Nightingales belong to the Sparrow-like order of birds and the Flycatcher family. As an animal for domestic use, the so-called common nightingale with a body length of 17 centimeters, large dark eyes and a reddish tail is most common. Nightingales live practically throughout Europe, as well as in Western Asia, where they sometimes become a pet. So what to feed these birds and how to do it right?
Instructions
Step 1
You can prepare a special mixture for the nightingale, which is also called "mash". Its basis is raw carrots, finely grated. Chopped boiled chicken eggs and boiled cottage cheese are also added to the vegetables, which are squeezed well on a fine sieve to a minimum water content. All these three components must be mixed well and "season" the resulting mixture with crushed white bread crumbs.
Step 2
This recipe is versatile and can be modified slightly to suit your pet's taste. You can afford small experiments and see what the nightingale will like the most. According to the owners of these birds, they are very fond of such an ingredient as dry gamarius, which is usually sold as food for aquarium fish. Gamarius should be boiled with boiling water and added to the main mixture after it swells.
Step 3
It is believed that the nightingales may also like the addition of various chopped greens to the feed. For example, dandelions, lettuce, or nettles. Dry algae, which are sold in almost any pet store as food for pets or fish, are also convenient and useful for feeding the nightingale. Bone meal or a mixture of vitamins for birds as another ingredient will not be superfluous.
Step 4
Owners of nightingales, who have a lot of free time and closely monitor their health, prepare a more complex mixture, to which, in addition to all the above ingredients, dried berries, fruits, a little natural powdered milk and even chopped needles are also added. But this recipe also has its drawbacks: it is impossible to cook it for future use in large quantities, since the more ingredients are added to the mixture, the faster it will deteriorate and sour.
Step 5
You should not ignore mealworms and ant eggs, which will not be a big problem to find in a modern pet store either. These "dishes" are familiar to the nightingales living in the wild. Usually, the bird can eat up to 40-50 worms per day, but after the end of the singing time, veterinarians recommend reducing this number to 10 in order to allow the bird to return to normal.
Step 6
As for the feeding time, then, like other singers, nightingales must be given food twice a day - in the morning and then in the evening, 2-3 hours before dark. Moreover, the second part should be more abundant than the morning one. It is also necessary to monitor the physical condition of birds, since nightingales can be prone to obesity, especially in the absence of natural stress and prolonged overload.
