Help Please

[crzybird]

So I was talkin on the phone with someone who use to do a bird rescue type of thing and we were discussing food for birds. She asked what I had been feeding my birds so I told her. Its a "small parrot" mix. With seeds, dried fruits etc. She told me that I cant feed them this because the sunflower seeds cause a liver disease in birds. Please give me some more thoughts on the matter because I dont want to hurt my birds and if I need to get Kiwi a different type of food I will. I thought this type of food would be okay because it says on the label formulated for small parrot breeds. Also, today I got myself a plate of goulosh for lunch, my phone rang just as i was about to take a bite of hamburger. I went to get my phone and as I answered it I felt a tugging on my fork. I looked in time to see Kiwi had grabbed the hamburger and was happily munching on it while sitting on my shoulder. Uhmmmm is she gonna be ok? I know some people say that they feed their birds whatever they are eating but I dont know how safe that actually is. So tell me..lol, because she really seemed to enjoy that hamburger, so much in fact that each time I took a bite she tried to steal it out of my mouth.

 

[roxynoodle]

Hopefully she will be ok with the hamburger, but it can be a dangerous food because no matter how well it's cooked it usually still contains trace amounts of E. Coli. I do know someone who had a macaw become very ill after eating some, so I don't ever feed it myself. I would just keep my eye on her and if you see any signs of illness, you will need to take her to the vet. Don't get all freaked out by this though. Don't freak out unless something actually happens, ok? She is probably fine.

As for sunflower seeds, they have something in them that is addictive to birds. And they are high in fat and low in nutrients. It would be a good idea to get the birds on a pelleted diet rather than seeds. As for the brand, some people are very picky, but I think any vet will tell you Harrison's, Roudybush or Zupreem are fine. Some people here are very anti-Zupreem, but my vet is good with my conure eating it. At least the pellets provide all the vitamins and minerals your birds need to stay healthy. It can be very hard to provide them with all that just through fresh foods. And birds on seed diets usually develop malnutrition issues and have shortened lives. And yes, liver disease is a possibility. Your birds are young yet and probably don't have any diseases or major issues at this time, but the sooner you get them on pellets the better. My amazon is dealing with malnutrition from being on seeds in his previous home, and his feathers are just awful! It's now 3.5 months later that I am seeing improvement in his beak and feet and new feathers.

 

[crzybird]

Thank you so much Roxy. You have been my biggest influence since I've been here. I'm so nervous about everything with my birds. I only want to keep them healthy. I appreciate all of your advice. I'll get Kiwi on pellets right away. Thank you again!

 

[Pedro]

So I was talkin on the phone with someone who use to do a bird rescue type of thing and we were discussing food for birds. She asked what I had been feeding my birds so I told her. Its a "small parrot" mix. With seeds, dried fruits etc. She told me that I cant feed them this because the sunflower seeds cause a liver disease in birds. Please give me some more thoughts on the matter because I dont want to hurt my birds and if I need to get Kiwi a different type of food I will. I thought this type of food would be okay because it says on the label formulated for small parrot breeds. Also, today I got myself a plate of goulosh for lunch, my phone rang just as i was about to take a bite of hamburger. I went to get my phone and as I answered it I felt a tugging on my fork. I looked in time to see Kiwi had grabbed the hamburger and was happily munching on it while sitting on my shoulder. Uhmmmm is she gonna be ok? I know some people say that they feed their birds whatever they are eating but I dont know how safe that actually is. So tell me..lol, because she really seemed to enjoy that hamburger, so much in fact that each time I took a bite she tried to steal it out of my mouth.

OK not going against Roxy here just reassuring you that any foods fed to your birds is in moderation & that means a good quality small parrot seed. The reason birds become addicted to sunflower is because they taste nice, they are easier for the birds to shell & if the seed dish is replaced everyday of course the birds will learn to eat just the easy seeds to eat. It's not that dry seed is that bad for our parrots it that the carers give their birds to much. I replace my birds seed dish only when the seeds have been eaten so they would probably get a 1/4 of a cup between a pair twice a week. The rest of their diet is made up from fruit & veg, sprouts & some raw nuts. Or any healthy food i eat myself.

