| Best for | Product |
|---|---|
| Best Overall | ZuPreem Pure Fun Parrot & Conure Bird Food |
| Best Value | Higgins Safflower Gold Parrot Food |
| Most Natural | Bird Street Bistro Viva La Veggies Bird Food |
| Best with Bananas | Higgins Mayan Harvest Tikal Parrot Food |
| Best with Pumpkin and Apricots | Higgins Mayan Harvest Celestial Parrot Food |
| Best for Small Parrots | TOP’s Parrot Food Organic Marlene Mc’Cohen’s Signature Blend Small Parrot Food |
Parrots are beautiful and remarkable. They might be the most intelligent pet you can have (yes, even smarter than your dog). Their gorgeous colors, fun vocalizations, and long life make them excellent companions. However, they aren’t always the easiest to feed.
From tossing food out of their cage or ignoring what they don’t like, your parrot knows how to communicate their preferences. There are also a few food pitfalls that well-meaning pet owners can fall into.
You may be surprised to discover that seeds and nuts are only a small part of a balanced and nutritious diet for your parrot. It is essential to incorporate fruits and vegetables into your pet’s diet, either fresh or as part of their food.
In the wild and in your home, parrots enjoy many kinds of fruits and vegetables, including apples, bananas, grapes, mango, peaches, asparagus, broccoli, butternut, carrots, collard greens, corn-on-the-cob, spinach, kale, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes.
In this review we include the best parrot foods with an ideal blend of nutrients and a minimum of fillers or additives to keep your clever companion happy and healthy.
Check Chewy- A blend of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and pellets
- Parrots love it
- Minimize food waste
- A healthy diet
Check Chewy- Include cashews, peanuts, bananas, and pumpkin seeds
- USA-made
- Added minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and probiotics
- No artificial flavors
Check Chewy- No additives, artificial colors, or flavors
- Nutritious, human-grade whole grains
- Need to cook the food
- Made in the USA
Check Chewy Check Amazon- Peanut-free mix
- Plant-based DHA omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics
- Added chamomile and basil
- Free of sulfites, synthetic vitamins, and artificial flavors
Check Chewy- Encourage parrot’s natural foraging instinct
- Tasty ingredients
- Added sage, cinnamon sticks, and algae
- No peanuts, corn, or sunflower seeds
Check Chewy- No artificial colors, flavors, or sugar
- Organic, non-GMO blend
- No corn, soy, and peanuts
- Natural source of critical nutrients
A-Z-Animals Top Picks for Parrot Food
#1 Overall Best: ZuPreem Pure Fun Parrot & Conure Bird Food
In our review, the overall best parrot food is the ZuPreem Pure Fun Parrot & Conure Bird Food for its carefully selected blend of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and pellets to nourish your bird.
This food is suitable for both parrots and conures and features a variety of colors and tastes to encourage their foraging instincts. It contains things such as canary grass seeds, bananas, peas, and millet. You can use it for up to 30% of the total food you give to your parrot.
While many common foods focus on seeds, nuts, and grains, this includes pellets for a healthier diet. It is also packed full of vitamins and minerals to ensure that your pet stays healthy. However, some customers have reported that their pets do not like the pellets.
Pros and Cons of the ZuPreem Pure Fun Parrot & Conure Bird Food
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| This food is suitable for both parrots and conures. | Not all parrots like the pellets in this food. |
| It features a variety of colors and tastes to promote the natural foraging instincts. | |
| It includes pellets which are packed with vitamins and minerals. |
- A blend of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and pellets
- Parrots love it
- Minimize food waste
- A healthy diet
2. Best Value: Higgins Safflower Gold Parrot Food
Quality parrot food doesn’t have to cost a lot, and that’s why we recommend the Higgins Safflower Gold Parrot Food.
This special blend for large parrots like amazons, and macaws is a gourmet blend of seeds, vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and fruit. Ingredients include cashews, peanuts, bananas, pumpkin seeds, and blueberries.
Safflower seeds form the base of this USA-made parrot food. It is fortified with minerals, vitamins, omega fatty acids and antioxidants to support the immune system. It also contains probiotics to promote a healthy digestive system. Plus, this food is free from sunflower seeds and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
The only drawback to this product is that customers have reported receiving bags with holes in them.
