A Galah’s Diet
I decided to expand upon my Galah FAQ as I recently received an email regarding the Galah’s diet. Here is the gist of the email I sent as a reply to the question:
Galah’s like to eat seeds, nuts, berries and fresh corn. From Woolworths/Coles you should be able to find a good staple seed diet such as “Bird Munchies Gourmet Parrot Blend” or “Lovitts Small Parrot Seed Mix”. In my opinion, I try to avoid Trill products as they appear to contain more fat and sugar than the other varieties.
You may also give your bird a few treats a week. I always give my bird a protein treat and a dairy treat and I will sometimes give a flower treat. When offering treat foods, you can measure them using a teaspoon, never giving more than a rounded teaspoon worth.
An example of a protein treat is some boiled egg, cooked salmon or a big ‘chicken wing’ bone (with no meat, gristle is ok). An example of a dairy treat is a spoon of plain custard, plain yoghurt or a square of hard cheese. For flower treats, only offer banksias and gravillias but be careful as giving the wrong flower type can poison the bird.
Here are some Diet do’s and don’ts:
- Never feed Galah’s many sunflower seeds – while they love them – it will kill them due to their high oil/fat content over time. A Galah’s diet should not be more than 10% fat and sunflower seeds contain over 35%.
- Each day make sure your bird eats something fresh other than the seeds. This could be some fresh fruit like a cherry, passionfruit, pear, banana, peeled fig and berries like raspberry or blackberry (my bird does not like strawberry but I have read others do). Alternatively to fresh fruit, try lettuce, boiled spaghetti (no sauce) or a spoon of mashed potato (no butter), mashed pumpkin or boiled brown rice. You can also offer carrot and apple but the bird will usually use it to chomp up and make a big mess.
- Only give a maximum of one or two protein and dairy treats a week.
- Only let them drink water and change the water daily or every second day, depending on the mess.
- In the morning, they will happily have a spoon of soft weet-bix or the crust off one side of your toast, but not too often.
- Never feed your Galah lemons, grapes, soy products, cabbage, cream, chocolate, anything with caffeine, beans or avocado. It will kill them or make them very sick. Limit the amount of peas that you feed your bird – sugar snap peas are fine a few times a week.
- Remember a Galah’s crop is about the capacity of a rounded (not heaped) teaspoon, so never overfeed them.
- Fresh corn can make birds aggressive if given too often. Try to only give it once a week.
Here is an example day menu that I give to my bird:
Morning: Check water and seeds in cage (and refresh if necessary) and offer a piece of toast crust – the bird will then graze more on seeds if still hungry.
Lunch: I’m usually at work so they will graze on seeds during the day. You can install a hanging device that will hang pieces of fruit or vegetables so they can have some variety while your away at work.
Evening: A teaspoon of boiled egg and a piece of fruit or some vegetables like mashed potato – the bird will still graze more on seeds if still hungry.
So there you go, hope this explains a Galah’s diet a bit more clearly.
Hi,
I have a rather unique situation concerning a Galah.
I live in Earlwood, Sydney, which is about 30-40 mins out of the city.
About two months ago I noticed a Galah walking around on the ground. I noticed his wings were clipped and realized he must be an escaped pet. I put notices around and looked on internet ‘lost pet’ postings but found no owner. He seemed fine eating flowers and seeds from the ground. He seemed to like hanging around my street which is quiet and lined with gum trees and bottle brush trees. After a few days I realized he wasn’t going anywhere and I worried he wasn’t getting enough to eat so I got some ‘wild bird seed mix’ from the supermarket and set up a feeding container in a tree outside my house. He comes regularly to this station and I love going out and patting him and scratching behind his head. I think he trusts me and sees me as ‘the one who brings seed and pats’. I call him John. I am however in a dilemma now as it looks like I’ll have to move out of my house in a couple of months as they’re pulling it down. I feel if I leave him he will die as he semi depends on me for food. The one thing I love is that he is free but I can go and put him on my shoulder and pat him. I like it that he is not in a cage and I bet he does too. He is very tame and seems to love my attention. I don’t know what to do. Should I leave him to his own devices? I have grown rather attached to him but I don’t want to put him in a cage. I don’t have any neighbours who are interested in him at all so I can’t pass the baton so to speak. I just wouldn’t trust they would give him the attention he needs either. I’m worried if I take him and let him out in the trees he won’t like his new home and fly off looking for his old street.
