Reprints About Us Basic Bird Nutrition by Jennifer Prince, DVM Drs. A balanced diet is a necessity to allow the bird to live a full and healthy life. An unbalanced diet is the main cause of disease and early death in pet birds.
Malnutrition is a human-made disease.
Fortunately, it is also treatable by changing the diet. Owners must be the ones to actively study avian nutrition. It is much easier to start a young bird on a varied diet of healthy foods than it is to convert an older bird to a new diet. Even when multiple types of seed are offered, the seed-only diet will not supply the necessary array of vitamins and minerals that is needed for optimal health. No one food is going to contain all the necessary nutrients in it.