How Diet Can Affect Hormones in Parrots

Hormonal season for parrots is in full swing for a lot of people. I always get asked how to manage hormonal behaviors. It’s difficult for me to make a generalized post or statement as a game plan to help your specific situation because all situations are different and require different education. If you are looking for more personalized aid, feel free to contact us to book an online or in-person consultation.

One way to manage hormonal behaviors is through diet! Diet is so important to our parrots. The amount you feed can have a direct impact on hormonal behaviors. Birds will only breed when they have enough resources. That means food, water, their healthy, they have some form of companionship… which as you’re reading it you’re realizing that being a decent caregiver pretty much gives your birds exactly that! But most people over feed their birds, giving too much size of food. Your birds bowl is NOT meant to be filled up, most of the time not even half way depending on the bowl size. This is not to say feed less than what your bird needs or starve your bird, this means make sure you’re giving only enough food that the bird needs to be healthy and not anything extra for them to over eat. This can also help keep your birds weight at a healthy range.

Another tip is lower fats and sugars! Our captive parrots who barely fly do not need a lot of fats and sugars. Most pellets contain sugar already, which is a complaint for another day. I recommend not putting nuts or seeds in their bowls, but using the proportions for foraging or training only. It helps increase motivation while still allowing your bird to get the nutrients it needs. Fruits are also high in sugars, so feeding less fruits or low sugar fruits can also help!

Diet is complex, so there is so much change that can be done beyond these two statements, but this is the perfect place to start!