My house is cheap because it is being pulled down. I will probably have to move into a flat because that’s all I can afford.
I worry everyday about this!
Help!
Michelle
@Michelle
Hi Michelle
Sounds like you do indeed have an escapee – with a galah allowing someone to scratch their head, that is a very trusting thing and many birds will go to bite or flee if they are not tamed to allow for this.
As you are concerned for the welfare of this bird, I think you might want to consider keeping this Galah as your pet as it seems it does have a strong bond with you. I am pretty sure the bird would be ok fending for itself (food and shelter wise), but galahs get very depressed if they lose a close friend or ‘mate’ and they can do things like feather pulling or even start biting themselves, which can make them sick and even die.
If I were you, I would do these three things:
1. I would try to take the bird to a good bird vet or at least call up one and have a chat regarding your situation. You will need to determine that the bird is totally healthy and is not suffering from any illness or disease.
I totally recommend Dr James Gill, who has two clinics – one at
Austral and one at Canley Heights. He has been responsible for the welfare of many Australian birds, including the birds are the Featherdale Wildlife Park at Doonside as well as examining and monitoring my own galah, Pinkie. His phone number is 9604 9792.
2. If you do decide to keep the galah, make sure you look for a cage that is at least 80cm wide, 55cm deep and 100cm high. AviOne makes an excellent cage and I keep Pinkie in one of these. You can open up the top and put a perch up there so they can still have the freedom inside your home, yet they associate the cage with safety, water, food and
sleep time.
The only time the cage is totally closed is during sleep time and when I go to work and I don’t want her flying around triggering the alarm sensors or biting electrical cables.
Also, make sure that there are plenty of toys and things to chew in the cage – rope toys and unpainted wood are best – and allow for a supervised flying time each day with the windows/doors locked, toilet seat down, stove off etc. to give the bird extra exercise. You may also want to buy a separate perch stand if you want to allow the bird to sit in other parts of your home.
3. Just make sure that if you are renting a flat that you clear
keeping a bird with the agent or if you are buying, make sure the body corporate rules permit birds. I’d hate for you to have to give up the bird because of these ‘silly’ rules.
I hope this helps you and I wish you good luck with the galah.
Graham.
what kind of fruit and vegies can i give my galah can i give him celery
@donna
Hi Donna
Yes, celery is fine in small doses, but my galah much prefers the leaves at the top of the celery rather than the actual celery stalk. I think it’s far less salty and this is why.
Graham.
I have recently lost my Galah of 22 years he was very well looked after i am a mad parrot person and know my birds back to front but are still stumped and and lost for words why he died. happy as larry on pearch on his last nite in morning was on bottom of cage with feet curled, he lasted 6 hrs then passed allways thought would have this bird for years to come, bought him when I was 16 years of age, any ideas
@Stewart
Hi Stewart
I’m very sorry for your loss. I have had a few personal family issues so I have neglected my website for some time – but here is a checklist I would use (just rule out the ones that do not apply to you):
- if the diet has a high sunflower seed content – this will eventually cause heart issues
- if anyone feeds your bird a ‘toxic food’ such as avacado, chocolate, coffee etc. – they will die slowly
- if chemicals, insect sprays or cosmetic sprays were used in the vicinity of the cage and there was not sufficient ventilation or if someone smoked near the cage or if the cage is too close to the kitchen – in all of these cases some fumes can cause respiratory issues
- if the bird is scared by a sudden sound, or sometimes even by loud storms, it can cause the bird to fret and fall and injury themselves
- if the cage is new and was not pre-cleaned before use, some paint residues can have toxic material on the bars
- if there were any signs of runny watery poop – this could be caused by bad food or a bird virus
- if the bird is old aged
I hope this helps you in some way.