Pros and Cons of the Higgins Safflower Gold Parrot Food
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| This food is contains a blend of seeds, vegetables, grains, buts, fruit, and beans. | The bags sometimes have holes in them. |
| It contains vitamins, minerals, omega fatty acids, and antioxidants to support the immune system. | |
| It contains probiotics to support the digestive system. | |
| This food is completely free from sunflower seeds and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. |
- Include cashews, peanuts, bananas, and pumpkin seeds
- USA-made
- Added minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and probiotics
- No artificial flavors
3. Most Natural: Bird Street Bistro Viva La Veggies Bird Food
The most natural recipe is the Bird Street Bistro Viva La Veggies Bird Food which is free from sugars and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
This food is suitable for macaws, African greys, and parakeets. It is 100% natural and is made from whole-wheat grains, organic vegetables, and freeze-dried fruits, satisfying your bird’s need for natural foraging. It contains human-grade ingredients which take just 15 minutes to cook.
Although most parrots love this food, some customers have reported that their birds do not like all the ingredients in this food and only eat their favorite pieces.
Pros and Cons of the Bird Street Bistro Viva La Veggies Bird Food
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| This food is 100% natural. | Some birds can be selective about which pieces they eat. |
| It is made from whole-wheat grains, organic vegetables, and freeze-dried nuts. | |
| It is free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. | |
| It promotes the natural foraging instinct. |
- No additives, artificial colors, or flavors
- Nutritious, human-grade whole grains
- Need to cook the food
- Made in the USA
4. Best with Bananas: Higgins Mayan Harvest Tikal Parrot Food
If you’re trying to avoid feeding your parrot peanuts then Higgins Mayan Harvest Tikal Parrot Food is the perfect choice.
This exotic and balanced blend of seeds, fruit, grains, nuts, and holistic botanicals is a nutritious and delicious peanut-free mix. Packed with ingredients your parrot might get in its natural habitats like bananas, pumpkin seeds, beets, almonds, and blueberries. Your parrot gets omega-3 fatty acids for immune health. This food also contains probiotics to promote a healthy digestive system.
Additional ingredients include chamomile and basil for an extra boost of nutrients. This food is also free of sulfites, synthetic vitamins, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Unfortunately, it does contain a lot of small seeds which may not suit the taste of all parrots.
Pros and Cons of Higgins Mayan Harvest Tikal Parrot Food
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| This food contains a balanced blend of seeds, fruit, grains, nuts, and holistic botanicals. | It contains a lot of small seeds which may not suit all parrots. |
| It contains bananas, pumpkin seeds, beets, almonds, and blueberries. | |
| It contains omega-3 fatty acid to support the immune system. | |
| It contains probiotics to promote a healthy digestive system. | |
| It is free from sulfites, synthetic vitamins, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. |
- Peanut-free mix
- Plant-based DHA omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics
- Added chamomile and basil
- Free of sulfites, synthetic vitamins, and artificial flavors
5. Best with Pumpkin and Apricots: Higgins Mayan Harvest Celestial Parrot Food
As the best option with pumpkin and apricots we recommend Higgins Mayan Harvest Celestial Parrot Food.
This food caters to your parrot’s natural foraging instinct. It contains a balanced blend of exotic fruits, seeds, grains, nuts, and more. It also features tasty ingredients like pumpkin, oats, apricots, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, cashews, coconut, and almonds.
This food is free from peanuts, corn, sunflower seeds, sulfites, synthetic vitamins, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. It provides digestive support through probiotics and healthy plant-based DHA omega-3 fatty acids.
The only issues with this food seem to be with packages arrived torn open.
Pros and Cons of the Higgins Mayan Harvest Celestial Parrot Food
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| This food promotes the natural foraging instinct. | Some packages arrived torn open. |
| It contains a balanced blend of fruits, seeds, grains, and nuts. | |
| It includes pumpkin, oats, apricots, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, cashews, coconut, and almonds. | |
| It contains probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids to promote a healthy digestive system. |
- Encourage parrot’s natural foraging instinct
- Tasty ingredients
- Added sage, cinnamon sticks, and algae
- No peanuts, corn, or sunflower seeds
6. Best for Small Parrots: TOP’s Parrot Food Organic Marlene Mc’Cohen’s Signature Blend Small Parrot Food
In our opinion, the best food for smaller parrots is TOP’s Parrot Food Organic Marlene Mc’Cohen’s Signature Blend Small Parrot Food.