My parrots have aways had seed, I won't feed pellets as a complete diet for the simple reason of how they are made. I give pellets more as a treat than anything else. I guess i am old school & fresh is always best. The vitamins & minerals put in pellets is just like the ones put in our vitamins pills & i won't take them either. IMO the best diet we can give our parrots is a BALANCED DIET.

Feeding your Conures / Conure-size Birds for Good Health

 

[Bobioden]

My parrots have aways had seed, I won't feed pellets as a complete diet for the simple reason of how they are made. I give pellets more as a treat than anything else. I guess i am old school & fresh is always best. The vitamins & minerals put in pellets is just like the ones put in our vitamins pills & i won't take them either. IMO the best diet we can give our parrots is a BALANCED DIET.

Feeding your Conures / Conure-size Birds for Good Health

A seed diet is the worst thing for any captive bird. That is why most ALL companies are going to Pellets. Pellets should make up the majority of their diet, supplements with fresh fruits, and veggies. Seeds can be used as treats.

 

[roxynoodle]

No, Pedro has a point. The problem with most of the commercial seed diets in the US are that they are like half sunflower/safflower seeds, and the birds just want to eat mostly those. And added vitamins and minerals are on the outsides of the shells, which the birds don't eat. They will pick out only what they like and leave the rest behind. IF your bird will eat both pellets and seeds, it's ok to give them some seeds. But, my experience is they mostly just want seeds and nothing else, and they especially want sunflower seeds. My BCC wanted to eat nothing but sunflower seeds, peanuts and corn. She never, ever ate some of the healthy fruits and veggies she needed to keep her healthy. Pellets were really the only choice I had with her, and of all my birds she was the hardest to convert.

I also feel the smaller the bird the harder it is to give them all the fresh foods that meet all their dietary requirements. I might be able to do it with my zon and Grey just due to the amount of food they eat, but I would find it much harder to do with Rowdy. And I worry about how long fresh foods are sitting out, possibly growing bacteria.

So I find it easiest to give them pellets, which I know have everything they need, and to supplement with some fruit at lunch and veggies at dinner. They also get pasta, rice, whole grain breads, chicken/turkey and eggs as I eat them. But, I try to keep 70% of the diet pellets.

Some birds will evenly eat all the types of seeds and pellets. But so many turn into sunflower seed junkies and their health deteriorates.

 

[roxynoodle]

I should also add that sprouted seeds can make a very nutritious part of the diet.

 

[Pedro]

That's what i am talking about Roxy, I have fed my parrots the same way for over 20 years & have never had health issues with any of them. The seeds we buy in Australia are usually straight from the growers so dosn't have any extra vitamins or anything. The seed is usually balanced with less sun & saffower seed. So iam happy with that. The only time my parrots hoe into the sunflower is just prior to breeding. At other times i have to throw it out. I believe if the birds are getting the right balance of foods they will only eat what they need. My birds do this.

 

[Remy]

A diet of only seeds can lead to health problems, but some seeds in the diet are fine. I would also read the ingredient list on the package, because most dried fruit has added sugar, which is unhealthy and unnecessary. Just like with humans, it's important to have a varied and balanced diet.

I free feed an organic pellet, and I also buy him fruits and veggies. It's also safe to feed birds most human food (except chocolate and avacadoes, which are no-nos, and a few other foods are only okay in moderation). I would only feed well-done ground meat, to make sure to kill any possible contamination. Birds do like meat though, haha.

For the most part, if it's safe for you, it's safe for the bird. If it's not something you would be willing to eat yourself for safety reasons (fell on the floor, old food, etc) I wouldn't feed it to the bird.

 

[roxynoodle]

Rowdy will eat some of everything, although I stopped giving her seeds years ago due to my other conure being so difficult. Bri was just bound and determined to kill herself eating garbage. In fact, Rowdy didn't even like sunflower seeds.

