 | ||||||
| ||||||
This is geared to all of us but more for the first timers.. Those owning a bird for the first time.. I hope you find something helpful in here.. I know even I learned some new things here!!!!
Most parrots should be fed a diet that resembles their natural diet as much as possible, and this usually means allowing them plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. You should be sure that all fruits and vegetables are washed thoroughly to remove all traces of pesticides, fertilizers, insecticides, or other harmful chemicals. Many nutritious pellet diets are also available for purchase, and can form a good basis for many captive birds' diets. You should carefully control the amount of food you offer your bird, as many parrots may overeat. Some people allow their parrots free access to food at all times. Others prefer to feed their birds twice daily. Because parrots can store food in their crops, offering food for about one hour twice daily can allow your birds to have appropriate nutrition all day. Also, food can be prevented from spoiling in this manner. Because parrots can be quite suspicious of dietary change, they may stop eating if their food or dietary regime is interrupted or changed. For this reason, you should try to change foods slowly, mixing new items into old food items. New food items can also be offered in the form of special treats to help accustom your parrot to them. When feeding your bird, you should use separate bowls for dry food and for fresh foods.
Usually, parrots will accept and enjoy a large variety of vegetables, which may make up a majority of their diets. Vegetables like zucchini, corn, squash, carrots, string beans, peas, and broccoli, either cooked or uncooked, are also commonly offered. Sprouted seeds in addition to beans or bean mixes can be very nutritious choices as well. Cooked or sprouted grains like brown rice and quinoa are often nutritious options.
Fruits should be offered in smaller amounts than vegetables, since they are higher in sugar. Some good choices that can be offered in small amounts include pineapple, oranges, or other fruits that can have the outer layer, which may have been affected by pesticides, peeled off. If you have washed the fruit particularly well, apples, grapes, and sometimes berries may be good choices.
Usually, a high energy food like pellets or seed mix is offered to form the basis of a parrot's diet. Sometimes, this is rotated with or replaced by recipes that parrot owners concoct in their own kitchens. Many parrots are reported to like a mix made from soaked and boiled bean soup mix, stirred into cooked pasta and chopped vegetables. Other, similar mixes can be made using your creativity and items readily available from the grocery store. When creating such foods, you should keep in mind that nutrition is paramount. You may even wish to consult your veterinarian when developing your own food. If you are looking for recipes for parrot food, your veterinarian or breeder may help you, and you can also consult other resources, including your local library or the Internet.
If you are feeding your parrot a well balanced diet, it will probably not be necessary to supplement its food with vitamins. In fact, vitamins in excess can actually cause health problems, just as vitamin deficiencies can. Vitamin deficiencies are not uncommon, and in order to help prevent them, you should try to feed your birds as wide a variety of foods as possible, since some foods may be richer in some nutrients than others are. Vitamin A deficiencies have been known to cause runny noses or cold-like symptoms in some birds. Many birds, especially females, may experience calcium deficiencies. For this reason,
females may need diets higher in calcium than males, and breeding females may also have higher protein requirements.
Some parrots require grit or cuttlebone to aid them in digestion. Some people choose to leave the entire cuttlebone in the cage in order to allow their parrots to use it at will. Others may shave small bits of cuttlebone into the bird's food, since, although rare in occurrence, cuttlebone bits can cut a bird's digestive tract.
Although seeds and nuts are part of a parrot's natural diet, they should not be the main part of a captive diet, since they can quickly cause a bird to become obese or develop other problems. However, seeds and nuts can make nice treats for your birds from time to time. Sometimes, foods like bits of bread with peanut butter on them, bits of cooked pasta, or other carbohydrate foods in small amounts may make good treats. Other treats can be made at home of mixed foods. Many people offer low fat yogurt, small amounts of cheese, or cooked eggs as highly nutritious treats, especially for birds needing extra calcium and protein. Such items can be offered once daily to aid your bird in obtaining calcium and protein. Many people will also feed breeding birds such items as a regular dietary component. Raisins and bananas may be nutritious and tasty treats, but they can cause constipation and should only be fed in moderation. Dried fruits can be a tasty choice, but they are high in sugar and should be fed only as a treat.
