May we try any foods?

Robert Gift

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Went to Sprouts, a health-food type grocery store.
They have bulk bins from which beans, dry peas, seeds, nuts, dried fruits and flours, etc. can be scooped.

One bin has a 10-bean soup mix of split peas, beans, seeds, etc. - I forget the rest.
All items are raw I believe. No seasonings, salt or additives - those ingredients are up to the cook.

We also purchased barley, wheat berry, sunflower seeds and millet.
Is it OK to allow Liang Zai to try them?

Thank you.
 
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antoinette

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Personally I would not purchase any foods in bulk bins that can be scooped.
You don't know how long it has been standing in the bins for.
 

Spiritbird

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I totally agree with your Ant. I have seen little flying critters near these bulk bins Some stores put their bulk products in closed containers which would be better.
 
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Robert Gift

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Any foods bad for parrots?

Bins are all well-sealed under clear clovers.
Product is fresh. People would object if product is not fresh.
 

jonsbabykake

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i shop there and everything is very fresh. rinse off the 10 bean soup mix and also the grains u plan to give your bird until the water comes clear. they must be cooked, they cannot be eaten raw by the bird. boil for about an hour or so in non seasoned water, cool and serve.
 

Leroy_Paige

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The bins may look clean but when 1000's of "clean" people come in contact with the bin and what's inside.......................
 
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Robert Gift

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... they must be cooked, they cannot be eaten raw by the bird. boil for about an hour or so in non seasoned water, cool and serve.
If I must go to all of that trouble, we'll just make soup and eat it ourselves.

I thought RAWould be.st. Raw is what would be found in nature.
(A friend says raw is also better for us!)

Should I buy just conure foods at pet stores and not try to find what Liang Zai likes?
He throws a lot out of his bowl. If I can get just what he eats, it would save money and mess.

Thank you.
 
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Robert Gift

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The bins may look clean but when 1000's of "clean" people come in contact with the bin and what's inside.......................
Each bin has its own metal scoop.
In Whole Foods stores, one cannot touch the food in bins because it passes through a plastic valve beneathe bin.
 

suebee

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i might have a lost in translation moment, but if the beans are dried, i always boil them! soak over night, rinse and then boil for at least 15mins, as in start the 15mins from point pan is boiling, then cook out for a further 45mins (some types of dried beans need more) basically if beans are dried they produce a toxin under the skin that needs the boiling process to kill off, this toxin can be fatal to humans

if by raw, you mean fresh picked of the plant then i can't see a problem, but i won't my self eat fresh foods that are sold in a bin or buy it, especially high protein, moist foods stored at room temp?
the food poisoning bacterias that canbe present, might not effect your bird, but your bird could be a carrier and then pass onto you?? so i think thats why you need to cook them still?
also viruses canbe present on the foods (cold etc) with ppl breathing over bin's

so i like all my fresh produce pre packed, unless its the kinds you remove skin


as for making soup for yourself?? why not, when i cook our main meals i always put in mind nut, and cook something she can have with us :) so her night routine is, she eats with us in her carry/sleep cage and then goes to bed :)
but i always make sure food is bearly warm when i give it to her

also this is helping as we are now eating low to no fat/ we add salt if we want to, but i no longer cook with it and use alot more fresh veggies so we are eating healthier
 

antoinette

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No matter how the bin is sealed, having it's own scoop etc I would still not take a chance.
I am not picking a fight here, just stating a fact....
Do they have a sticker on the bin, stating the expiring date? How sure are you that they empty the entire bin, before refilling?
I used to sell dried fruit to pet shops, before I became a guardian. I did not now that sulphurdioxide, was bad for birds. They removed the sticker, stating that the product was treated with sulphurdioxide. I did approach them, telling them the dangers of sulphurdioxide, pertaining to birds. They turned a deaf ear. I no longer sell my product to them. They purchase from someone else, still selling the dried fruit..............
 

jonsbabykake

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the beans sold at the store they are talking about are dried.

to make the 10 bean soup, you still have to go through all that process anyway to even start the soup, so once all the beans are cooked, just set some aside to cool while you add the seasonings to your soup pot and cook the soup the rest of the way.

