Ask Lafeber

Can you feed Zebra finches boiled shrimp?

I know it may be a dumb question to ask since its a bizarre food to think of giving to your birds, but my female Zebra finch with babies was really curious about the shrimp I was eating, so she flew to my hand and pecked at it before shooed her away. I searched it up and found out that you can feed dried shrimp to some birds since they are packed with protein but it didn’t say anything about boiled shrimp. I was thinking it may be okay since its boiled and any kind of bacteria or parasites would be killed??? But since I don’t know much, I am asking you yet again for some advice whether or not I should give my zebra finch some shrimp? Thank you!

Hi,

I have actually known parrots that love shrimp. However, most Vets will say not to offer it. I think to be on the safe side, you should get some protein that is sold for finches. You can buy live mealworms, or you can find a variety of dried or dehydrated insect mixes sold for finches. They do eat some insects in the wild, so she may be craving protein since she has chicks. You should also feed an egg food to breeding finches. This can be a dry commercial egg food, or you can cook an egg with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the egg. Keep in mind that you should always remove the nest after each clutch and rest your pair for 4-6 months before giving them a nest again. As soon as the chicks leave the nest, it should be taken out of the cage. They should never have access to a nest year round. In the wild they only nest once a year, and then the season changes, ending breeding season and signaling them to move on until the next year. In captivity, without these signals, a pair will literally breed over and over until the hen dies from laying egg too often.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda