The daily diet
What should a parrot eat every day?
The rough share of each food, by kind of bird. Where no source names a bird, we say so.
| Bird | Pellets | Vegetables | Fruit | Seeds and nuts | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds | about 40–50% | about 10–15% | about 5–10% | Measured seed mix, about 30–40% | Merck names these birds |
| Parrotlets | about 40–50% | about 10–15% | about 5–10% | Measured seed mix, about 30–40% | Our starting point. No source names parrotlets, so this uses Merck’s pattern for most small birds |
| Conures, quakers, caiques, ringnecks | about 75–80% | about 15–20%, counted with fruit | Counted with vegetables | Strictly limited | Our starting point, from a University of Florida pattern for parrots of all sizes |
| Amazons, African greys, cockatoos, macaws | about 80% | about 10–15% | about 5–10% | Occasional treats or training | Merck says “larger parrots”. Placing these birds there is our choice |
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, Management of Pet Birds · University of Florida Small Animal Hospital
How to read these shares
The shares mean what your bird actually eats, not what goes in the bowl. A bowl can look full and hold only empty seed hulls or crushed pellets. No source says whether a share is by weight or by volume, so do not turn them into grams.
They are for weaned birds. Your avian vet may set a different mix, and here is how to find an avian vet.
Source: NC State University · Merck Veterinary Manual
Canaries and finches
Merck gives no shares for them, so ask your avian vet. It does say most seed mixes on sale fall short on vitamins and some amino acids, and many vets recommend pellets as a consistent option. Canaries and finches should have soluble grit, such as oyster shell or cuttlebone, as a calcium source.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, Nutrition in Passerines
Eclectus
We found no diet source that names eclectus, so we give no shares for them here. Ask your avian vet.
Lories and lorikeets
These birds eat nectar in the wild, so they need special nectar food. Change it often, because it can spoil quickly. Pellets are not their base. Avoid pellets with a lot of iron, and skip citrus.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, Feeding a Pet Bird
Honest ranges
How much of a parrot’s diet should be pellets?
The short answer
Most sources put larger parrots near 75–80% pellets. For budgies, cockatiels and lovebirds they pull apart, and more pellets is not always better: the AAV warns that small parrots, especially budgies, and also parrotlets, lovebirds and cockatiels, can have kidney problems on pellets alone.
So measure the seed rather than leaving it out free-choice, and let your avian vet set the mix. See who says what in pellets vs seeds.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual · AAV, Basic Care for Companion Birds · University of Florida
Seeds
Why is an all-seed diet bad for parrots?
A bowl of seed is not a balanced diet
Birds pick out the tastier seeds and nuts and ignore the pellets, so a mixed bowl does not mean a mixed diet. Seeds are short of vitamin A, protein and calcium. Peanuts, sunflower seeds and safflower seeds are 30–50% fat.
Over time the signs can include runny nostrils, sneezing, swollen eyes, poor feathers or soft bones. Those belong with an avian vet, and hard breathing is an emergency.
Do not take the seed away overnight. Birds can starve rather than switch. Follow the slow method in how to switch a bird to pellets, and read pellets vs seeds for the trade-offs.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual · NC State University · Hess et al., Vet Rec 2002
Day to day
Fresh food, treats and how much to feed
What vegetables and fruit can parrots eat?
Offer small amounts of fresh vegetables and fruit each day, once you know your bird is eating their pellets. Dark green and orange vegetables are named for vitamin A. Iceberg lettuce and celery are mostly water, so limit them. High-sugar fruit is dessert. Not every food is safe, and avocado is a known danger, so check anything new first.
Fresh food goes off. Our own advice, because no source gives hours for raw food: take away uneaten raw fresh food within a few hours, sooner in a warm room, and always before bedtime. Take away cooked food within one hour, which is the AAV’s limit.
A homemade complete diet should be developed with a professional nutritionist. A chopped mix is an addition to the base food, never a complete diet.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual · Purdue University · Texas A&M · NC State · AAV
Do treats count?
Yes, always. Treats, seeds and table food are all part of the day’s food. Purdue’s guide reserves the last 5% of the diet for dessert, the one figure we found. Seeds and nuts can be training rewards, so keep the pieces small and count them.
Source: Purdue University · Merck Veterinary Manual
How much should I feed my bird a day?
No veterinary source we trust gives owners a gram amount for any companion species, so we will not invent one, and we give no calorie plan. To learn what your own bird eats, weigh the food you give, then weigh what is left after 24 hours. Do this for 7 days and show your vet.
Watch your bird’s weight over time too, using the bird weight chart. If your bird is overweight, your avian vet can set a measured amount of pellets.
Source: University of Florida · Merck Veterinary Manual
Do some parrots need something different?
- Hyacinth macaws need more fat. Merck says nuts can be 15% of their daily diet. We found no such allowance for other macaws.
- African greys are prone to a sudden drop in blood calcium. Weakness, tremors or seizures need an avian vet at once. Do not feed them a meat-heavy diet: it has caused iron storage disease in greys.
- Macaws, greys and cockatiels seem more at risk from too much vitamin D. No vitamin D supplement unless your avian vet says so.
- Birds eating pellets usually do not need extra vitamins or minerals unless a vet recommends them. Do not add supplements to drinking water.
- Parrots do not need grit.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual · Vetere et al., Front Vet Sci 2025
In ParrotSense
Your bird’s own diet guide
- A daily guide for your bird’s species group, with about-shares of pellets, vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts
- A “starting point” label where no source names your bird, and “ask your avian vet” where no share exists
- A mix check: move three sliders to your bird’s rough mix and read a plain comparison, with no score
- Special needs for your species, and signs linked to diet with what to do about each
- A fresh-mix builder that stays honest: an addition, never a complete diet
Launching first on iPhone and iPad, with Android and Amazon soon after.
Questions
Frequently asked
What should I feed my parrot every day?
Can a parrot live on seeds alone?
Should a budgie eat only pellets?
How much fruit can a parrot have?
ParrotSense keeps a diet guide for your own bird’s species group, checks your rough mix in plain words, and counts treats toward the total.
See the diet guide