Macaws are very good eaters, and are seldom picky about the foods that they eat. With that said, however, while your Macaw may enjoy many foods, there are some foods that are not suitable for your Macaw. Some are even quite deadly – but he doesn’t know that, and he will eat them anyway if they are made available.

The first food that you should always avoid is Avocado. Avocado is considered to be toxic for all birds, as it causes considerable, irreparable liver damage. Don’t just avoid feeding your Macaw Avocado fruit. Avoid giving him access to the trees, to the branches, and to the leaves as well.

Your Macaw will enjoy all other fruits. However, fruits that have pits should have the pits removed first, and fruits that have seeds should have the seeds removed. All fruits should be washed well – and even scrubbed, and then cut into small pieces for your Macaw to enjoy at his leisure. If possible, always choose organic fruits.

While many owners carefully wash all fruits and vegetables before giving them to their Macaws, they often don’t consider possible pesticide contamination on fruit tree branches. These branches should also be scrubbed before adding them to cages. Not only do you have to worry about pesticides, but you must also worry about parasites and bugs. Washing, scrubbing, and then baking the branches, in a 200 degree oven, for about an hour or so will take care of this problem.

Salt is another food that you should be careful about. Unlike avocados, your Macaw doesn’t have to avoid salt. You should not purchase a salt block for your Macaw. Instead, get him a mineral block, and allow him to get his salt from the fruits that he enjoys.

While Macaws enjoy dairy foods, they don’t easily digest them. Therefore, any dairy food should be given in small quantities, and not very often. Milk, however, is best avoided.

While fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are ideal for Macaws, you should avoid giving them any type of processed foods that are designed for human consumption. This doesn’t mean that you can’t ever give your Macaw human food treats…just make sure that it is a rare treat, and a very small amount.

Finally, just as humans have food allergies, your Macaw may also have food allergies. If you notice that he is having respiratory difficulties or runny eyes after eating a new food, you should seek treatment from your veterinarian, where blood tests can actually be performed to determine where an allergy to the food exists.

Remember that Macaws live for up to 100 years or more. You want everyone of those years to be as healthy as possible, and good health for Macaws starts with great nutrition.

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