7 Homemade Recipes for Your Pet Bird

Translated by Nick R

Our pet birds’ diet should be as varied and complete as possible. Although they don’t have such a sophisticated taste, they know how to distinguish their favorite snacks, and surely preparing alternative foods will do more than good for their diet, health, and happiness.

1. Sweet potato dumplings 

This recipe is simple and delicious, it will take you little time to prepare it. It’s also very nutritious and can be kept for a long time.

Ingredients 

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 cup of fresh and chopped vegetables such as carrots, green beans, peas, etc.
• 1 banana
• Half cup of raisins
• 1 cup diced apple
• One and a half cups of oatmeal flakes

Preparation 

1. Wash the potato very well and pierce it several times with a fork.
2. Put the potato in the microwave for about 5 to 9 minutes, just enough for the potato to be tender or with a soft texture.
3. Once it has a good texture, peel and chop the potato into chunks to make it easier to mash.
4. You should also cook the oatmeal in water until it is thick.
5. In a bowl add the potato, fresh vegetables, raisins, apple cubes, and the previously prepared oat flakes.
6. With a blender, mix all the ingredients until you get a dough you can work with.
7. When the mixture is ready take some of them and make small balls or the size you consider for your birds, put each one of them on a tray lined with butter paper so they don’t stick.
8. Put the tray inside the freezer until the recipe is solid.
9. Once the sweet potato balls are hard, remove them from the tray and store them in a bag to be eaten whenever you want.
10. Remember to thaw the balls before giving them to your birds – they will love it!

Taken from: Sweet Potato Bird Balls.

2. Sweet Potato Seed Balls 

This is an alternative treat similar to what you can find in some pet stores, the best part is that you can make it with the same nutrition as the original ones.

Ingredients 

• 200 grams of unsweetened dried fruit.
• 90 grams of oat flakes.
• 100 grams of mix.
• 85 grams of animal feed.
• 90 grams of quinoa.
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter.
• 1 or 2 tablespoons of agave honey.

Preparation 

1. Mix the dried fruit, oat flakes, the mixture, and the feed in a food processor in several steps to remove the food that sticks to the walls of the container.
2. Then, in another bowl pour the mixture from the food processor and add the tablespoon of peanut butter and agave honey; the mixture should ideally be sticky.
3. Prepare a tray with baking paper to put the food balls.
4. Wet your hands and take some of the mixture; make small balls, similar to marble, and put them on the tray.
5. Bake the balls of candy at 160° for about 45 minutes, although the time depends on the size of your preparation; ideally, they should be golden brown.
6. Once baked, wait for them to cool and group them all in a bag to keep in the freezer and have for all the occasions you want to feed your bird with such a delicious snack.
7. Remember to let them thaw before serving. Enjoy!

Taken from: 5 easy & fun recipes for parrots and other birds

3. Egg and vegetable mash 

Eggs are a good source of nutrients for your birds, especially for their high protein content. This recipe is simple and can be accompanied by any other ingredient that you consider to be to your winged pet’s liking.

Ingredients 

• Cooked hard-boiled egg
• 1 cup of seeds of your choice
• Half cup of millet seeds
• Carrot or sweet potato/camote mashed potatoes

Preparation 

1. Mash the cooked eggs.
2. Add half a cup of the porridge.
3. Add seeds and mix everything together.
4. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve!

Taken from: Recipes for your birds.

4. Oatmeal breakfast for birds 

Oatmeal is a very useful ingredient to prepare recipes for birds, its consistency will surely delight your bird’s beak, and the most curious thing is that it is a recipe they can share since it can also be beneficial for you.

Ingredients 

• Oat flakes
• Almond milk (do not use cow’s milk, it is harmful to birds)
• Fruits of your bird’s preference; can be blueberries, bananas, apples, raspberries, or raisins.
• Grated coconut and/or agave honey to sweeten.