There is a great deal of controversy concerning seed versus pellet diets. This is because although seeds and nuts form a part of a parrot's natural diet, and pellets do not, it would appear that a good seed mix would be a better dietary choice. However, many captive parrots have become ill when kept on seed only diets. Also, many parrots have a tendency to pick their favorite seeds out of the seed mix and leave the rest, effectively limiting their range of nutrients and the variety of their diet. Also, they may pick out the fattier, tastier seeds, and thus become obese. If you are feeding a seed mix, you should choose a fresh one. Generally, freshness can be determined by whether or not the seeds will grow. Try to sprout a few seeds, and if they do not sprout within a few days, the seed mix is probably not fresh. Although pellets are not a part of the parrot's natural diet, they are specially formulated to provide complete nutrition for such birds. Although they should not form the entire diet of a parrot, they can be a good alternative to a seed mix, since they contain more nutrients and less fat. Although wild birds eat fatty seeds, it should be kept in mind that they probably expend a great deal more energy than captive birds do.
You should never feed your parrot avocado, as it is toxic for these birds, particularly those that originate in Africa. Most junk foods, or foods high in fats, salt, or oils should be avoided as well. Alcohol should not be offered to birds, as it damages their livers. Also, foods containing theobromine, for example chocolate, tea, and coffee, should not be offered to your bird. Parsley, iceberg lettuce, and cabbage should also be avoided.
Diseases & Parasites -
Please note that this section is intended to serve only as a description of health problems and some possible treatment procedures. It should be seen as an outline, aiding to form your expectations of treatments and helping you recognize symptoms of problems. Unless you are qualified to diagnose ailments or to perform these treatments, you should see a veterinary professional.
Zoonoses
Zoonoses are diseases that are communicable from animals to humans. Zoonoses are most likely to affect young, elderly, or immunocompromised humans. However, some zoonoses can affect humans and can be deadly. Parasites are another
problem that is communicable between different types of birds and which humans can contract. Avian zoonoses include Chlamydia psittaci, Avian Influenza, Allergic Alveolitis, Avian Tuberculosis or Mycobacteriosis, Giardiosis, Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcus, Salmonellosis, Campylobacteriosis, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Pasteurella multocida, and Newcastle Disease virus.
Diseases and Parasites
Aspergillosis - fungal disease of the respiratory tract more commonly seen in young or stressed birds. This disease can take a chronic or an acute form and may spread throughout the bird's body.
Physical Symptoms - anorexia, dyspnea, voice change, emaciation, polydipsia, polyuria, depression, lethargy.
Cause/Transmission - inhalation or ingestion of spores in air or moldy seeds, dirty cage conditions, poor husbandry.
Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Generally he or she will prescribe the removal of lesions, especially those in major airways, supportive care, and some fungicidal treatment. Although the chronic form may be more treatable, often death results before symptoms are present with acute forms.
Avian Influenza - contagious respiratory disease that can take several forms. Because of the constantly changing nature of this disease, vaccines have proved largely ineffective.
Physical Symptoms - lethargy, depression, dyspnea, diarrhea, eye discharge. May be asymptomatic. More acute forms may result in bleeding disorders or sudden death.
Cause/Transmission - contact with infected birds or people.
Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Prevent contact between your bird and wild birds, or any sick mammals or people. Generally, symptoms are treated.
Beak and Feather Syndrome - also known as PBFDS, this disease is most commonly seen in younger parrots and cockatoos. Birds can be carriers that pass on the disease to their young without developing it themselves.
Physical Symptoms - abnormal growth of new feathers, swollen or gnarled feather shafts, absence of dust tufts, absence of feather dust in older birds, elongated beak growth, easily broken beaks, paralysis, death.
Cause/Transmission - airborne vectors from contaminated dried feces or feather dust, or passed from infected parents to young.
Treatment - there is no cure for this disease. Isolate the infected bird to avoid contaminating other parrots, and consult your veterinarian.
Egg Binding - most often seen in finches and canaries, a condition that can become fatal if left untreated.
Physical Symptoms - bird sitting at bottom of cage, ruffled feathers, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, labored breathing, depression, anorexia.
Cause/Transmission - poor egg condition, obesity, poor husbandry, lack of suitable nesting site, breeding exhaustion, calcium deficiency, infection, reproductive tract damage, or genetic predisposition.
Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Keep the bird warm. Often, calcium injections may be prescribed; the egg may be aspirated to allow for easier passage; in some cases, simple lubrication can be used to aid the bird in passing the egg.
External Parasites - small organisms that live outside the host's body. These can include mites, particularly nocturnal red mites, and lice.
Physical Symptoms - may be visible as specks in cage or, at night, as specks moving over a white cloth used to cover the bird's cage. Itching; scaliness around the face or legs; poor feather condition; feather plucking.
Cause/Transmission - xposure to parasites or parasite eggs.
