Galah Diet - PLEASE HELP!

[Bochgala]

I need help formulating my Galah's diet. He is four months old and on Harrison's Coarse Pellet diet. I have been reading and seeing for myself that the Galah is not a very big on eating fruits/veggies. Grains and low fat/no fat seed seem to be a good supplement. The breeder told me he also likes corn on the cob.

I am going to set him up on training diet soon, but I don't want to use sunflower seeds/nuts as a treat if it is bad for him. Does anyone know of treats that the he would like that are GOOD for him? Can corn be a good treat?

I was looking into purchasing grains/seeds low in fat to supplement his diet such as BARLEY, WHEAT GERM, QUINOA, MILLET, MUNG BEANS, ADZUKI BEANS, SPELT, BUCKWHEAT. These items are generally high in protien, high in fiber and low in fat. Is this what my Galah should have.

Please advise. Thanks so much!!!

[loyallyroyal]

I dont have a galah but I give my boy pine nuts as treats

[Bochgala]

thanks for ur response but pine nuts are SUPER HIGH in fat. My galah has had them before and loves them, but he can't have them anymore.

[loyallyroyal]

try freeze dried fruits and veggies then, as long as their is nothing added there shouldnt be a problem, Henry's carries them and I think gerber baby makes some in little bite sizes

[SDavid]

You can use nuts as a training treat. Don't sweat it. And don't drive yourself "nuts" by believing everything you read and thinking youre going to harm your bird by feeding nuts because they have fat, etc. My Galah is less than a year old and she gets nuts everyday (along with pellets and other foods). I use them as training treats with my TAG as well.

Galah's are primarily seed eaters. Remember that food is not only nutrition for birds but also a fun activity. Parrots evolved their beaks to shell seeds and it's necessary for their psychological health for them to continue that instinctual activity. Any "beaking" activity IS foraging. Shelling seeds also improves the use of their beak (it's a tool afterall-the more they use it the more skill they have with it) and that decreases the chance of bad preening, feather damage, even plucking.

Remember also, diet is just one part of the equation. Your bird needs exercise too and the more exercise the less you have to worry about balancing her diet if your're feeding variety. And variety is the key (nuts, pellets, fresh fruits/veggies, cooked foods). For the main reason that the subject of diet for birds is always controversial. Which tells you that even the experts disagree.

[SDavid]

Also wanted to add that, remember, people in the past kept birds in cages (very inactive) and fed them nothing but seeds. That was pretty much the school of thought as far as captive bird diet was concerned. Decades later we see that this practice leads to health problems.

Today it's the opposite extreme. I think that because of past misconeptions (and info on the net, magazines, etc.) people have gotten so afraid of feeding seeds to their birds - as if a sunflower seed will kill their bird or something. Fat is not bad. If people need fat I feel that birds probably need it for similar beneficial reasons. Again, I'll emphasize, variety of diet is the best thing. Along with exercise, and mental and physical stimulation.

And, dont' know youre training goals, but with a four month old bird, don't make any drastic changes to her diet. She's growing now, she has baby fat, and is learning to eat different things. Just nurture that. You can single out foods and experiment when she's older.

[SDavid]

"You can use nuts as a training treat."

One last thing, for the sake of clarifying, by "nuts" in my first post I mean the more common higher fat nuts like sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, etc.

[kali]

sunflower seeds aren't nuts are they?

[SDavid]

....kinda funny but I don't even know the specific classification. I use the words interchangeably as the original poster "but I don't want to use sunflower seeds/nuts." I guess the point being that one shouldn't be afraid to offer either one because of the perception that they're mostly fat and therefore bad. Especially if used just as a treat.