The Best Pet Bird Food

Feeding your bird the right food is absolutely essential to his health (and lifespan!) Feeding your bird seed and water just isn't going to cut it. And feeding different types of birds the same diet doesn't work either. It's important to provide a diet that is safe, healthy, and yummy.

Packaged bird food comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and ingredients. So, it's important to know what is the best food for your individual bird. When shopping for food, there are a lot of things you need to take into consideration.

Birds follow a very similar diet plan that we do. Here is the recommended diet percentage for each type of canary and finch food that should be a part of your bird's diet:

Grain Products - 50% of diet
Vegetables and Fruits - 45% of diet
Dairy - 5% of diet
Calcium, Grit and Treats - <1% of diet

Below is a table outlining the foods that need to be a part of your extra small bird's diet. It shows the recommended percentage of your bird's diet as well as specific canary and finch food recommendations and ideas.

Keep in mind that the diet list below recommends a VARIETY of foods and that feeding your bird only one to two items from the list is not enough. It is important to feed your bird the widest variety of foods as you can.

Here is the best diet we recommend for your extra small-sized pet bird:

Pelleted diets are made by combining a variety of healthy ingredients into a mash and then creating pellets of different shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. Pellets offer a more balanced nutritional diet for your bird in a form that is easy for you to serve and reduces the chance that your bird will pick through his finch food and avoid the healthy food he really needs. Pellets have replaced the old seed-only diet and now are offered as the primary base diet for many pet birds (but should NOT be offered alone). If your bird is on a seed-only diet, you will need to convert him to a pelleted diet. Please see our Seed to Pellet Conversion article for more information.

Because feeding your bird a variety of foods is best, there are canary and finch food food mixes available that include wide ranges of different types of food. They can include seeds, dried fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and more. Because seeds should be a good part of your extra small bird's diet along with all of the other ingredients, these mixes are great to have. However, keep in mind that offering healthy pellets and fresh food on a regular basis is still necessary for your bird's nutritional variety and health.

Whole grain products provide your bird with the necessary proteins, carbohydrates, and various minerals and vitamins. There are a lot of different products that are good for your bird, just remember to choose the whole grain type instead of the white.

Vegetables are a very healthy and important part of your bird's diet. Most vegetables are best served cooked, but some can be served raw. Always wash vegetables thoroughly before serving and chop them into appropriately sized pieces. You can use canned, frozen, and freshly cooked mixed vegetables. Make sure when you use packaged vegetables that they don't contain added salt.

Fruits are another healthy and necessary part of your bird's diet. Keep in mind that fruits have more water content than vegetables, so your bird's droppings may be more runny after feeding him fruit. And make sure to always thoroughly wash all fruits before serving them.

Even though birds are lactose intolerant, they can still have some dairy in moderation (SMALL amounts!) Dairy products provide an excellent source of calcium, so they should be included as a very small part of your bird's diet. Egg food is especially popular and many canary and finch bird owners swear by it for their bird's nutritional needs.

Canaries and finches also need calcium. Grit is necessary for both the canary and finch digestive tract. The most common treat for small birds is millet.