Have you ever wondered what a parrot needs to eat and drink to stay alive? If you had a parrot of your own, would you know how to keep him healthy and happy? Some of this information may surprise you.

Did you know that a species of parrots called a kea eats garbage wherever he can find it? He also steals food from people at picnic tables and campsites. He is an amazing scavenger, yet he lives and thrives on garbage.

It is well known that parrots love to eat seeds and nuts. Yet some nuts have an outer shell that is so hard and difficult to open that people would need to take a hammer to crack it open. But a parrot’s beak is so strong and powerful that he can crack a nut open easily with his beak. He scores the outside of the nut first with the sharp point of his beak. Then with one snap of his powerful jaw, he cracks it open easily. Now that is truly amazing!

Did you know that parrots live almost entirely on a vegetarian diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds? Wild parrots eat all kinds of fresh fruit that they can find in their habitat. They are especially fond of bananas, mangoes, pears, apples and berries. Most any kind of fruit will satisfy them. They use their four toes to pick up and grip whatever they can find to eat. Parrots are also very fond of vegetables, especially corn, spinach, radishes, lettuce and carrots. Parrots in the wild will also eat worms and insects. Some parrots like the lories have weak bills that can't dig, scrape or crack things open. So they eat pollen from flowers or drink nectar.

To raise a parrot you will need to feed it fruits like grapes, pineapple chunks, oranges and apples. They prefer the pieces to be cut up into chunks. They use their feet like we would use our hands to feed themselves. To stay healthy, a parrot should have fruit at least once a week. Many people buy seed mixes at the pet store to feed their parrots. Occasionally, a parrot will eat some meat, but they should have only small amounts in their diet.

It is quite amazing how parrots can help other parrots find food. Sometimes a group of parrots will find food in a tree concealed in the jungle. A parrot in the tree might signal to other parrots flying overhead that there is food even though they were unable to see the food themselves. They parrots in the tree are camouflaged by the leaves, looking like pieces of delicious fruits.

Parrots also need fresh water or juice to stay healthy. They enjoy the sweet juice from oranges, pineapples, grapes and even cranberries. But it is also important to give them fresh water each day.