Grainy photo, but you get the point.

What is fine dining to a parrot? No, this is not a rhetorical question. I’m really asking. I think fine dining  for a parrot is, or should be something that is not only good for them, but is fun for them as well. Now Parker’s idea of fine dining is eating directly off of my plate.  I eat pretty healthy stuff most of the time. Salads with a bit of protein on the top with some hard boiled egg, some beans and some feta cheese. I love that stuff and I tend to eat this way often.

Naturally, the little hog goes right for cheese and the meat, as if to say, “Whoah! Now this is something I can sink my beak into.” while he tucks into it as if I hadn’t fed the little dude for two days. Now I can get away with this occasionally because of their staple diet. They are on a really good diet. Between all of the “Chop,” and their bean mix which has a ton of vegetables in it, my guys eat really, really, well. They tend to be “every other day” heavy eaters. I’ve asked them about that, but to date I’ve received no answers.

They just eat heavily on one day and lightly the next. This has been going on for years and if anyone can explain this to me, I’d love to know why.

When it comes to their food, I don’t screw around. Aside from all that “Chop,” their bean mix, and some of my vegetable leftovers, they also get toppings of bee pollen, nuts, some fruit and milk thistle seed. So they’re in pretty good shape.

Every year their Avian Vet, Sam Backos sort of quietly shakes his head and says, “I wish I could find something wrong with Parker, but he’s in terrific shape.” This makes me smile because I know Sam’s kidding me.

I had what I thought was a great idea a while back. Here’s the idea:

I took some pasta shells and stuffed them with “Chop.” They hit the deck. I guess I’ll have to come up with something else because that little gem struck out. Now if I had stuffed them with cheese, that might have been another story.

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