Better Care.
Happier Pets.

Dog: what to feed

Main daily diet: Choose a complete and balanced dog food labelled for your dog's life stage (puppy, adult or senior). This should provide nearly all daily nutrition.

Suitable food examples

• Complete dry kibble or complete wet dog food.
• Plain boiled chicken, with all bones and skin removed.
• Fully cooked egg, plain and without oil or seasoning.
• Cooked carrot, green beans or plain pumpkin.
• Plain cooked rice can be an occasional bland ingredient when appropriate; it is not a complete diet.

How to prepare a simple topper

1. Boil boneless chicken in plain water until fully cooked.
2. Do not add salt, stock cubes, onion, garlic, chilli or spices.
3. Cool it, shred into small pieces and remove every bone.
4. Use only a small topper portion; keep complete dog food as the main diet.

Meal routine

• Young puppies commonly need 3–4 meals a day; follow your vet and food label.
• Older puppies commonly move to 2–3 meals.
• Most adult dogs do well with 2 measured meals, morning and evening.
• Keep fresh water available all day.

How much should I give?

There is no safe one-size-fits-all gram amount. Start with the feeding chart on the complete food packet for your dog's current weight and age, then divide that daily amount between meals. Adjust with a veterinarian if your dog is underweight, overweight, pregnant or ill. Treats and extras should stay below about 10% of daily calories.

Cat: what to feed

Main daily diet: Feed complete and balanced cat food for the correct life stage. Cats need nutrients found in animal-based foods, including taurine.

Suitable food examples

• Complete wet cat food and/or complete dry cat kibble.
• Plain boiled chicken or turkey, boneless and unseasoned, as a small treat.
• Fully cooked, plain egg in a small occasional amount.
• Fully cooked boneless fish occasionally; it should not replace complete cat food.

How to prepare chicken

1. Boil a small boneless piece in plain water.
2. Do not add salt, oil, spices, onion or garlic.
3. Cool completely, shred finely and check carefully for bones.
4. Offer only a little alongside the cat's complete food.

Meal routine

• Kittens need several small meals; very young kittens may need 4 or more meals daily.
• Older kittens commonly eat 3 meals daily.
• Most adult cats should receive at least 2 measured meals daily; some prefer more small meals.
• Keep clean water available. A water fountain or several bowls may help.

How much should I give?

Use the wet/dry food package's calorie and weight guide for your cat's ideal weight and life stage. Wet and dry foods have different calorie densities. Do not use a generic cup or gram amount for every cat. Keep treats and extras below about 10% of daily calories.

Bird / Parrot: what to feed

Main daily diet: Diet depends strongly on species. Many companion parrots eat a measured, species-appropriate formulated pellet diet plus vegetables. Budgies, cockatiels and large parrots do not all eat the same portions.

Suitable food examples

• Species-appropriate complete pellets.
• Washed vegetables such as carrot, broccoli, capsicum and leafy greens.
• Small pieces of suitable fruit such as papaya or apple with seeds and core removed.
• Seeds only in the amount recommended for that species; an all-seed diet is often nutritionally unbalanced.

How to prepare fresh food

1. Wash vegetables and fruit under clean running water.
2. Chop into pieces suitable for the bird's size.
3. Remove apple seeds and fruit pits; do not add salt, butter or seasoning.
4. Put fresh food in a clean dish and remove leftovers after a few hours, sooner in hot weather.

Daily routine

• Morning: provide fresh water, measured pellets and washed vegetables.
• Later: check water and remove spoiled fresh food.
• Offer fruit in small portions rather than making it the main diet.

How much should I give?

Exact grams and pellet-to-seed ratios depend on species, body weight and current diet. Weigh your bird regularly and ask an avian veterinarian to set the daily amount. Change from a seed-heavy diet gradually under professional guidance; never starve a bird to force a diet change.

Rabbit: what to feed

Main daily diet: Adult rabbits need unlimited grass hay, suitable leafy greens, a small measured amount of plain rabbit pellets and fresh water.

Suitable food examples

• Unlimited timothy, orchard or other suitable grass hay for most adults.
• Washed leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, coriander/cilantro and suitable herbs.
• Plain high-fibre rabbit pellets, measured rather than freely topped up.
• Carrot and fruit only as tiny occasional treats, not daily staples.

