One busy New Yorker doesn’t take the time to cook her own meals, yet spares no effort for her beloved parrot. Bella the Macaw lives with Alexis Gray, her bird’s personal chef. At Chez Gray, menus are designed “to duplicate the diet Bella would have in the wild.” That means nuts, fresh vegetables and fruits. “Birds cannot live on seed alone,” Gray says. She’s right, says avian expert Larry Clifford, lecturer at the New York Companion Bird Club of Manhattan (manhattanbirdclub.com). Bella has three bowls: One for wet food, one for dry, and a water bowl. The wet food bowl contains one fruit and one vegetable. “One day it might be Brussels sprouts and half an orange – or pomegranate and corn,” Gray says. Bella loves corn, with a caveat: “She doesn’t like it raw or from a can; she likes it on the cob, but it can’t be frozen – it has to be fresh, and poached. Mushrooms, avocados, rhubarb, asparagus and onions are all bad for birds,” Gray adds. She’s quick to point out that all this isn’t spoiling Bella – it’s the responsible way to feed her. “This is the least I can do for Bella, since she’s far from her natural habitat,” Gray concludes. “She is my love!” The feeling is mutual, judging from Bella’s tender look as she supervises meal prep from her favorite perch – on Gray’s shoulder.

E-mailJulia Szabo at js@pet-reporter.com.