Information Kindly Supplied by Nikki Moustaki

www.goodbird.com

Webster’s Dictionary defines “snack” as a light meal or food eaten between regular meals. The word comes from either the Middle English word snak, to bite, or from the Middle Dutch, snacken, to snap at. Our little feathered friends are certainly well-versed in biting and snapping—and not only at their snacks! But biting isn’t our topic today, unless the biting is done only on the snacks we’re providing for our birds.

Birds eat . . . well, like birds, so snacks are a touchy subject. Everything they consume matters nutritionally for them, because, face it, they’re not consuming a lot in relation to most other animals. Also, birds don’t know the difference between a snack and a meal. When we offer a dog a snack, it’s usually a tidbit or a bone—he won’t mistake it for a full bowl of food. Ever try to give a tidbit to your bird? Depending on the bird’s mood, the tidbit might be eaten, thrown across the room, or dropped unceremoniously through the grill at the bottom of the cage. No, offering birds a snack isn’t about tidbits—it’s about quantity and quality.

Snacks for dogs and cats are easy—just pick up a box of something that looks like bacon or crunchy little fish, and you’re set. Someone else has formulated the nutritional value of these between-meal snacks, and even if they aren’t nutritionally sound, the dog or cat still has its base diet to consume. Most dogs and cats aren’t terribly picky, and even if they are, the owner will eventually be able to find something the animal will eat.

Birds are picky. OK, there are some avian wonders that will eat anything their guardians hand them. Fantastic. But what about the other 99% of us pleading with our parrots to eat the darn broccoli? We’re often at a loss, and left to invent ingenious ways to offer our birds snacks that are both nutritious and fun to eat. Read on to discover the in’s and out’s of bird snacking.

Snack No-no’s

Before we launch into healthy snacks, it’s best to get the snack no-no’s out of the way first. There are definitely things that birds should never snack on, including chocolate, guacamole, or rum cake—these things are yummy for us to eat, but caffeine and alcohol can be toxic to birds. The definitive word isn’t out yet on avocado, though some believe that it can be deadly, and it’s not worth risking for a snack (or anything else, for that matter). PB&J (peanut butter and jelly) is a great snack for a human, but peanuts contain a dangerous toxin, and jelly . . . well, it’s just plain sugary, unless you buy the healthy kind. Sugar in all of its forms is best left out of your bird’s snacks. Sugar is empty calories, and the whole point of serving snacks to your bird is to entertain him and keep him healthy. The same goes for high fat snacks.

Many human snack foods are very salty—chips, pretzels, crackers, and so on. Too much salt consumption for any organism isn’t good, and can lead to health problems. But who, at one time, hasn’t offered that tasty potato chip to Polly? She was noticeably aching for the chip, craning out her little feathered neck and repeating, “Hello, Polly’s a good bird!” It’s too much to resist, isn’t it? The occasional salty, sugary, or fatty snack isn’t going to kill your bird, but just make sure that there’s a plentiful supply of water offered too. Remember that food coloring and other additives found in human snack food (well, junk food!) are definitely not good for your bird, which has a much smaller system from your own, and can become poisoned easily.

Resist the temptation to serve a snack from your own mouth into your bird’s beak. Yes, this is charming, your parrot loves it, and it’s definitely good for a horrified gasp from the uninitiated, but it’s not good for your bird. The human mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria that’s just not safe for your bird to consume. Keep the snacks in the bowl and your birdy kisses on the dry side.

Store Bought Snacks

Pet food companies have taken notice of the growing bird population, and have begun to manufacture snacks specifically for birds. In general, these products are fun and nutritious, and are certainly easy to offer. It’s not a bad idea to have these kinds of things on hand for a “snacking emergency,” perhaps when you need to distract your bird for a moment. But take a look at the ingredients on the packaging — is the snack made primarily of the same base diet you’re feeding your bird? A bowl of seed and a seed stick are essentially the same thing (with a few added extras), and ditto for pellets. If your bird is on one or the other as a base diet, consider offering the opposite. If your birds are omnivores, like mine, you can offer both.

The grocery store offers a cornucopia of good, easy snacks for parrots. Fresh frozen soy beans (often called Edamame) are an easy, nutritious snack—just defrost. There’s a human-food company called “Just Tomatoes” (www.justtomatoes.com) that makes dozens of freeze dried veggies and fruits with no salt, no sulfur, no fat, no sweeteners, and no preservatives—these are a simple and healthy snack. Canned or frozen beans—never raw or dried—make a quick snack, as do other frozen veggies. They don’t have quite the nutrition as their fresh counterparts, but they’re great in a pinch.

Invest in an air popper and you’ve got a cheap and easy snack maker. You can even mix the popcorn with shredded carrots, grated soy cheese, and toss in some peas or edamame, and your bird’s got a deluxe “movie night” snack. Use your imagination to come up with other combinations. Here’s a great tip: If your bird refuses a particular snack, sprinkle some of its base diet (or something else it loves), over the concoction—this will at least pique the bird’s interest.