This food is the product of YouTube sensation and bird lover Marlene Mc’Cohen. She wanted a food without the artificial colors, flavors, sugar, and preservatives found in many of the popular bird food mixes.
This organic, non-GMO blend of pellets, seeds, and nuts is made in the USA for small parrots. It is totally free of corn, soy, and peanuts. Plus, it is a natural source of critical nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Unfortunately, some customers have reported that their parrots don’t like this food. Also, some owners found that it contains a lot of pellets which their pets do not like.
Pros and Cons of TOP’s Parrot Food Organic Marlene Mc’Cohen’s Signature Blend Small Parrot Food
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| This food is made from a blend of blend of pellets, seeds, and nuts. | Not all parrots like this food |
| It is free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. | It contains a lot of pellets which some parrots do not like. |
| It is a natural source of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. |
- No artificial colors, flavors, or sugar
- Organic, non-GMO blend
- No corn, soy, and peanuts
- Natural source of critical nutrients
Choosing the Best: What to Look For
When choosing the best parrot food, there are two factors you will want to consider. Specifically:
- Does it have a variety of seeds, nuts, and grains?
- Does it contain fruit and vegetables?
Seeds, Nuts, and Grains
While a lot of parrot food mixes contain things like corn, soy, sunflower seeds, and peanuts that are good for parrots in small amounts, there are many other nuts and seeds that are more nutritious and beneficial for your pet. Try and avoid feeding your parrot too many of these cheap fillers and look for foods that include almonds, cashews, and other nutrient-rich alternatives.
Fruit and Vegetables
Parrots who eat only seeds and nuts get too much fat. An unbalanced diet can damage your parrot’s health, diminish their mood, and shorten their life. While it’s a good idea to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your parrot’s diet, making sure your parrot’s food also includes a variety of fruits and vegetables helps keep your pets healthy.
The Different Types of Parrot Food: Pros and Cons Compared
There are many different types of parrot food, including a pelleted blend of nutrients or a mix of dried fruits, seeds, and nuts.
Here are some pros and cons of each type.
Pellets
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Are specifically made to deliver a complete set of the needed vitamins and minerals. | They can contain unnecessary additives, preservatives, or colors. |
| Eliminates the chance of selective feeding. | It does not promote the natural foraging behavior. |
Seeds, Nuts, and Fruit Mix
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It promotes the natural foraging instinct. | It can lead to selective feeding. |
| It mimics the natural diet that parrots would eat in the wild. | It does not always contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals for a healthy parrot. |
| Best for | Product |
|---|---|
| Best Overall | ZuPreem Pure Fun Parrot & Conure Bird Food |
| Best Value | Higgins Safflower Gold Parrot Food |
| Most Natural | Bird Street Bistro Viva La Veggies Bird Food |
| Best with Bananas | Higgins Mayan Harvest Tikal Parrot Food |
| Best with Pumpkin and Apricots | Higgins Mayan Harvest Celestial Parrot Food |
| Best for Small Parrots | TOP’s Parrot Food Organic Marlene Mc’Cohen’s Signature Blend Small Parrot Food |
What’s the Best Parrot Food? FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What are the advantages of feeding a mix of fruit, nuts, and seeds?
For a start, a mix of seeds, fruit, and nuts mimics the natural diet of parrots. It also promotes their natural foraging instinct and encourages them to actively search for their food. However, this does lead to selective feeding whereby they may only choose to eat their favorite pieces and therefore not get a fully balanced diet.
What are the advantages of feeding pellet food?
The main advantages of feeding your parrot food in a pellet form is that you know that they are getting a completely balanced diet that contains all of the vitamins and minerals they need to be healthy. Pellet food also eliminates the opportunity for selective feeding as the pellets are all a uniform shape and size.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.
