Guide you know more about Food,Seeds,Formulated Diets,Fresh Food and Supplements,Vegetables,Fruits,Sprouted Seeds,etc.

Lovebirds always spread the message of love and togetherness but it's very essential to feed them with healthy and nutritional food in order to keep them with you for quite a long time to come. Mydearvalentine offers a detailed account about the love bird foods to guide keep your love bird healthy and so this valentine day bring home the healthiest of the lovebirds with the best in the stock of lovebird foods.

Food habits of lovebirds are almost the same as that of the cocktails or small parrots. In case of feeding seed mix to love birds purchase nutritional supplements for "total diet" to keep birds healthy. Even fresh food can also supplement for the nutrition's from the less expensive seed mixes. Pellet diets like Kaytee Exact or Pretty Bird are nutritionally complete and very good for birds, though some birds may be slow in accepting them. Try giving fresh food at least 3 to 4 times a week. Love birds love apples, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and spinach.

In the summer you can sometimes give dandelion and clover also. Make sure to wash off pesticides or chemicals which could hurt the bird. Lovebirds also like corn tortillas (not salted tortilla chips) and whole grain breads. Remove any uneaten fresh food from the cage before it gets rotten. Millet sprays, also known as "seed trees" are a good treat.

A good basic seed mix of finch mix, parakeet mix, and wild bird seed forms a healthy diet for lovebirds. If you provide fresh, insecticide-free greens, shredded carrot, and fresh corn kernels, you should not need to give vitamins, although vitamin supplements are harmless. High protein dry baby food is a good supplement. Don't feed your bird with cheap nutrients and specifically if it's molded or is fouled by vermin. Try to sieve the grit in the seeds and then provide it for the bird to eat else it may do more harm to the bird. Lovebirds mostly prefer to feed on the millets, canary grass, hulled oats, niger seeds, flax seed, sunflower seed, rape seed, milo, safflower, soybeans, rye, whole wheat, poppy, sesame etc.

Among fruits they also prefer apples, pears, bananas, grapes, raspberry, cherries, oranges, and melon etc. the nuts which they mostly feed on are shelled and unshelled peanuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, acorns etc. food items containing sugar, fast food items, greased foods, chocolate, coffee or colas and alcohols etc should not be fed to love birds. Avian Specific AS60 - Parakeet Mixture is known to form an excellent nutritional food mix for lovebirds. Avian Specific AS65 - Parakeet Mixture offers finest seed based diets for lovebirds. Colonel's Parakeet & Lovebird Mixture provides a wonderful bird seed mixture.

For most pet birds, especially parrots and parakeets, a diet based primarily on seeds is deficient in many nutrients, including vitamin A and calcium, and is too high in fat. This is not to say that seed do not have a place in avian diets, but many birds come to prefer them to the exclusion of other healthy choices and can be fussy when it comes to trying a varied diet.

Some birds will even pick out a couple of favorites from a seed mix, which further reduces the nutritional balance in the diet. When it comes to parrot nutrition, consider seeds to be somewhat like junk food: birds love them, but they are not the healthiest choice. Form most species of parrot, seeds should only make up about 10 percent of the diet. Some species, like budgies and cockatiels are naturally seed eaters and can tolerate a higher percentage of seed in the diet, but even for these birds, seeds should only make up about 25 percent of the diet.

A number of years ago, realizing that many parrots were suffering from nutritional deficiencies, companies began producing pelleted diets for pet birds. These are made from a variety of foods including grains, seeds, vegetables, fruits, fortified with vitamins and minerals, and are baked into pellet or variety of other extruded shapes. These provide a balanced nutritious diet and prevent birds from picking out their favorite food items and leaving the rest. However, many birds, especially those started on a seed based diet, do not readily take to eating a formulated diet. As well, formulated diets, though well balanced, do not provide the variety and stimulation that many pet birds crave in their diets (after all, eating the same thing day after would be boring for anyone). Therefore, pellets can be considered the "base" of the birds diet, comprising 50-60 percent of what the bird eats.

