What do canaries eat? A seed eater that needs more

According to Sandmeier and Coutteel’s chapter on avian medicine, most shop-bought seed mixes have several deficiencies: vitamins A, D3, E and K, certain amino acids, and a poor balance between calcium and phosphorus. The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in London notes that millet, a large part of these mixes, is fatty and low in vitamins and minerals.

“Recessive white” canaries need more vitamin A than others, according to Dorrestein’s handbook of avian medicine.

Pellets

VCA Animal Hospitals recommends a complete pelleted food for most of the diet (around 75 to 80%), with a little seed; the RVC considers it better balanced than a seed mix.

Egg food

A traditional supplement for canaries. As a starting point, Dorrestein suggests three parts seed to one part egg food, in controlled amounts.

Greens

Chickweed, dandelion, groundsel, seeding grasses, parsley, kale, chicory: according to the RVC, picked well away from pollution and washed thoroughly.

Vegetables and fruit

Around 20 to 25% of the diet according to VCA, in a separate bowl, removed after about two hours.

These guidelines differ between sources: ask your vet to help you find the right balance for your canary, especially when switching from a seed diet to pellets.

• Avocado: potentially toxic, it must never be given, according to VCA.
• Coffee, tea, fizzy drinks and alcohol: possibly toxic to birds.
• Cheese, biscuits, crackers, sweets: never.
• Onion and apple pips, listed by the veterinary edition of the MSD Manual.
• Iceberg lettuce and celery: mostly water, with little nutritional value.
• Honey sticks and foods sold as “moulting” or “song” formulas are not balanced, according to VCA.

Cuttlebone

The RVC recommends it: it provides calcium and lets the canary keep its beak trim.

Insoluble grit (sand, gravel)

Not needed according to VCA and the RVC; Sandmeier and Coutteel report that it can cause impactions of the crop or gizzard.

Soluble grit (oyster shell, limestone)

It also provides calcium; cuttlebone does the same job.

Fresh, clean water must be available at all times, according to VCA. Wash bowls and drinkers every day in hot, soapy water, then rinse well. The RVC also recommends a shallow dish for bathing, refreshed daily.

Small songbirds can eat up to 30% of their body weight each day, according to Sandmeier and Coutteel. So a canary that stops eating weakens very quickly. Check every day that the feeder holds real seed, not just empty husks, which can make it look full.

Water to change, greens to remove, a feeder to check: with MyArk, these tasks become reminders shared by the household, and everyone can see what has already been done.

• A daily reminder for water, the bath and greens
• Tasks shared out between members of the household
• Meals and supplements logged in the shared care log
• Feeding instructions on the pet sitter sheet