Preparation 

1. Use the bowl of your choice to combine the ingredients, the consistency of this recipe is similar to that of cereal with milk.
2. Add the amount of oatmeal of your choice.
3. Add the almond milk, if you want it to be thick you can add a little and/or cook it.
4. Chop into pieces the fruit you need such as banana or apple and add them to the mixture.
5. Add a little grated coconut or agave honey, both will help sweeten the recipe. But don’t overdo the quantities, a spoonful is enough.
6. Serve to taste, you can use a small container to give to your birds. If the mixture is hot, let it cool down to avoid burning the crop.
7. Remember to remove uneaten food after 1 hour.

Taken from: Parrot Playhouse.

5. Egg omelet to taste 

This recipe is perfect to give as a reward to your birds, it is also very nutritious and easy to make.

Ingredients 

• Two eggs
• One zip-lock bag or vinyl/film paper bag
• Cotton thread
• Your winged friend’s favorite seeds such as millet, birdseed, negrillo, or sunflower seeds.
• You can also add fresh vegetables of your bird’s preference such as carrots, zucchini, broccoli, or cauliflower.

Preparation 

1. Crack two eggs into the bag.
2. If you are going to use film paper, put the paper on top of a medium size container and pour the two eggs into it.
3. Then add seeds and vegetables of your choice to the eggs, be generous with the amounts not to exceed the number of eggs, but make sure there is enough of each.
4. Now, if you used the film paper, carefully wrap the contents and tie them with cotton thread.
5. On the other hand, if you used the bag, remove all the air in it and seal it well.
6. Bring water to a boil in a pot and add the bag or the tied vinipel to make it easy to remove it from the bag.
7. Let the egg boil for about 15 minutes, enough time for it to be completely cooked.
8. Once the time has passed, remove the egg from the water and let it cool a little so you can remove the bag or paper from the egg and serve.

Remember to let it cool at room temperature to avoid burning your bird so it can enjoy the gourmet recipe. Bon appetite!

Taken from: Quick and easy homemade bird treats.

6. Bird food in a pine cone 

This recipe is suitable for your bird’s cage, with a sweet and nutritious touch to accompany the evenings. You can prepare it in autumn or winter when pine cones fall to the ground.

Ingredients 

• One pine cone
• Peanut butter
• Seeds of your bird’s taste.

Preparation 

1. Before starting the recipe you must wash and disinfect very well the pine cones that you have taken. To do this you can put them in a pot with water until they boil, this way you ensure that no parasite or microorganism will harm your bird.
2. When the pine has dried you should tie one end to a hemp or sisal rope and leave a surplus to be able to put it in your bird’s cage.
3. Spread peanut butter on the pine cone and in the crevices, there should be enough to stick the seeds to it.
4. On a plate, put the seeds you want your pineapple to have.
5. Take the peanut buttered pineapple and put it over the seeds making some pressure, be careful, you will get sticky!
6. With your hand, fill in the spaces that were not filled with seeds.
7. Finally, hang the pineapple in the cage of your birds, remember to remove it after 24 hours.

Taken from: Fun Kid’s Activity: Winter Pinecone Bird Feeder.

7. Banana chips with cashew butter 

This delicious recipe is ideal for those who have many birds and want to reward them with a snack. The best thing is that you can share bites with your winged pet.

Ingredients 

• 2 bananas
• Juice of one lemon
• 250g roasted cashew or cashew cream
• 50 g sesame seeds

Preparation 

1. Slice the two bananas and place them on a tray covered with baking paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 240° and place the banana on the tray.
3. Sprinkle a little lemon juice over the banana and let it heat for an hour and a half, remembering to turn the banana slices every 30 minutes.
4. When the banana has finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
5. Next, prepare the cashew cream, grinding the cashews in the way that suits you best before transferring them to the food processor.
6. Once the cashews are crushed, pour everything into the food processor and start processing for 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Remember to make pauses to clean the walls of the processor and to be able to continue with the preparation, the consistency of your cream will depend on the amount of time you leave it in the machine.
8. When you have the cream ready, put it on top of each banana slice and sprinkle some sesame seeds on them.
9. Serve or use the bites as a reward for good behavior.

Taken from: Parrot food recipes you can make yourself.

 Recommendations Remember that your bird’s diet should be balanced and rich in nutrients. The recipes you have just read are to supply that need and experience the variety of food they can eat, also keep in mind that some birds should eat insects as part of their diet, you can learn more about this in the pet bird food guide blog.