Life Span Falling, What Age is Now Old?

The latest findings of our Avian Vet Associations are that the Life Span of Our Parrots is Falling. This draws a Question as to: What Age is Now Old?


It had been much easier, Once Upon A Time, in defining our older Parrots. This based on their living much longer and not being a trendy thing, but living with their Humans for most all their lives. They had been a major investment and having a Parrot was something that was long planned and cherished!

In the mid to larger Parrots, 45 to 75 years was not out of the question. However life was very difference in the Old Days, especially what they eat! From the earliest times they entered our homes, thru the late 1950's they eat what their Humans eat. Yes, those home cooked meals with locally grown foods. Additives topped out at maybe pepper and a little bit of salt. Process foods was unheard of, Okay the local Bakery.

Today, the average 'junk food' crazed Parrot is so stuff with a near endless list of additives, questionable stuff, in addition to being sugar and salt loaded. Add the 'Trendy' tag and a instant gratification issues with Humans. So, how old is that Parrot: I don't remember when or who we got him from-isms!


THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOLKS!

An ever great number of historically long lived Parrots are dying very early! A backroom, off-the-record discussion with your Avian Vet just might scare you sick!

Today: Heart Disease, Arthritis, Cancers, Renal Disease, Atherosclerosis and Liver Disease is being found in 20 to 25 year old mid to larger Parrots! In addition, this group and young Parrots are experiencing serious Hormonal problems with affects lasting months to years without medication intervention. The numbers are growing rapidly and is quickly become a concern across North America and all of Europe.

Point being, what was the medical classification for an old Parrot is quickly become common in much younger Parrots with fully traceable age timelines!

It is now common for informed Avian Vets to begin pushing for full spectrum blood test for Well Parrots Examination on a yearly bases for mid to larger Parrots as early as 15 years in known age. A couple of the Life Styles that are driving these earlier Testing are: Sedematary Life Style, High Fat Diets, and being on the High Side of the Weight Range.


So, What is a Senior Parrot?

We are now faced with a really change in that definition! This change will likely be pulled by a Health Profile of the Parrot than its Age!

I see this Forum opening itself to a wider range of Parrots then originally conceived. The Health of the Parrot being more the definition than age. In addition, the Forum will likely widen from supporting the Age Affected Senior Avains to preventative measures for younger Parrots that will slow the affects of Life Style and Diet Issues, and target reversing it.

Live just got more complicated for everyone!

Geez, Sailboat, that *IS* shocking. Food for thought. Scary food. Man.

I started buying organic produce for Gus after reading some articles on Harrison's website. It makes sense that they might be more vulnerable to agricultural chemicals. Not that he eats any organic or non-organic veggies ...working on that!

Two scary possibilities! Captive breeding is the issue, or more likely our modern diet is making our companions more like us than we would like!

As I read your post, I'm completely with Flboy. While modern parrot breeding still leaves a lot to be desired, and is not on par with the genetic attention received by dogs and cats, early signs of aging such as you describe strike me as-similar to a human - A symptom of sedentary lifestyle in combination with poor diet.

Most definitely a wake-up call. Many of us are going to reassess some of our bird's lifestyles and work harder to make improvements in their diet.

I agree the diet and sedentary lifestyle would be a major cause for the weight issue. I also believe what we are giving them for toys is also a major cause for concern. We are filling them full of chemicals and don't realize it. Mind you there are so many pollutants and chemicals in the air that could be causing the cancers and other diseases, it is hard to pinpoint the problem. Every little bit helps though and we can all do our part at home.

Quakerella said:

I agree the diet and sedentary lifestyle would be a major cause for the weight issue. I also believe what we are giving them for toys is also a major cause for concern. We are filling them full of chemicals and don't realize it. Mind you there are so many pollutants and chemicals in the air that could be causing the cancers and other diseases, it is hard to pinpoint the problem. Every little bit helps though and we can all do our part at home.

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I do agree with your thinking regarding diet and sedentary lifestyle. Pin pointing the sources is much easier than you may believe, since the Life Span Falling is a more recent onset.