you can just buy food meant for a conure, that is a combination of seeds, pellets, nuts and fruits, and grains...and also give fresh fruit and vegetables 50% of the time. for the fresh produce just give some of what you would normally buy for yourself. make sure to look up what is safe to feed the bird and what is toxic.

your bird will let you know exactly what they like and what they dont like. they will toss out what they dont want almost immediately and spend their time with the rest.
 

wildheart

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Trichinosis in Pork is killed by cooking the "center" of the meat to 160 degrees... I would think it safe to say.. any beans, boiled at 212 degrees for the length of time stated would kill any and ALL germs possibly on them, even any left after rinsing..... get real!Onions and potatoes grow UNDER the dirt! Their are hand picked and handled etc.. What do you think happens to peaches,pears, apples, tomatoes etc in the field, the distributors, the STORE, and then your home!! Don't be such a germ o phobe!! How "germ free" do you think your BIRD is??? You kiss on him don't you?? Good Grief! Buy your food, wash it thoroughly, cook it properly, and sleep easy! I'll bet you don't grow and can your own food! Not picking on you, but i think you are going a bit overboard on the "germ" issue! A Clean Kitchen & Utensils, AND properly washed base food, and you're good to go, cook thoroughly and enjoy!

We do not speak to one another like that.:( Everybody here are friends helping each other and yes we do have difference of opinion and state it in a respectful and kind manner. We debate - we do not fight and learn every day from each other, never forcing our beliefs onto each other. The moment that you stop learning you become a bad owner.

If anybody seems paranoid to you then you should first investigate the reasons, there are ALWAYS reasons, especially because we are oceans apart and what a shop in your country does is completely different from the way it is done in this country..

The original poster was planing on feeding it raw and I think he understands now that it must be cooked.
 
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Adz

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On the lighter side, my GCG attacks the eggs on my plate in the morning. Weird, yup....a bird eating egg but not unusual.
 
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Robert Gift

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...
The original poster was planing on feeding it raw and I think he understands now that it must be cooked.
But in nature birds get everything raw or naturally dried.
And does cooking not damage nutrients which the birds will never get if foods are always cooked?

My symphony musician friend says WE should be eating raw whenever possible.
Cooking is an unnatural act which only man does.
 

wildheart

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But your bird is not in nature, he is in your home protected from all bacteria and everything else that he would have come in contact with in the wild and he therefore never had the opportunity to build up a resistance to it. You can not compare him to a free bird.

Did you research your parrot in the wild, does he get beans and where does he get it?

Is beans not just something that us humans feed our parrots to try and make up for the nutrition that we can not supply? Just asking.

Google it and you will get hundreds and hundreds of people saying cook it and give the reasons why.

Raw beans are not just bad for birds. Haemaglutin is toxic also to other organisms including humans! I think some varieties of bean are worse than others. There are also other toxic substances in some varieties of beans such as soybeans.

This is another example of the simple fact that because something is a natural product that does not make it a good food!!!! In general virtually all protein toxins are destroyed by cooking. That is the case with haemaglutin.

One needs to realise that plants have defence mechanisms to keep hungry animals from eating them!!!

There are several ways to avoid being eaten if you are a plant:

I. You can have spines and be physically obnoxious

2. You can grow very fast and live your life cycle before animals have a chance to eat you.

3. You can try to minimise vital nutrients so animals that eat you get become malnourished or stave.

4. You can contain highly toxic compounds that either kill animals that try to eat you, or else they get sick so they will learn to leave you alone.

5. You can grow in times when animals do not expect you to be growing.

6. You can be tiny so animals do not notice you.

*********
 

suebee

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On the lighter side, my GCG attacks the eggs on my plate in the morning. Weird, yup....a bird eating egg but not unusual.

:11: my nut likes egg, chicken and will gnaw the bone too! :11: looks really cannibalistic but she enjoys it and its a treat for her
 
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Robert Gift

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Canary: Johann Sebastian Bird
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what about canned organic beans? my dolly had black beans the other day and loved them all mashed up.
I'll have to try that. Youqing has canned black beans. Don't know if ours are organic. Thank you.
 

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