As we come to a better understanding of the nutritional needs of birds, the recommended diet for pet parrots includes a variety of nutritious freshly prepared foods in addition to a formulated diets (pellets) and a small percentage of seeds. Remember that most freshly prepared foods will spoil readily, and should be removed from the cage after a couple of hours. If your bird is not readily accepting new foods, try offering them early in the morning or in the evening, times when birds naturally forage for food in the wild. More tips on introducing new foods are found in "Introducing New Foods to Picky Eaters."

Some good brands of formulated diets include Harrison's, Zupreem, Kaytee, Pretty Bird, and Roudybush. As these diets grow in acceptance and popularity, manufacturer's are producing lines formulated for particular species and also for health management (e.g. lower calorie diets for weight management). As mentioned earlier, these diets come in a variety of shapes from larger chunks down to crumbles, and you may need to experiment to find the type your bird prefers. Some birds, especially those used to a seed based diet, may be difficult to switch to a formulated diet - advice on switching is available in "Switching Pet Birds from Seeds to Pellets". If you are in doubt over which diet would be best for your bird, consult your bird's veterinarian for advice.

Fresh vegetables are a great addition to your bird's diet. Not all vegetables are equally nutritious though; vegetables like celery and lettuce are high in fiber and water but are otherwise not all that nutritious.

Dark yellow and leafy green vegetables are usually excellent choices. You can offer vegetables in a variety of forms to entice the bird to try them - fresh whole or chopped, or cooked and fed slightly warm. Try hanging vegetables from the side of the cage in a clip, or offering them in chunks that larger birds can pick up with their feet to gnaw on. You many need to be creative to get them to try things, and the aim is to get your bird to eat as many different kinds of vegetables as possible. Try a variety of vegetables such as:

Carrots (root and tops)

Sweet potatoes

Leafy greens such as collards, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, beet greens and dandelion greens

Parsley

Green beans

Sweet red, yellow and green peppers

Cauliflower

Broccoli (head and leaves)

Eggplant

Sugar snap or snow peas

Squash

Romaine or green/red leaf lettuce (small amounts)

Corn (kernels, or on the cob for larger birds)

Cucumber

Remember: no avocado!

Again, you want to feed a wide variety, not just a favorite few. Many birds love fruit and will overdo it so limit fruits to a fairly small portion of the overall diet. As with vegetable, many of the more deeply colored fruits contain more nutrition, and it is good to try feeding a variety of more tropical type fruits parrots might be exposed to in their native habitats. However, make sure they do not eat pits or apple seeds as these can be toxic. Try fruits such as:

Mango

Papaya

Kiwi

Berries

Pomegranates

Pineapple

Cranberries

Cantaloupe (without the rind), other melons

Peaches

Nectarines

Apricots

Bananas

Oranges

Cherries

Pears

Grapes

Apples

Grapefruit

Tangerines

Other Foods

Birds can also be fed a variety of nutritious grains, such as cooked brown rice, quinoa, oats, wheat, barley, and pasta. Whole wheat bread and unsweetened whole wheat cereals can also be offered. Cooked legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas are an excellent addition to their diets. Birds can also be offered small amounts of lean well-cooked meat and poultry and cooked eggs.

Sprouted seeds are an excellent source of nutrition for pet birds and an excellent way to supplement with greens. Freshly sprouted seeds are a nutritional gold mine, as the seed mobilizes its nutritional content into a highly digestible and bioavailable form as it starts to grow. Sprouted seeds are rich in vitamins and minerals as well as enzymes and antioxidants, and some consider them to be natures most perfect food. In any case, they are an excellent way to provide a nutritional boost and most birds love them. Information on sprouting seeds can be found in "Sprouting for Healthier Birds."

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements It is usually a good idea to offer a cuttlebone (for extra calcium) but otherwise extra vitamin and mineral supplements are not needed if you are feeding a well balanced diet based on formulated foods supplemented with a variety of nutrition home prepared foods. Additional supplements should only be given on the advice of your veterinarian.