The mother of cockatiels’ guide to feeding softbills and hardbills
If you are a regular on our social media pages and our blog you will have noticed that we provide a wide variety of information on the care and feeding of various parrot and parakeet species – but what do you do if you are one of the unlucky souls who owns a bird that is not a parrot or parakeet?
Parrots and parakeets are referred to as hookbills (10 points if you guessed that this has to do with the ‘hook’ shape of their beaks) – hookbills are by far the most popular category of birds found in the pet industry, they are followed by hardbills and softbills.
Hardbills are so named due to the ‘hard’ consistency of their primary food source – seed – this group includes canaries, finches, doves, and pigeons. Softbills do not have ‘soft’ beaks – the name merely refers to the type of food found in their (very varied) diets – this can include insects, fruit, nectar, and parts of plants (leaves, buds, blossoms, shoots, sprouts, etc.).
One could easily write several volumes about the various species of both hardbills and softbills found in aviculture but to keep this simple – I will discuss only the species or family groups most commonly found in the pet industry in South Africa. If you have a bird not on this list please do not hesitate to reach out to us for advice or to chat about your special bird.
1.) Lesser Indian Mynah
Almost everyone in South Africa knows this bird – they are cheeky, bold chaps with a lot to say. If you are honoured enough to own one of these birds the chances are that it was hand-reared by you after being found as an abandoned chick outside.
Mynahs are softbills and omnivores – in the wild they will eat fruits and insects, and if fortunate enough to chance on a lizard, egg, or chick they will eat that as well. Many mistakenly believe that mynahs are predatory birds due to their very aggressive behaviour during mating season – however, this is hormone-driven and any hunting they may do is purely opportunistic.
In captivity a mynah should be fed 50% softball/mynah pellets (the product will generally say low in iron – this is essential as mynahs are prone to iron storage diseases) – please do not EVER feed your mynah parrot pellets or cat/dog pellets as the iron content is dangerously high in these products.
The other 50% of the diet should consist of fruits and vegetables – please note that mynahs cannot break foods apart like parrots can so any foods offered need to be cut into bite-sized pieces. Generally, the chop recipes made for parrots/parakeets are acceptable for mynahs but a higher fruit content is preferred with the exclusion of high iron foods such as raisins, peas, beans, sweet potato, and leafy greens.
Occasionally one can offer a mealworm/superworm/larvae, or some meat/fish (no spices or salt) as a treat.
If you are struggling to get your mynah to eat you can try soaking the pellets in warm water until soft before feeding or substituting the pellets for the softbill porridge product. Mynah’s love foraging so making a foraging bowl with ice cream sticks or dirt, rocks, and leaves and placing the food in this container is often very appreciated (please note if this route is taken that the bowl must be cleaned out daily).
2.) Canaries and finches
Canaries and finches are species that I pity a great deal. They are cheaply available and are viewed as ‘inferior’ to parakeets and parrots so they tend to receive poor care and live pitifully short lifespans. These birds are however capable of being very charming companions and have surprisingly complex care.
These birds will require a diet made up of 50% of seed but this is where things get complex as their nutritional needs are quite specific – it is recommended to buy a finch/canary mix from the pet store as your base which will make up 50% of the seed mixture.
You will then add 25% of the following (as many as you can find): amaranth, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, rye, wheat.
12.5% of the following (as many as you can find): canola seeds, chia, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds (any colour), dill seeds, alfalfa seeds.
12.5% of the following (as many as you can find): flax seeds, hemp seeds (crush the outer shell), millet, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds (sprouted), sesame seeds.
From your seed mixture you will choose some seeds to sprout (please see our blogs on sprouting advice), some you will allow to shoot (from sprouting allow a green ‘shoot’ to grow), and the rest you will feed dry.
50% of your canary/finch’s diet should be composed of fruits, vegetables, and protein – as for mynahs you want to ensure that anything you feed is chopped up small enough for your bird to be able to peck up. Standard chop mix is once again acceptable but it is recommended to add parsley, kale, nasturtium, and dandelion. Protein is to be fed in very small amounts and dried mealworms or finely chopped boiled egg can be given.
As granivores (birds eating grains/seed) your canary/finch is going to require grit to aid digestion – the grit sold in pet stores tends to be silica sand and is insoluble – it will inevitably cause a blockage in the intestines. For soluble grit you can use cuttlebone or you can bake and then crush an eggshell.
3.) Doves and pigeons
A very underrated pet bird, doves, and pigeons make wonderful pets and are remarkably intelligent. They are also relatively easy to care for (compared to other bird species) and forgiving of mistakes made in their husbandry.
For an ideal diet, you will want a finch mix or budgie mix base to which you will add grains such as corn, wheat, rye, barley, millet. You will add chopped-up fruit and vegetables to this mix daily (any fruits and vegetables that are safe for birds can be used).
Offer soluble grit (see under canaries and finches) and occasionally offer a mealworm or some boiled egg. There isn’t a specific formula as long as the seed/grain component is greater than/equal to the fruit and vegetable component you are good to go.
4.) Loris/lorikeets
If you want to start a fight at an aviculturist club ask whether a lorikeet is a hookbill or a softbill. This odd parrot spends its days feeding mainly off nectar and although very beautiful is a devilishly difficult bird to keep – my advice is rather to stay away as so many of these gorgeous birds end up with organ failure due to incorrect diets from ignorant owners.
Most pet stores catering to exotic animals will stock a nectar product – this needs to be mixed in small amounts and changed at least twice daily. The feeder needs to be thoroughly cleaned in near-boiling water after each feed to avoid the mixture spoiling and causing gastrointestinal upset.
The lorikeets will need to be fed a variety of fruits such as apple, melon, grape, lychee, citrus, pawpaw, banana, and mango – these fruits need to be changed regularly to ensure they are fresh.
Lorikeets also enjoy seasonal (bird safe) blossoms – especially bottlebush.
Please never feed animal protein such as egg as this can be toxic to lorikeets.
For all the species mentioned above it is also recommended that you join species-specific online/social media groups to get as much information as possible – also note that every bird is an individual and has its own tastes and preferences, if your bird does not follow a diet step-by-step as indicated in bird care manuals despite your best attempts – that’s fine – as long as you ensure that your bird is getting in all the nutrients he needs and is not eating anything dangerous, he can be his own bird.
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