Free reference · An honest non-answer · No invented numbers
How much should I feed my bird?
PetLife publishes no feeding number for birds — on purpose — and this refusal is the honest answer. The published avian energy literature is split on its key constant: a widely used non-passerine value (78) versus a psittacine-specific one (175), a 2.2× spread. Any single number we printed would be an invented choice, wrong for a huge share of pet birds. What your bird actually needs is species-specific feeding guidance from an avian veterinarian — that is the answer we can stand behind.
Informational, not veterinary advice.
Why won't PetLife publish a bird feeding number?
Because the literature does not support one honest number. Published avian energy work is bimodal: a widely used non-passerine constant (78) and a psittacine-specific one (175) — a 2.2× spread. A rabbit page can cite one maintenance guideline; a bird page cannot, because picking either constant would silently decide what kind of bird yours is. PetLife's engine has a standing rule — no constant without a citation — so the app shows no feeding target for birds, and this page prints no number either. The refusal is deliberate, and it is the answer.
What should a bird owner do instead?
Ask an avian veterinarian for species-specific feeding guidance — what is right for one species is not right for another. Weigh your bird regularly and keep notes on what you offer and what actually gets eaten, so your vet works from real information instead of guesses. And treat appetite change seriously: a bird that stops eating is an urgent, same-day veterinary call — not a wait-and-see.
The feeding answers we do publish
Where a named, published guideline supports a number, PetLife publishes it — with the citation and the date it was checked. Dogs and cats also get the interactive Feeding Calculator.
Informational, not veterinary advice.
This page is an educational reference. Nothing here is veterinary or medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Always consult a licensed veterinarian — for birds, an avian veterinarian — about your bird’s diet, weight, or health, and never delay or disregard professional veterinary advice because of something you read here. A bird that stops eating is an urgent, same-day veterinary call.
The PetLife app takes the same position: it will not show a feeding target for a bird. For the species with citable numbers, the same engine behind these pages runs in the app.