ARE WE KILLING OUR PET PARROTS WITH KINDNESS?
As a general rule, most people would be shocked to hear that a child was eating McDonald’s fries 3 times a day, but did you know that many people are unknowingly feeding the equivalent of this to their pet birds?
In the wild, parrots eat a relatively low fat diet for most of the year comprised of a variety of different nuts, seeds, leaves and flowers from a wide variety of plants.
In the wild, parrots eat a relatively low fat diet for most of the year comprised of a variety of different nuts, seeds, leaves and flowers from a wide variety of plants.
Food eaten will change with the seasons as will the nutritional value of the foods also. Generally as the breeding season approaches, rains and improved conditions will increase the quality and nutritional value of the foods stimulating the birds to reproduce.
It is impossible for us to exactly replicate a natural diet for our pets, a task which, up to now, has been filled by the domesticated seeds seen in most “parrot mixes”, which no parrot eats naturally in the wild. These mixes contain seeds that have many times the amount of fat contained in any naturally eaten seeds making them very tasty to parrots (e.g; sunflower and safflower seeds). Seed mixes in general are also deficient in calcium, vitamin A and many other essential nutrients resulting in serious, long-term health consequences for our pets. Parrots, being quite smart, will pick out the seeds they like also (like a child picking chips over vegies) meaning that an average parrots diet can be composed of up to 98% sunflower seeds….the equivalent of living on fries alone!
Not only does this affect the health of our pet birds, but such high fat diets make them think its breeding season all the time. This means randy, frustrated, overly energetic, hormonal, and aggressive birds. In fact almost 90% of the reasons that pet birds will be presented to a veterinary clinic can be in some way related back to an all-seed diet, whether it be constant egg laying, feather plucking, liver failure or fatty tumours.
Interestingly, colour changes are often the earliest indication of liver problems, with many people owning hot pink galahs that should be a soft pastel pink; or bright yellow cockatiels that should be lemon. Also, that inappropriate relationship with a beloved toy…or yes….you…could also be due to frustration from soaring hormones!
In recent times “pelleted” and “crumbled” diets have been formulated for birds to more accurately match their dietary requirements and meet their vitamin and mineral requirements. Teamed with a mix of fresh fruit and vegies, mental stimulation and exercise, many of the above problems can be avoided and even reversed with time.
This isn’t, of course, going to happen overnight. The child that eats chips every night is not going to convert to tofu and vegies without a fight….so the process will need to be gradual. The bonus is that you have the occasional treat sunflower seed up your sleeve for bribery and training!
Your vets can advise you on the best methods of converting your parrot onto a pelleted diet, because believe me….we’ve tried them all and it can be a challenge. But, the result is a happier, more balanced and ultimately healthier pet bird that hopefully should be around to be your emotionally well adjusted, life-long companion.
It is impossible for us to exactly replicate a natural diet for our pets, a task which, up to now, has been filled by the domesticated seeds seen in most “parrot mixes”, which no parrot eats naturally in the wild. These mixes contain seeds that have many times the amount of fat contained in any naturally eaten seeds making them very tasty to parrots (e.g; sunflower and safflower seeds). Seed mixes in general are also deficient in calcium, vitamin A and many other essential nutrients resulting in serious, long-term health consequences for our pets. Parrots, being quite smart, will pick out the seeds they like also (like a child picking chips over vegies) meaning that an average parrots diet can be composed of up to 98% sunflower seeds….the equivalent of living on fries alone!
Not only does this affect the health of our pet birds, but such high fat diets make them think its breeding season all the time. This means randy, frustrated, overly energetic, hormonal, and aggressive birds. In fact almost 90% of the reasons that pet birds will be presented to a veterinary clinic can be in some way related back to an all-seed diet, whether it be constant egg laying, feather plucking, liver failure or fatty tumours.
Interestingly, colour changes are often the earliest indication of liver problems, with many people owning hot pink galahs that should be a soft pastel pink; or bright yellow cockatiels that should be lemon. Also, that inappropriate relationship with a beloved toy…or yes….you…could also be due to frustration from soaring hormones!
In recent times “pelleted” and “crumbled” diets have been formulated for birds to more accurately match their dietary requirements and meet their vitamin and mineral requirements. Teamed with a mix of fresh fruit and vegies, mental stimulation and exercise, many of the above problems can be avoided and even reversed with time.
This isn’t, of course, going to happen overnight. The child that eats chips every night is not going to convert to tofu and vegies without a fight….so the process will need to be gradual. The bonus is that you have the occasional treat sunflower seed up your sleeve for bribery and training!
Your vets can advise you on the best methods of converting your parrot onto a pelleted diet, because believe me….we’ve tried them all and it can be a challenge. But, the result is a happier, more balanced and ultimately healthier pet bird that hopefully should be around to be your emotionally well adjusted, life-long companion.