G.
Hi,
Are goji berries safe for my galah to eat.He is pulling his feathers out. He loves goji berries and my hubby gives them to him for breakfast
Hi,I have a 3.5 year old Galah,I have got him when he was 4 weeks old,
raised him with special baby bird food from petshop.He is very tame. I like to
know why peas can kill him, I feed him every 2nd Day sugar snap peas ??? He loves them,then picks on celery fresh corn.Iam very careful about to much oel or fat in seeds or nuts.
t
Hi, My Galah Konyn is mutilating his feathers. He has always looked a little bit tatterd in the feather department for the 9 yrs i’ve had him. Tho recently he has stepped it up a noch and is really messing himself up. The vet said that he is in good health, his skin doesn’t seem to be dry or anything. I have tried to pay even more attention to him normal but it seems to be a real habit he has devaloped. how can i stop him from doing this? I am terrorfide that he will start causing himself real harm if i cant put an end to this.
Hi, Graham, I hope you can help with some advise, My daugther has moved to Townsville with her galah, his name is Sam, he has been really happy and so on, 3 weeks ago she took him off sunflower seeds and replaced them with pellets and fresh fruit veggies flowers and so on, he is a fantastic talker, now he doesnt talk at all, when she walks into the room he screams, she doesnt know what to do with him, she has started giving him his seed again to try and make him happy, but this hasnt helped the situation, I hope you can help. thanks Ann
Hi,
i recently bought a baby galah and he doesn’t seem to be putting on weight. current weight is 257g and dropped 10 grams in 2 days. Im worried. He is about 9 weeks old and i feed him small parrot mix but he seems to be picking out the sunflower seeds only. he does like to eat millet. i also giv him celery which he nibbles at. i have tried strawberries, carrot and frozen veggie mix (brocoli, corn, carrot, cauliflour). can someone please advise me of other ways i can get him to put on weight.
Thanks
@Sarah
Hi Sarah.
Galah’s will always go for sunflower seeds first as it is one of their favourites. If your baby Galah is not eating well the bird you will also notice there is not much poop to clean.
You might want to try the old tea-spoon with bent up sides technique where you try to simulate a mothers beak of sorts and you use this to feed your bird some mushed Weet-Bix.
If you are still worried, or if you notice side effects like feathers falling out or lose of balance, please consult a local vet or bird specialist.
Good luck
G.
Hi,
I have owned two budgies so far, the first had a close bond with us all and was lots of fun but the second still stay’s in its cage and isn’t use to socializing very much yet.
Is it possible to keep a Galah and a Budgie together, as in, in the same house or letting them out of the cage together?
I have thought about one or the other becoming jealous of attention, but I am not too experienced which is why I am asking and researching before I do anything serious.
Could you please give me some advice on what I can or should do?
@judi
Hi Judi
Sorry for not replying earlier. I have not paid much attention to the blog lately. Goji Berries are fine for a parrot, as they are a very good source of beta-carotene and Vitamins A, B, C and E. As with any treat, a little is fine, but not everyday and not for every meal.
Good luck.
@ann de jong
Hi Ann.
Sorry for not replying earlier. I have not paid much attention to the blog lately.
I don’t think the screaming is from changing the birds diet – in my experience the bird is more likely to throw the food if it does not like it. I would guess perhaps something else changed – is there a new pet or a new housemate/person in the house? In that particular case, the bird is objecting to the new person or pet.
The only other things that comes to mind is that perhaps the birds sleep is becoming interrupted in the new place or the bird is not getting as much attention as it has become used to.
Hope this helps.
@Heidi
Hi Heidi
While I have no experience keeping budgies and galahs together, I have read some stories of people attempting such a thing with cockatiels with some success. I do know that budgies are very territorial and would definitely bite your galah or pull out it’s feathers if it entered territory the budgie objected to.
It should not be too much of a problem to have them both in the same house, but I would be inclined not to proceed with keeping them in the same cage. You could experiment with letting them both out at the same time, but not without supervision. You never know, they may just get along just nicely.
