Parrot Food Calculator
This parrot food calculator works out how much to feed your parrot each day from its body weight, splits that portion into pellets and fresh chop, and shows which foods are safe and which are toxic. Most parrots eat about 10–15% of their body weight in food a day.
How the Parrot Food Calculator Works
| Parrot (typical weight) | Food per day | Pellets (~75%) | Fresh chop (~25%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budgie (~35 g) | 4–5 g | ~3–4 g | ~1 g |
| Cockatiel (~90 g) | 9–14 g | ~8–10 g | ~3 g |
| Green-cheek conure (~70 g) | 7–11 g | ~6–8 g | ~2 g |
| Senegal (~130 g) | 13–20 g | ~12–15 g | ~4 g |
| African grey (~450 g) | 45–68 g | ~42 g | ~14 g |
| Amazon (~450 g) | 45–68 g | ~42 g | ~14 g |
| Blue & gold macaw (~1000 g) | 100–150 g | ~94 g | ~31 g |
How Much Food Does a Parrot Need by Body Weight?
This graphic shows a typical daily food amount for several common parrots, scaled to body weight at the 10–15% rule. A small bird like a budgie needs only a few grams, while a large macaw needs well over a hundred — which is why portion by eye is so unreliable across species.
How Much Should I Feed My Parrot Each Day?
Feed about 10 to 15% of your parrot’s body weight in food a day, made up of roughly three-quarters pellets and one-quarter fresh vegetables. For a 450 g African grey that is around 45–68 grams; for a 90 g cockatiel about 9–14 grams. The single best approach is to weigh your bird on a kitchen gram scale each week: a steady, healthy weight means the portion is right, a creeping weight means cut back (usually on seeds and nuts), and weight loss means see an avian vet. Offer fresh chop in the morning and remove uneaten wet food after a few hours, while keeping pellets available through the day so the bird can graze. Never crash-diet a parrot — sudden food restriction is dangerous for small birds, so any weight-loss plan should be gradual and vet-guided.
What Should I Feed a Parrot Every Day?
A good daily diet is built on a complete formulated pellet as the staple (about 70–75%), topped with a generous helping of fresh vegetables — leafy greens like kale and chard, plus carrot, broccoli, peppers, squash and peas — and small amounts of cooked grains and legumes. Seeds and nuts are high in fat and belong in the diet only as a small share or as training treats, not as the main meal; an all-seed diet is the leading cause of obesity, fatty liver and a shortened life in pet parrots. Fruit is fine occasionally but is sugary, so keep it modest. Always avoid avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion, garlic, salt, rhubarb and fruit pits or apple seeds, all of which are toxic to birds. Fresh clean water daily rounds out the basics.
What Is the 3-3-3 Rule for Parrots?
The 3-3-3 rule is a settling-in guideline for a newly adopted parrot — it is about adjustment time, not about feeding amounts or age. It suggests roughly 3 days for a new bird to decompress and feel safe, about 3 weeks to learn the household routine and start to relax, and about 3 months to feel fully at home and bonded. During the first few days keep feeding simple and familiar: offer whatever the bird was already eating so a stressed parrot doesn’t refuse food, then introduce pellets and fresh chop gradually once it has settled. If you’re also wondering about your bird’s age in human terms, use our parrot age calculator instead — the 3-3-3 rule has nothing to do with lifespan.
Can Parrots Live 80 Years?
Yes — the largest parrots can live 50 to 80 years or more, and diet is one of the biggest levers on whether a bird reaches its potential. Large macaws and cockatoos regularly live into their 50s and beyond, while a well-cared-for African grey or amazon often reaches 40–60. Smaller parrots live shorter lives — budgies 5–10 years, cockatiels 15–25 — but the principle is the same: a balanced pellet-and-vegetable diet, a healthy weight, plenty of flight and enrichment, and regular avian-vet care all push a parrot toward the top of its range, while an all-seed diet and obesity cut years off. You can explore species-by-species ages with our parrot age calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
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