Diet: Mynah

• Basic Diet:

  Fruit and insects. They do not eat seeds, please do not use baby bird formula or abba green which is made for seed eaters and has a high iron content.

  • Fruit Options (you can purchase the fruit in the form of organic baby food - no added sugar)

    • Banana

    • Mango

    • Strawberry

    • Papaya

    • Apple

    • Blueberry

    • Avoid citrus fruits which can disrupt their digestive systems. Other foods to stay away from: Avocado and Chocolate.

  • Protein Options:

    • Live crushed mealworms, crickets, beetles or grasshoppers

      • Avoid earthworms, as they can carry parasites like hairworms

    • Dried crushed mealworms, crickets, beetles or grasshoppers; you can choose to sprinkle in food or soak and add wet.

    • Mashed hard boiled or scrambled egg (chicken or duck)

  • Bird Food Options

    • Pretty bird or Mazuri soft bill pellets (low iron); pellets that contain less than 90-100 mg of iron/kg of diet are safe to feed.

    • Orlux Beo Patee

    • Egg food (Vitakraft or Quicko)

    • Boiled or scrambled chicken, duck or quail eggs

  • Vegetable Options (research Hemochromatosis diet)

    • Cucumber

    • Green leafy vegetables (packed full of antioxidants, which inhibit free radical production). For example although spinach, kale, strawberries are known for iron content, however they also contain oxalates, which impairs non-heme iron absorption.

  • Dehydration supplement:

    • Unflavored Pedialyte

• How to feed:

  • Mix together the mashed fruit and insects. Rotate in the Supplemental mixes

    • 60 % fruit puree, 40% protein options or egg mix

    • Mynahs eat frequently from sunrise to sunset, they have a

    • If a mynah looks like it is not doing well: Mix the fruit and insects in with unflavored Pedialyte

  • When the mynah gapes for you, you can feed small bites of the mashed mix off of a coffee stirrer, soft side of a toothpick or skewer for as many times as it opens its mouth.

  • If you only have access to soft bill pellets (low iron) you will need to soften it in water prior to feeding.

  Important Information: Mynahs REQUIRE a low-iron diet. They can suffer from iron storage caused by a diet high in iron and vitamin C. Mynahs also have relatively short digestive tracts, so food moves through them quickly. They eat often and poop frequently; often very loose droppings that are sometimes same color as the last food digested.

• How often to feed:

  • All birds need to be fed from sunrise to sunset.

  • Young hatchlings and nestlings: fed every 20 - 30 minutes, giving them as much as they will gape for. The younger it is, the more frequently it needs to be fed.

    • Naked (non feathered) hatchlings should be fed every 20 minutes

    • Pin feathered nestlings can be fed every 20-40 minutes

  • Young fledglings: fed every 45m - 1.5 hours.

  • Older fledglings fed every 1-1.5 hours

  • Adults: every 1 - 2 hours

  • As a bird gets older, feedings can be spaced further apart and the food will can be a thicker constancy.

• How to Ween:

  • Nestlings will start to explore and naturally peck around the cage at different things.

    1. 1. Scatter meal worms or other dried or live protein sources around the cage

       1. Introduce proteins such as scrambled bits of egg, crushed/dried, and fresh mealworms.

    2. 2. Put soft (papaya or mango) fruit inside the cage, change the fruit every 6 -8 hours.

       1. Fruit Options

          • Banana

          • Papaya

          • Strawberries

          • Blueberries

          • Apples

          • Mango

  • Continue hand feeding every 2 hours throughout the weaning process

  • Gradually decrease the amount of soft mashed food daily as they start to peck at the other food items around the cage.

  • It is important not to rush the weaning process. Some birds take longer than others to wean.

• Helpful tips:

  • You can sprinkle crushed dried super worms, crickets or mealworms onto fresh fruit. This offers protein that is necessary for feather growth and development.

  • Frequent pooping in-between feedings is a good sign that the digestion process is taking place.

  • Mynahs need a high amount of protein (at least 50% of their diet) and fresh mealworms are essential for proper feather growth.

  • Protein is also needed to help absorb vitamin A which in turn helps avoid hyperkeratosis (lifted overgrown scales on feet).

  • Providing Mynahs with lots of direct sunlight (vitamin D) and clean bathing water will also help avoid hyperkeratosis. Direct sunlight is important for calcium absorption and helps prevent depression. You can monitor the bare skin behind a Mynah’s eyes as it will turn a bright yellow when a Mynah is getting enough sunlight.

  • It is very important to socialize a Mynah with others of a similar age in order to begin the flock soft-release process, the younger they are the better.

Release of Mynahs

Mynahs cannot be released individually, they must be set free in groups

Mynahs are known to hang out in “gangs” and are very territorial. Releasing a young single mynah will often result in the Mynah being killed or beaten to death by a 'rival’ gang. NEVER release a mynah by itself, groups of 4 or more are preferable.

Before releasing a mynah in a group, they must bond for an extended period of time- at least 4 weeks but longer is preferable.