Birds go bananas for bananas! First, remove the peel and cut each banana in half lengthwise. Then, you can set the fruit on a tree stump or skewer it on a hook. Another idea is to put a few chunks in a mesh bag and watch hummingbirds dart around to eat the fruit flies that gather.
Fruits. Fruits without seeds, like berries, raisins, grapes and mashed bananas can all be offered to the birds on your bird table – and they'll love them!
Soft apples and pears cut in half, bananas and grapes are also good. Some people use soaked dog or cat food and tinned pet foods, but these may attract magpies, crows and cats. Avoid using peanuts, fat and bread at this time, since these can be harmful if adult birds feed them to their nestlings.
Lead and zinc poisoning are the two most common heavy metal toxicities seen in bird patients. These two materials are also frequently found in and around the home environment.
Caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea and soda are tempting to share with your bird, but even a few sips of these beverages can be extremely hazardous to your feathered pal. Caffeine may cause increased heart rate, arrhythmias, hyperactivity and even cardiac arrest in birds.
Cockatoos will love to munch on seeds and nuts but remember they should only account for only a portion of their diet. They also love sweet fruits such as bananas, strawberries, and apples (with the core taken out) which should be 10% of their diets.
Uncooked porridge oats are also fine for a number of birds. Warning: never cook porridge oats, this makes them glutinous and could harden around a bird's beak.
Typically birds like to eat early in the morning so that is when they will be looking for food. Your bird feeder should be full at dawn so the birds will find it first thing when they are searching. If you don't want to get up before dawn to fill your bird feeder you can fill it the night before.
Fruit Pits & Apple Seeds
While diced apple is OK for pet birds, the apple seeds contain cyanide and should always be removed prior to feeding apple to your bird. Pits from cherries, plums, apricots, and peaches also contain cyanide, so never allow your bird to chew on them.
Black oil sunflower seed appeals to the greatest number of birds. Offer sunflower seeds, nyjer (thistle) seeds, and peanuts in separate feeders. When using blends, choose mixtures containing sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn—the three most popular types of birdseed.
Berries and small fruits, including blueberries, raspberries, currants, blackberries, mulberries, beautyberries, serviceberries, sumac, holly, juniper, and viburnum are especially popular with many birds. Birds also enjoy other fruits such as oranges, plums, apples, grapes, cherries, crabapples, and prickly pear.
Bananas are a particularly good source of minerals like potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. All these nutrients are beneficial to squirrels.
Banana peels are sometimes used as feedstock for cattle, goats, pigs, monkeys, poultry, rabbits, fish, zebras and several other species, typically on small farms in regions where bananas are grown. There are some concerns over the impact of tannins contained in the peels on animals that consume them.
Fact is, rice cooked or uncooked won't hurt wild birds at all. The rumor is that uncooked rice hits the bird's tummy and then swells causing its stomach to explode. It's simply not true. It's not hot enough in a bird's stomach to actually “cook” the rice.
Cheese. Mild grated cheese is a favourite with robins, dunnocks, blackbirds and song thrushes. It will also help wrens if you place it under hedgerows and other areas in your garden where you've noticed them feeding.
Birds need fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing. Most birds drink water every day. They also seem to enjoy bathing to clean their plumage and remove parasites. Providing water improves habitat for birds and other animals, and increases your chances of observing their fun behaviors up close!
Heatlhy food scraps
A variety of fresh, seasonal fruit should also be made available. For example, apple, melon, grapes, citrus, pawpaw, banana, mango, lychee, stone fruit. Some vegetables can be offered, however, the lorikeets will tend to overfeed on sweet corn, so don't overdo it.
Never feed your Sulphur Crested Cockatoo lettuce or avocado, and always remove the seeds from apples. Fruit and vegetables should not be left for prolonged periods of time as they will easily spoil and this can lead to illness from the bacteria and yeasts that grow on spoilt produce.
Toxic foods and foods to avoid giving parrots
Cassava (tapioca) Caffeine. Dairy products. Onion, garlic, scallions.
For one thing, they don't have cheeks and lips! With a few exceptions, birds lack the ability to suction liquid into their throats, as horses do. Most birds drink by filling their bill with water—often from morning dew on leaves—then tilting their head back, using gravity to send the liquid into their digestive tract.
Eating bread can be deadly for birds.
With no calories to metabolize to stay warm or provide energy to evade predators. For a small bird, this can lead to tragedy very quickly. A Black-capped Chickadee can freeze to death overnight, with its stomach full of bread.
Can I Feed Ice Cream to My Pet Parrot? Pet parrots can eat ice cream in moderation. Be sure to only offer plain vanilla ice cream and avoid over-feeding them with sugary treats. As a pet bird owner, it's your responsibility to provide your bird with a healthy diet that is full of nutritious foods.