However, regarding your point about airborne pollutants can be a concern. Not so much, as they have been crashing and are very minor today as they fall below where they had been 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, 40 years ago and 50 years ago. Today, the average home has poorer air inside than outside. Yes, there are 'spots' that remain high, but the vast majority is way down.

I'd be going for diet being the main culprit. When we got our birds 30 + years ago we got told to feed sunflower seeds, maize and parrot mix if they eat it. Its only been very recently that we have learnt how bad that diet is for a home bird when mine got quite sick two weeks ago. I have started him on a diet much better for his liver and while its been hard getting him to accept pellets (is happy with veges) his is a lot more active now. My parents have just done the same thing with their 'too.

When I took my ekkie to the vet they gave me a little pamphlet on ekkies and most of the information sounded right but under life span they had 20 years. 20 YEARS. Every other source I have found says much more, the lowest I have been able to find being 30 years which is still a good decade longer. I know the vet I saw knew better because he told me otherwise but whoever wrote that pamphlet just

I just finished posting in "Defining a Senior Bird"... that Rickeybirds reportedly live to 30ish, although some people are saying 40+ nowadays. I can honestly say that I can't see ANY difference in his behavior or activity level. *I* may be the one that needs to figure out how to live longer because I promised him I would outlive him! It scares me to death (!?) to contemplate his life without me around.

GaleriaGila said:

I just finished posting in "Defining a Senior Bird"... that Rickeybirds reportedly live to 30ish, although some people are saying 40+ nowadays. I can honestly say that I can't see ANY difference in his behavior or activity level. *I* may be the one that needs to figure out how to live longer because I promised him I would outlive him! It scares me to death (!?) to contemplate his life without me around.

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Oh Gail, we love you and you love the bird so we...

I get that a lot!

GaleriaGila said:

I just finished posting in "Defining a Senior Bird"... that Rickeybirds reportedly live to 30ish, although some people are saying 40+ nowadays. I can honestly say that I can't see ANY difference in his behavior or activity level. *I* may be the one that needs to figure out how to live longer because I promised him I would outlive him! It scares me to death (!?) to contemplate his life without me around.

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You had better put requirements to meet that promise in high gear! Why:

Late week I took my flighted 'Entertainment Center' to his AV for his ongoing follow-up regarding his plucking. As part of my standard visits, I came with my list of questions, which my AV enjoys, something about an engaged owner, etc...

As a result, I got an early look-see at one of the studies that may be presented during first quarter 2017 AAV meetings. The study was very pro-flight, noting that flight places huge demands on the Parrot's heart /airsacks to maintain the needed flow of enriched blood to the flight muscles... The discussion with my AV rounded into her saying that Birds are structured fully around flight. Every part of them, supports or functions in balance with the needs of flight. I'm ready looking foreword to the 2017 presentations.

Anyway, to the shock of my DYHA, I brought up (but only selective parts) of the Threads and Posts regarding his lordship RickeyBird, targeting his age and activity level, plus that he is a flying little demon. Her comment was that the level of enriched blood and its flow, although targeted at the flight muscles does effect every part of a Parrot's body, both with the high flow levels and the flushing effect that has on raising toxins out of the body. Anyway, my walk-away was that Rival maybe suffering 'Parrot Purgatory' longer than he may want.


Sidebar: We are following the results of maintaining a rounded upper bill end, which seems to be reducing his skin irritation. Will provide a follow-up when we have the effects of time in place.

Also, on the way out, my Amazon 'Fell In Lust' the young lady that sets-up appointments. With great luck on my part, he was locked in his Carrier!!!

I greatly appreciate your consultation with your AV. How very thoughtful!

Thank you! (I think)

SailBoat said:

GaleriaGila said:

I just finished posting in "Defining a Senior Bird"... that Rickeybirds reportedly live to 30ish, although some people are saying 40+ nowadays. I can honestly say that I can't see ANY difference in his behavior or activity level. *I* may be the one that needs to figure out how to live longer because I promised him I would outlive him! It scares me to death (!?) to contemplate his life without me around.

