Nutrition

Hi! Here's a link to a great 'parrot pyramid' regarding nutrition. It also can link you to many items of interest on the good/bad with our fids. It's a good 'step off' towards adding variety/being cautious. Once again, take with your own 'fisdom' regarding you're own fid.

I will post in the next few days as much as I know about the various different types of foods that are good/'treat'/and toxic, as well as what foods need to be given in a different way (eg - cook potatoes, beets, and onions). I hope it won't offend. In my short time here there have been a lot of questions about what is/isn't ok. My vet is a nutritional 'nut' (and he's fine with nuts) and also a pellet advocate (though I'm not - but that's caveat to my own fid experiences - and I can't thank Harrison's enough for their formula that saved my fid last year).

So, I hope this helps:

http://www.parrotparrot.com/birdhealth/diet.htm

As always, any questions specific to your fid should also be directed to your vet. Nutrition, like with humans is complicated in our fids and extreme changes should be discussed with their doctor.

Thanks, Keupi! I'm trying to get them on a better diet, knowing exactly what they need always helps, lol. ...Now, if only I gave a poop about the human food pyramid :/

Flyte said:

Thanks, Keupi! I'm trying to get them on a better diet, knowing exactly what they need always helps, lol. ...Now, if only I gave a poop about the human food pyramid :/

Click to expand...

Oh I gave up on the human food pyramid. After Keupi last year and what's necessary for the future - it's a whole brand new food world in this house. (And, my cholesterol's gone down too - go figure).

That's another thing we need to be aware of regarding fids - what goes in will come out - sometimes in weird colors. If they eat red or orange, the poop is going to be red/orange. More veggies equals more watery. Though I don't necessarily discuss it in most social situations, poopology is a science.

Here's a funny, scary, true story - for almost five weeks Keupi didn't eat. I'm not kidding when I say that he was being hand-fed on the levels that you would feed a baby bird. In the meantime, I also offered him (with no eating) everything like normal. At the turning point, which I didn't know was the turning point, (diagnosed, being treated, on a weekend) I rushed him to an emergency vet because his stools turned red. After all of the cost, trials, turbulations, and issues I didn't know whether to kiss him or kill him (he's alive) because the first thing he decided to eat was a red chili pepper. It cost over $200 (emergency visit, smears, etc) to find out he ate. A red food. Aside of the cost I actually cried with the news. I broke down and wept right there. He was eating again, on his own, and while my pocketbook wished he would have picked something else, every other part of my being knew it was a turning point.

So that's another thing with nutrition that needs to be mentioned. The poops. With all foods, what goes in must come out and sometimes what comes out is colored, watery, etc. It doesn't mean that you're fid is ill. The thing is, just know what goes in is going to come out and when you feed things that are part of the color pyramid - it's coming out the same.