Good luck.
@Jay
Hi Jay
Feather mutilation can be the result of sexual frustration, boredom, a skin irritation or a pain deep within the birds body. It can also be caused by a bacterial infection or another health problem.
Anytime your bird shows signs of mutilation, they should be taken in for a veterinarian exam, which you say you have done. If the physical issues have been ruled out, it is most likely a psychological or dietary reasons.
Checking the diet should be easy enough – just make sure they have a good variety of food to eat during the week and plenty of fresh water. Now as you have said you are giving your bird attention (which is great), does the bird have many toys to play with in the cage when you are not around?
I would also not rule of sexual frustration either, so perhaps look at getting a ‘furry friend’ for your bird to snuggle into. Also, if you have recently changed the cage, or objects around the cage, your bird may be protesting about this and instead of screaming, has decided to pull out its feather to show disapproval.
Good luck.
@Christine Ehlert
Hi Christine
I have recently read a new article saying sugar snap peas are ok a few times a week, so I have modified my article to say the same. Initially, I was lead to believe that peas react in the same manner as beans do with a bird – that is they produce a lot of ‘wind’ and therefore pain in your bird.
Continue doing what you are, your bird sounds very happy!
Good luck.
Hi there
Just wondering if you can help,,my Galah got out today,,and we have looked every where for him (Garrie ) do they take off or do they hang around the area ,,will we get him back :(
Kids are very upset,,he talks very well,,will he be OK out here,,please help
i have two pet galah’s, and have heard that it is ok to feed them a cooked chicken bone(without the meat on it) as they enjoy the marrow inside. Is this true or not???
thank you, Rene
@Naomi
Sorry for not responding sooner – I have been away on a trip and I have recently had some other issues to attend to.
Your Galah will usually stay quite close to your home if they every get out of your cage. If other Galahs or parrots are in your local area, they may attempt to follow them and play but usually they cannot keep up with them as they are not accustomed to all the stamina that wild birds are required to have. Try to tempt the Galah back with a treat or their favourite cage toy. Be wary of cats and pools near by to your home as your bird could also get into trouble. Good luck!
@Rene Dormehl
Hi Rene
My Galah loves a cooked chicken leg bone and the gristle pieces on the ‘knee joints’. I would not give them the smaller wing bones and wish bones though, as they can have difficulty with chewing those.
G.
PLEASE ANSWER FAST i accidentally left grapes on the table and he ate 1(it wasn’t fully eaten only a few nibbles) what will happen and what should i do it was only a little bit will he get sick ?
Hi all,
I live on a 21 acre property in the Wimmera wheat belt. We have large wild flocks of Galah, Corrella & Cockatoo. The point of this is one day six months ago I found a fledgling Galah hanging around the water tank with it’s mother dead from a feral cat attack. I rescued him from certain death. Well it’s just the last week now I want to share with you, My bird has bonded with me, a most beautiful moment. I offered my finger to see if he would bite me after caring for him for so long. He approached my finger, opened his beak & took hold gently, I held my breath expecting pain but none came. He held my finger gently, tasting my scent & then sunk his head in to my hand. We have become great friends now and he takes food from my hand & is trying to talk. I just can’t get over he bonding & gentleness. I hope you have had a bonding experience like I have. it’s called TRUST.
@Jay Hi Jay, I have just gone through this process with mine, after many visits to the vet and one horrible collar later, they could not give me a reason. So what i did was at night time I put him in the back bedroom and covered him at sundown and uncovered him in the morning. I also put a radio next to him with classical music on when I was not home. This seemed to relax him and the feather picking stopped within 2 weeks.
Cheers Lee
Hi, We have a galah that is about 18months old (he was about 4 weeks when we got him). He has taken to my partner and attacks me when I approach if my partner is around. He has the same reaction towards my son, yet if my partner isn’t around he allows me to scratch and kiss him. Three weeks ago (in winter) he started pulling his chest featers out, this has now progressed to his back feathers too. Since he started this I have moved him inside so he is closer too us for attention purposes. His diet is a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, pellets and seed (limited sunflower). He sleeps in a large cage and is handled daily. He has toys in his cage (which he destroys constantly). Is the destruction of his toys related to pulling his feathers out? do you have any ideas why he is pulling them out?
