balls. Bake for 25 minutes, then let cool before serving.