How to prepare greens

1. Wash leafy greens thoroughly and remove spoiled leaves.
2. Dry lightly and offer a varied selection of rabbit-safe greens.
3. Introduce one new green at a time in a small amount and watch droppings.
4. Keep fresh hay available at all times and refresh it daily.

Daily routine and portions

• Hay: unlimited, available 24 hours a day.
• Leafy greens: a common adult guide is about 1 packed cup per 2 lb (0.9 kg) body weight daily, introduced gradually and adjusted for the rabbit.
• Pellets: a small measured portion based on ideal weight and the pellet brand's instructions; avoid muesli mixes.
• Water: constant access in a clean bowl or suitable bottle.

Young rabbits

Growing rabbits have different needs and may require alfalfa hay and young-rabbit pellets. Do not apply the adult portion guide to a baby rabbit; ask a rabbit-experienced veterinarian for the transition plan.

Hamster: what to feed

Main daily diet: Use a complete hamster-specific pellet or nutritionally balanced hamster mix. Syrian and dwarf hamsters have different needs.

Suitable food examples

• Complete hamster pellets or a reputable balanced hamster food.
• Tiny pieces of washed cucumber, broccoli or carrot.
• A very small piece of suitable fruit only occasionally; fruit may not suit some dwarf hamsters.
• Fresh water in a clean, working bottle or suitable bowl.

How to prepare fresh food

1. Wash the vegetable thoroughly.
2. Cut a piece no larger than a small nibble for your hamster.
3. Offer one new food at a time and check for soft droppings.
4. Remove uneaten fresh food before it spoils; check food stores in the nest.

Daily routine

• Offer the measured main ration once daily, often in the evening when hamsters become active.
• Follow the food label for the exact amount; different mixes have different calorie densities.
• Give fresh vegetables in tiny portions, not a bowlful.
• Check water every day.

Fish: what to feed

Main daily diet: Choose food made for the exact fish species and feeding zone. Goldfish, bettas, guppies and bottom feeders need different food.

Suitable food examples

• Goldfish: goldfish-specific pellets or flakes.
• Betta: betta-specific small pellets; suitable frozen foods may be occasional variety.
• Guppies and many tropical community fish: tropical flakes or micro-pellets.
• Bottom feeders: species-specific sinking wafers or pellets.
• Plant-eating species: suitable algae-based or vegetable-based foods.

How to feed

1. Use food sized for the fish's mouth.
2. Follow the package directions for the species; feed a very small amount at a time.
3. Watch the fish eat and remove uneaten food promptly.
4. Do not use bread, biscuits or random kitchen food.

Daily routine

• Many adult aquarium fish are fed once or twice daily, but species and age differ.
• Fry and some specialist species may need more frequent small feeds.
• Never add extra food just because fish gather at the glass.

How much should I give?

There is no universal number of pellets: pellet size and fish size vary. Start with the smallest label-recommended portion the fish can consume quickly, then remove leftovers. Overfeeding pollutes water and can harm fish.

Turtle & Tortoise: what to feed

First identify the species. Aquatic turtles and land tortoises have very different diets. Some are omnivores; many tortoises are mainly plant eaters.

Aquatic turtle examples

• Species-appropriate complete aquatic turtle pellets.
• Suitable leafy greens and aquatic plants for species that eat them.
• Protein foods only as appropriate for the species and life stage.

Tortoise examples

• Suitable grasses and safe edible weeds.
• Species-appropriate leafy plants and greens.
• Fruit only if suitable for that species; many Mediterranean tortoises should not receive fruit as a regular food.

How to prepare food

1. Wash greens and plants thoroughly.
2. Use only positively identified, pesticide-free, turtle-safe plants.
3. Chop to a size the animal can eat safely.
4. Remove uneaten food and keep the habitat clean.

Feeding frequency and amount

Young aquatic turtles often eat more frequently than adults, but exact portions and schedules vary by species, age and body condition. Tortoise diets also vary by species. Follow a reptile veterinarian's species-specific plan and the complete food label.