Treatment - consult your veterinarian. You should remember that the entire enclosure that the bird inhabits must be treated along with the bird to ensure complete elimination of parasites.
Internal Parasites - parasites that live inside the host's body. These can include coccidia, giardia, roundworms, air sac mites, or trichomonas.
Physical Symptoms - parasite eggs or parasites visible in feces or fecal sample; diarrhea; regurgitation; weight loss; poor feather condition; loss of appetite. Respiratory symptoms will usually be evident with air sac mites.
Cause/Transmission - exposure to parasites or parasite eggs.
Treatment - consult your veterinarian.
Pacheco's Disease - contagious viral disease that can kill a bird before obvious symptoms are shown. It affects the major internal organs such as the lungs, spleen, liver, intestines, or kidneys. Different strains are probably in existence. Some birds, particularly conures, may carry this disease asymptomatically, and may only become contagious during times of stress. Other birds may suddenly acquire the disease during times of stress.
Physical Symptoms - dark yellow or green colored urates, lethargy, ruffled feathers, anorexia, diarrhea, sinusitis.
Cause/Transmission - herpes type virus acquired through exposure to an infected bird.
Treatment - although a vaccine is available, it can infect birds or may not be effective. Consult your veterinarian. A new treatment uses human herpes control drug, acyclovir, to combat this disease.
Parrot Pox - viral disease evident in both wet and dry forms, often affects budgerigars. The wet form results in systemic disease and oral lesions, while the dry form often only results in passing dry facial scabs.
Physical Symptoms - swollen eyelids, eyelids stuck shut, corneal rupture, facial scabs, scabs on ceres and feet, pneumonia, white lesions on tongue and glottis.
Cause/Transmission - contact with infected birds or insects.
Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Often high dosages of Vitamin A are prescribed along with eyewashes and ointments. Antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent or treat secondary infections.
Polyoma Virus - viral infection often fatal in young fledglings, though older birds may remain infected for long periods of time or indefinitely. Many times Eclectus parrots, African Gray parrots, Amazon parrots, budgerigars, macaws, conures, lovebirds, and cockatiels may be more susceptible to this disease than other Psittacines. Present in both acute and chronic or intermittent forms.
Physical Symptoms - depression, lethargy, anorexia, feather abnormalities, subcutaneous hemorrhages, feather loss, inability to fly, tremors of the head and neck.
Cause/Transmission - exposure to infected birds or passed from parents to eggs. It is believed that birds recovered from this disease remain carriers of it.
Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Infected birds should be isolated. Generally, supportive care may be prescribed.
Proventricular Dilatation Disease - also known as PDD or Macaw Wasting Disease. Little is known about this disease, and it can be difficult to diagnose. Generally, repeated tests should be done in order to provide a conclusive diagnosis. In addition to the degradation of the proventricular, or crop to stomach
shaft, this disease can affect the nerve endings leading to most of the bird's major organs. This disease can be carried for many years, although infectious vectors may only be shed in times of stress, or, in some birds, in times of non - stress. Although it is not thought to be highly contagious, transmission is not fully understood.
Physical Symptoms - often, there may be no symptoms until death. When present, symptoms can include tremors, seizures, paralysis, or heart problems.
Cause/Transmission - not fully understood. Generally, it is acquired through contact with infected birds, though other means of transmission may be possible.
Treatment - there is no cure for this disease. Consult your veterinarian; often, birds' lives can be improved or prolonged when they are placed on diets of easily digested foods.
Psittacosis - also known as Parrot Fever, Chlamydiosis, or Ornithosis, this is a bacterial infection that often affects a parrot's liver. Although treatable, this disease can seriously weaken birds, and it can also be contagious to people or other birds. Also, this disease can stress the bird enough that other opportunistic infections can take hold and further harm or kill the parrot.
Physical Symptoms - chartreuse colored droppings, eye discharge, nasal discharge, ruffled feathers, weakness, stress.
Cause/Transmission - contact with infected birds.
Treatment - consult your veterinarian. Often, an injectable or oral regime of tetracycline may be prescribed.
SPECIAL INFORMATION
To the Cuckoo
Thrice welcome, darling of the spring!
Even yet thou art to me
No bird, but an invisible thing,
A Voice, a mystery.
- William Wordsworth
Are birds getting louder? Apparently, humans make so much noise that other species, such as birds,have stepped up THEIR noise level just to be heard. Recent research, for instance, suggests that nightingales living near urban areas have increased the sound levels of their
mating calls by as much as 14 decibels.
