Canaries should be fed a quality canary seed mix containing a variety of small seeds such as plain canary, French white millet, pannicum, hemp seed and rapeseed. The seed mix should be kept fresh — blow the husks off the dish daily before replenishing, rather than simply topping up over old husks.
Supplement the seed diet with a quality canary crumble or pellet to fill nutritional gaps that seed alone cannot provide. Egg and biscuit food — a soft, protein-rich mixture available commercially — is important during moulting and breeding periods and supports feather quality and overall condition. Fresh greens offered daily, including spinach, silverbeet, endive, chickweed and dandelion, provide vitamins, moisture and variety. Seeding grasses are relished and provide natural foraging stimulation.
Never feed avocado, lettuce (minimal nutritional value), chocolate, caffeine, onion or processed human foods. Small amounts of bird grit aid digestion. A cuttlebone should always be available for calcium. Vitamin supplements can be added to water two to three times per week. Fresh water must be changed daily.