Click to expand...

You had better put requirements to meet that promise in high gear! Why:

Late week I took my flighted 'Entertainment Center' to his AV for his ongoing follow-up regarding his plucking. As part of my standard visits, I came with my list of questions, which my AV enjoys, something about an engaged owner, etc...

As a result, I got an early look-see at one of the studies that may be presented during first quarter 2017 AAV meetings. The study was very pro-flight, noting that flight places huge demands on the Parrot's heart /airsacks to maintain the needed flow of enriched blood to the flight muscles... The discussion with my AV rounded into her saying that Birds are structured fully around flight. Every part of them, supports or functions in balance with the needs of flight. I'm ready looking foreword to the 2017 presentations.

Anyway, to the shock of my DYHA, I brought up (but only selective parts) of the Threads and Posts regarding his lordship RickeyBird, targeting his age and activity level, plus that he is a flying little demon. Her comment was that the level of enriched blood and its flow, although targeted at the flight muscles does effect every part of a Parrot's body, both with the high flow levels and the flushing effect that has on raising toxins out of the body. Anyway, my walk-away was that Rival maybe suffering 'Parrot Purgatory' longer than he may want.


Sidebar: We are following the results of maintaining a rounded upper bill end, which seems to be reducing his skin irritation. Will provide a follow-up when we have the effects of time in place.

Also, on the way out, my Amazon 'Fell In Lust' the young lady that sets-up appointments. With great luck on my part, he was locked in his Carrier!!!

Click to expand...

Your AV has the same beliefs as I regarding captive parrots. I think it's logical. If we were to look at our health and ONLY look at diet and not look at exercize as well, that would make no sense.

If you think about birds flight, you can compare it to our walking. And if we need to walk at least for an hour a day, we can't in good conscience not offer flight to our birds. I would compare it to us only crawling and expecting us to get enough execise AND eat our regular meals, we would end up dieing of heart disease all of us.

I actually believe this so much, so with the bird of mine, who has a damaged wing and will probably never fly again, I put him in a harness and run around with him, as he flaps his wings as if he is flying.

My B&G was clipped, when he was fledging, so he for the first 13 years of his life, was not able to fly. He was in fact afraid of flying and his wings were just large anoying appendiges, that needed preedning- he NEVER moved them. Even when I started to run with him on my arm, he would tuck his wings in to make sure, they did not "get caught" on the wind.

This is Sugar today

Wow... the things we do (and don't do) to ourselves and our birds...

What a stunning photo!

GaleriaGila said:

Wow... the things we do (and don't do) to ourselves and our birds...

What a stunning photo!

Click to expand...

Thanks

I also have this one.


The first one is taken in front of a black screen and to make sure it was taken with that background, I had to set him flying just in front of the screen. So the first one he has just started flying, were as this one is during flight. You can actually see the difference in his posture

And sorry for stealing the thread for something completely different

Ooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't checked in here lately as it took me a long time to get over losing Mark, and then we adopted Percy who died at the vet's almost a year ago due to terrible diet-related health problems from her previous life.
Now we only have one bird, a quaker named Lucky. As best we can tell he is at least 18 yrs old, based on leg band info, the year he flew into a friend's backyard, and how long we've had him.

When Mark got sick I did all the obsessive research I could on quaker lifespans and kept getting the up to 40 yrs response from 'informational' sources like books, articles & websites. But what I found was that actual people talking about their bird's age at death were consistently around 20yrs.
I know quakers have FLD, and that was a huge part of Percy's health issues, but now Lucky just 'looks' like an older guy even without health problems.
He just seems a little more frail, his eye rings look more like an old person's wrinkles. Same with his feet. His beak cuticle has more 'defects' and he doesn't seem to go into full molt as often.
His environment is action-packed, he gets good sleep, diet is as good as he tolerates, etc.
I just get an 'old person' vibe from him now. At least I won't be blind-sided if he dies sooner than later, unlike when Mark died, knowing that 'up to 40 yrs' is the far far reaches of quaker lifespans and 20 seems more average.