One important note: Grit is not a snack for parrots. It’s worth mention, because grit is generally sold near the snacks and the packaging can make it look like something entertaining and wonderful. Actually, parrots don’t really need it, and some will gorge on it, leading to an impacted crop—or worse.

Cooked Snacks

You don’t have to be a good cook, or even a mediocre cook, to create great bird snacks in the kitchen. If you know how to boil water and follow some simple directions, you’re on your way to becoming an avian gourmand.

The base for any good bird snack is something you probably already know how to make already: pasta (whole wheat), oatmeal (or other whole, hot breakfast grain), eggs, rice, pancakes or waffles, and corn muffins. And you can even shortcut the pancakes and corn muffins by using a mix, the oatmeal by using instant, and you can buy brown rice in the boil-in-bag. It couldn’t be easier.

The idea here is to make a base for the nutritious stuff you’re going to add into it. The sky is literally the limit when it comes to combinations of recipes you can create. Shred veggies into pasta and add some soy cheese for a healthy mac & cheese—you can even add pellets and calcium powder. Whip up some corn muffin mix and add pellets, dried fruit, jalapeño peppers, broccoli, and other veggies to make “birdy muffins.” Omelets and scrambled eggs are great for birds, especially if you add a bunch of healthy veggies and soy cheese. When you use eggs, always remember that you must cook the dish longer than you would for yourself. Eggs come from chickens (obviously!) and may carry diseases that your bird can catch. Remember that you can include the egg shell in recipes calling for eggs because it adds calcium to the dish.

Dairy products aren’t terribly bad for your bird in moderation, but they tend to metabolize vegetarian products better. You can make birdy lasagna by using tofu and soy cheese, along with some spinach—it’s good for you too.

Make a couple of creative recipes at the beginning of the week, and then freeze them in small portions, allowing you to thaw as needed. Ice cube trays are great for this—simply stuff the oatmeal or the pasta into the cubes, then freeze. Once frozen, remove the frozen snack from the trays and put into sealed plastic bags.

Cold Snacks

What if you’re not a whiz in the kitchen? No matter. Cold snacks are easy and quick to make too. For example, a healthy cereal in soy milk is a great snack, especially if your bird likes a challenge—bobbing for those floating pieces. Some soy milks are made with sugar, so be sure to read the label before you buy. Dry cereal in fun shapes is great too, and you can get many healthy varieties in most health food stores, though many regular grocery stores are picking up the trend too.

Have you tried juicing or making smoothies for your bird? Most parrots love to share what their guardians are drinking, so try “fooling” the bird with an avian smoothie. All you need is a blender. Blend some soy milk with a banana, peach, berries, or other appropriate fruit, add some calcium powder, vitamins if you have them, pineapple juice, spirulina, and any other food or supplement that you’d like your bird to have. If you make this less “birdy,” you can even share it.

Many grocery stores have salad bars now, and if it’s convenient for you, frequent trips to the salad bar for your bird will end up being less expensive in the long run, unless you happen to share what your bird eats. For example, most salad bars have broccoli, carrots, pasta salad, and other fun birdy snacks, and it’s easier to pick up a bit here and a dollop there, rather than buying a whole head of broccoli, a bunch of carrots, or making a tub of pasta salad. Just make sure that you trust the salad bar to be clean and fresh—if you wouldn’t eat there, your bird shouldn’t either.

Many people offer nuts as a snack, and they’re OK, but they’re fatty, so don’t offer too many. Certainly a medium sized bird will have a lot of fun with a pre-cracked walnut or pecan. Remember, steer clear of peanuts.

Play With Your Food!

Snacks aren’t just about eating—they’re about having fun too. Parrots in the wild have a lot to do with their time—parrots in a home usually don’t. It’s important to give them a “job” when it comes to food. You can buy toys that allow you to hide the snacks inside of them and challenge the bird to get them out, or you can hide them yourself in paper bags or wrapped in tissue paper (dry snacks only).

You can buy a fruit and veggie skewer to hang snacks vertically, but be sure to buy one that’s made for birds—don’t improvise on this or your bird can get hurt. You can string berries, peas, Cheerios, and other similar items on to sisal twine, the way you would popcorn and cranberries for Christmas decoration. This kind of snack is really fun for your bird, but definitely requires supervision.

In general, you don’t have to knock yourself out when it comes to snacks. Find a few things that your bird likes and that you can make easily, and vary them a bit when you can. If your bird’s base diet is nutritious and filled with lots of fresh foods, snacks will help to bolster the intake of essential vitamins and minerals, especially for a picky bird. And the best part is that most of these snacks can be shared, giving you extra quality with your bird. Just remember to exclude things like pellet and egg shells if you want to eat the snacks yourself!