. Pellets are kind of like vitamin fortified cereal or bread- they have "nutrients" but certainly are not a balanced or complete diet. Parrots eat primarily fruit in the wild, and they need it every single day. The NATURAL sugar in fruit is not bad for them either, it can just make them a bit more aggressive when they are hormonal. It's the processed sugar in cakes and cookies that we eat that is bad for birds. They actually get most of their water intake from fruit, not drinking water. Corn is not particularly good for them (fine as a treat), but peas, bananas and sweet potatoes are very good for birds, and a good start to getting him into eating the right foods as a regular part of his diet Avocado, onion, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms are all TOXIC. The flesh of fruits like apples, pears, plums and apricots is very healthy, but the pits, seeds and stems are toxic. The thing with dairy is that since it isn't a natural part of their diet, many are simply lactose intolerant. It's actually rich in calcium and healthy fats when fed in small amounts to birds who can tolerate it. My BFA is actually like a cheese addict. He suffers no ill effects from dairy, and he usually gets 3 or 4 of the little strands of grated cheese a couple times a week. Parrots also like eggs and crushed eggshells. Egg has protein and healthy fats (a tiny spoonful a couple times a week is about all they should have), and eggshells are a good source of calcium.
I really hope this can be resolved soon. Even good avian vets sometimes have a very difficult time finding out whats wrong, especially when it's an uncommon issue.