Now Pete was a lot like Briana and he also would have happily lived eating sunflower seeds and peanuts. And I just took one look at him and knew he had issues. I bet a year from now he will look so much better. The vet just took one look and kept saying, "Thank you for rescuing him."

Merlin has been on Harrison's her whole life and has beautiful feather and beak and feet like Rowdy does.

You may very well have better choices in Australia as well, Pedro. Here everything is so commercial. Most cat and dog foods are pretty crappy, too. They are mainly corn, soybeans and "chicken by products", whatever that is (beaks and feet I suspect).

I have read that some of the healthiest birds are those belonging to poor families because they can't afford to buy pet foods. They feed their bird whatever they are eating instead. Which, if they are eating healthy is wonderful. If they are eating McDonald's, well, that's not good.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well my understanding on hamburger is that E. Coli lives naturally in the digestive system of humans, dogs and cats. Not so much in birds. And even large macaws only weigh about 3lbs; about 1/3 the weight of newborn human babies these days. And conures are only a few ounces and not really able to handle even tiny amounts. So after the macaw incident I just haven't been willing to take any chances. Chicken and Turkey are lowest in fat so I stick with those. Now Rowdy doesn't care for meat at all so I give her some beans here and there for added protein instead (cooked).

 

[crzybird]

I really do appreciate everyone's input. I only want a happy and healthy bird. I dont have Sunny anymore, he went to a family that can care for him better than I can because I dont have a nice quiet house that he can relax in. Sunny is younger than Kiwi and is scared very easily. All of the loud noises in my home terrified him, so for his health and safety I gave him to someone who has a quiet home and time to work with him. Kiwi doesnt seem bothered by anything in my house. She ate a cracker on my daughters head today and then got on my shoulder to poop. (joy) She is starting to get very very affectionate. Sitting on my shoulder and rubbing her beak and head on my face or putting her head under my hair behind my ear. She's still not comfortable with me petting her, but at least she isnt trying to bite me anymore. As far as her diet? Well I got this seed mix under the impression that it was formulated for small parrots. But its by far not the only thing she eats daily. When I eat something and it looks like something she'd like, she comes to me and sits on my shoulder..I guess its sort of begging for food like a dog would? But I'll give her a small bite of it. If she likes it she'll hold it in her foot and eat it. Otherwise she'll spit it out and fly away. No matter what I give her, its in moderation. I dont feed her bread all day long just because she likes it more. And I buy apples, banana's, pears, grapes and any other healthy fruit I think she might like. I dont buy avacados because I cant stand them and I know they are toxic to her. I have wondered about kiwi's though. Any other fruits or vegetables anyone can think of that she would like I'm happy to try. But yea I just want to keep her happy and healthy and so far I think she's doing alright. I'll cut down on the seeds. Maybe only offer them as a treat or something. But she really does seem to enjoy eating whatever momma has. I almost lost my lip today proving that theory.

 

[roxynoodle]

My Nanday wants everything I'm eating, lol! She actually understands though if I say, "Not birdie food." Unfortunately my diet is awful these days due to my lack of exocrine function (pancreas). So I'm often eating jello and pudding. She used to get a lot more of my food than she can now. I actually make veggies every night just for the birds now. They used to get whatever ones I was eating, but now it is just for them.

Yes, kiwi and mango are actually very good fruits for S.American birds. Probably better than grapes and apples, although birds like those, too. It's really citrus you need to not overfeed as birds don't need the vitamin C like we do, and I guess too much can be bad for them.

Rowdy and I had a fight a few months ago when I bought orange slice candies; the ones that are gummy with sugar on them, but shaped like slices of orange. She absolutely did not believe me when I said they weren't birdie food. I had to hide in a corner of the kitchen when I wanted one.

 

[cdog]

I give my gcc a seed mix with a little bit of sunflower seeds, safflower, oats, dried corn, dried fruits, dried veggies, pumpkin seeds, grains, pellets, and several other things, and I give them fresh fruits and veggies every day. I think this mix is great because they eat all of it. And I give them egg food mix when they are breeding.