The parakeets, lovebirds, and finches eat a seed and pellets blend. The pigeons and doves are fed a pigeon and dove seed mix. Ray, the starling has greens, watermelon, mealworms, and ground cat food. I have offered peas, corn, carrots, blueberries, blackberries, mangoes, and many other fruits and vegetables, all of which were left untouched.

All other birds eat pellets, mostly Harrison’s and Zupreem natural. Each day, they are offered fruits and veggies.  It was recommended that Sugar have a beta-carotein rich food every day, so each day, they have squash, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin.

We also make parrot cookies. Recipe below.

Parrot pumpkin cookies recipe:

Ingredients

2 Cups Ground natural pellets (I use Harrison’s)

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

1/2 can water (rinses out the can and adds moisture)

5 to 6 pitted dates soaked in hot water

1/2 cup oats

Cinnamon

Optional Ingredients– flax seed, chopped nuts, chia seeds, etc.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the dates in hot water to soak. Mix the pumpkin with the water from the can. Mix some cinnamon with the ground pellets, and mix them into the pumpkin thoroughly. If you are adding any optional ingredients, put them in now. The amount is up to you. It helps to let this mixture sit for a while so the pellets absorb the pumpkin. Put the dates and oats in a food processor and grind thoroughly. Combine with the pellet pumpkin mixture.

If the mixture is too dry, add more water, or as I do, mix in a bit of applesauce (no sugar, of course). If the mixture is too wet, add more oats or ground pellets.

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and put large spoonfuls of the dough on the paper. Press down with the back of the spoon. As there are no rising agents in this recipe the size and shape of your cookies will be the same coming out of the oven as they are going in.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies. They freeze beautifully.