Bird Treats

Millet sprays, like Vitakraft Millet Spray Prepacked, are one of the most popular bird treats and work well hung in a cage for a bird to peck at over time rather than given as a single serving. Fruity sticks and bells, such as Johnson's Cockatiel/Parrot Fruity Stick and Johnson's Canary Seed Bells, combine seed with dried fruit for a sweeter, more indulgent treat than everyday feed.

These products are generally species-appropriate across similar-sized cage birds, but check the packaging for guidance on which birds a specific treat suits, since a treat sized for a larger parrot species may not be appropriate for a much smaller finch or canary.

Treats should stay a small part of a bird's diet, with the bulk still coming from a proper seed mix, pellets or fresh food appropriate to the species. A millet spray left in the cage constantly, rather than offered occasionally, can end up being a bird's main food source by choice, which isn't nutritionally balanced on its own.

Watch your bird's weight and overall condition if you're a regular treat-giver, and rotate between offering a treat and other forms of enrichment, like foraging toys, so treats don't become the only thing that gets a bird interested in their cage.

A treat is often the easiest way to build trust with a new or nervous bird, offered by hand in short sessions so the bird associates a person's presence with something positive rather than only handling or cage cleaning. Hanging a millet spray or seed stick also gives a bird something to work at and interact with, which is valuable enrichment on top of the treat itself.

If you're training a bird to step up or interact more, breaking a treat into smaller pieces makes it possible to reward more often without overfeeding in one session.