We are starting to really worry about him, he is still talking but not as much as he has been, and mostly when we are out of sight.
Please help
Regards
Beth
@Tom
Everything should be ok if it was only a very small amount – the bird will probably vomit it back up. I would just watch out for any fast breathing or if the bird has any difficulty standing up. If so, take the bird to a bird vet immediately.
PS. Sorry for not being able to answer sooner. I hope all is well.
@Doug
Great story Doug. My Galah and I share that same level of trust and it’s an amazing thing.
@Lee
Thanks for contributing Lee. Yes, sleep deprivation is a big health problem associated with Galah’s kept as pets. I did not mention it specifically in my response to Jay but you are right with it also being a cause of feather pulling. I try to ensure my Galah get’s 10 hours of darkness a night. Classical Music is also a nice tip.
@Beth
There are two issues here. The feather pulling and the aggressiveness, though they could be related as you hint.
I’ll start by re-iterating on some advice I gave to another person previously regarding feather pulling. Please refer to this response. Also, see this response from Lee regarding Sleep Deprivation as this can also be a cause.
The aggressiveness sounds to be behavioral, most likely because the bird has decided your partner will be it’s ‘mate’ and you are competition. This is why you can pat it when your partner is not around, but once your partner is there, it’s competition time. Destroying the toys is good because it keeps them from being bored however, your bird might be doing it for attention.
I’d try to get the bird a cuddle toy, make sure that the bird is getting enough sleep and then just to be sure, take the bird to a bird vet to make sure all is well. That way you know it is a behavioral issue and you can then experiment with different methods to address the issues. Good luck!
@Doug
Hey Doug thats a lovely story!. I found a baby Galah at work last September that was separated from her parents in a storm. My work is at an old school so I waited to see if her parents would come back over several hours nothing, The butcher birds had also had a baby fall out of the nest near by and didnt appreciate the galahs presence and started to peck her. So I put her in a box and took her to my friends property. I called her Gary. I syringe fed her over the next few days and was hoping to return her to the flock area. The most amazing thing happened during this period. As she was still crying like a baby and rocking, she called out to the other Galahs in the area. One Galah came down daily and tried to feed her through the cage, We cut a hole big enough so her head could come out of the cage and she continued to suppliment Gary’s diet. After about three weeks it was obvious that Gary was a bit too humanised to be released. We estimate she was between 8 – 10 weeks old when we found her. The first time she came to my hand and wanted to be scratched I could have cried!. She is now a real character. Dancing, trying to talk and explore the garden. She knows when I arrive and squeals with delight. I try and dicipline her and she has tantrums. its like having a toddler. I dont have children so this is just facinating to me! We think she might be a girl but Gary is her name and she seems to dig it. She is partial to shoes ( like me )
I wish i could post pictures! I know I have a friend for decades and I love it
hi, we have had a pink galah hanging around our street for about a week, yesterday he walked into our yard and was not able to fly away, his shoulder is dropped on one side, we caught him as our neighbour has cats and hated the thought of him dying like that. My question is will we be able to tame him considering he’s a wild bird, and secondly do we need to worm him and do anything special since he is wild to make him a healthy bird.
@Debbie
Yes, you can tame a wild bird somewhat and if the bird is quite young, it will be easier than an older bird. If you are able to feed the bird by hand (or with a spoon), and you are in a position to give it somewhere safe to rest and keep warm, the bird will develop a level of trust with you and your relationship can grow from there, but it is not always guaranteed.
I would certainly take the bird to a vet or wildlife rescue to get the wing looked at and to make sure the bird does not have any other internal injuries. The vet can also perform some simple tests for common illnesses and check the birds eyes, hearing etc. to make sure all is well. There are also supplements you can add into the water you give the bird which can also improve the health of a bird.