The Importance Of A Quality Diet
BY LAURELLA DESBOROUGH
Copyright Laurella Desbrough (eclectusbreeder.com).
All rights reserved by the author.
Buy Smart and Clean Well
Do you purchase seeds, seed mixes or
pellets from open bins in pet or
feed stores? Open bins may receive
unwanted germs from the dust
particles in the store. Dust
particles from hamster and rat
cages, as well as from bird cages,
may end up in food bins. Customers'
hands and clothing can deliver viral
particles and germs from their birds
at home. Toys and perches from bird
marts also need disinfecting before
use.
Fresh fruits and vegetables from the
grocery store need a thorough
washing and rinsing, since they have
been handled by many different
hands, from the pickers in the
fields to the clerks in the store.
E. coli is ever-present, as
is other bacteria, such as
Enterobacter. Young companion birds
are especially vulnerable to heavy
bacterial contamination of
foodstuffs since their abilities to
deal with large amounts of bacteria
is much less than that of older
birds.
Removing Pesticides from
Foodstuffs
Cleaning foodstuffs to remove
pesticides and chemical residue is
very important for exotic birds,
since a bird's ability to tolerate
pesticides is much less than that of
humans. We have historical evidence
of the dangers of pesticides, most
notably DDT, dioxin, vinyl chloride,
CFCs, chlordane and benzene. Recent
information about the ever-present
chemicals in our environment is not
encouraging. Forty million tons of
over 11,000 varieties of
organochlorines are produced
annually; we and our birds are
breathing, eating and drinking these
materials daily. These pesticides
are so widespread that they are even
found in the Arctic. High levels of
organochlorines are associated with
a high incidence of cancer. In order
to reduce the risks associated with
these chemicals, we need to
carefully clean the fruits and
vegetables we provide to our birds.
Fat and Unhealthy
A combination of a high-fat diet and
lack of exercise can lead to an
untimely demise for companion and
breeding birds. Most parrot-type
birds enjoy their food and relish
sunflower and safflower seeds, as
well as peanuts, French fries and
pizza. Providing birds with an
overly rich diet can lead to poor
feather condition, excessive body
fat and eventually fatty liver
disease, thus shortening the life of
the bird. There have been cases of
pet Amazons with folds of fat
hanging from their sides, many
cockatoos with fatty tumors and even
a fat Eclectus female that weighed
more than 1,000 grams! Sometimes
doting owners do not understand they
are killing with kindness.
Vitamins
"If a little bit is good, a lot must
be better." This commonly held idea
is especially dangerous when it
comes to vitamins. The knowledgeable
bird owner provides an excellent
diet, including a variety of fruits
and vegetables, selected cooked
foods, sprouted seeds and pellets.
Adding vitamins to an excellent diet
is dangerous. Pellets contain
vitamins; if you are feeding
pellets, you do not need to add
additional vitamins. Many seed mixes
have been treated with a vitamin
coating; and many special bird
treats also contain vitamins. When a
bird ingests vitamins from all these
sources, a chemical imbalance, or
even vitamin toxicity, can occur.
There have been cases where birds
overdosed with vitamins have
seizures and other cases where the
birds exhibit repetitious muscle
spasms of the feet or wings.
Some birds with chemical imbalances
become feather pickers and when the
diet is corrected, the feather
picking stops. Avian medical
researchers have written papers on
the topic of vitamin toxicity.
Vitamin use should be noted,
monitored and never treated
casually. Manufactured vitamins are
man-made chemicals and not the same
as those found in raw foods. At
present, there are no formal
established standards for
recommended vitamin dosages for
psittacines. Most research in this
area has been performed on chickens
and may or may not have relevance
for exotic birds. Therefore, vitamin
use requires caution and common
sense. Check with your avian
veterinarian before you add vitamins
to a well-balanced diet for your
birds.
Birds Are What They Eat
Often said about the foods humans
consume, "you are what you eat," can
also be said about the foods our
companion and breeding birds eat.
Not only is the health of the
individual bird dependent in great
part upon a proper diet, but the
fertility of eggs, the viability of
the embryos and the health of future
youngsters are dependent upon the
basic good health of the two parent
birds.
Different species require different
diets. It is incumbent upon the diet
manager for the birds to research
the needs of the species, and make
every effort to provide companion
birds and breeding birds with what
they need. Each seed, vegetable,
root, tuber, fruit and leafy
vegetable provides a unique
combination of vitamins and
minerals; that is why variety in the
diet is so important.
Providing manufactured pellets as an
addition to the diet of psittacines
is practiced by many bird breeders.
Pellets are designed to provide as
close to what is deemed to be a
balanced diet for psittacines as
possible. Extensive research was
conducted at the University of
California at Davis by Tom
Roudybush, professor Dick Grau and
their colleagues on the nutritional
needs of psittacines. It is of
interest that the studies carried
out at UC Davis on the orange-winged
Amazon diet during the breeding
season indicated that the birds were
more productive when fruits and
vegetables were provided in addition
to pellets.
The Department of Avian Sciences at
UC Davis publishes the Exotic
Bird Report quarterly. This
seven-page report contains excellent
information on exotic birds
including nutrition, behavior,
development, nest box design,
genetics and exotic bird studies on
the neotropical parrots. The report
is sent to those who contribute
funds to the Psittacine Research
Project, Department of Avian
Sciences, UC Davis, 95616-8532, USA.
Write for further information or
visit the Psittacine Research
Project's web site at
http://etx.ucdavis.edu/avs/avspsitt.htm
Soaked and Sprouted Seeds
Many bird farmers provide a variety
of soft foods, including soaked and
sprouted seeds and legumes, leafy
greens, fruits, and vegetables.
Sprouted seeds have undergone
changes that increase the available
nutrients. If you suddenly find your
seeds are not sprouting, check with
your supplier. You may discover the
producing company is sterilizing the
seed to prevent sprouting as a means
of stopping the potential use of the
seeds by other grocers. You may have
to request your supplier to find
another source of seeds that are not
sterilized.
Cleanliness of Bird Foods is
Imperative
Packaging, handling, storing and
preparing foodstuffs for birds can
impact their health. Most successful
bird breeders are already utilizing
effective ways to safely handle
foods for their birds. The question
is whether or not the breeders are
informing their clients of critical
aspects of food purchasing,
preparation, storage and handling.
Recent cases of E. coli
contamination of ground beef,
Salmonella contamination of
chicken and other bacterial
contaminants in fruits give cause
for concern. How many pet owners
chop their birds' fruits and
vegetables on the same cutting board
used to cut up chicken or fish
without properly cleaning and
disinfecting it with a chlorine
solution? Bacteria live in the tiny
cuts in plastic and wood cutting
boards, and can be transferred from
the board to the chopped foods
prepared for the birds. A wise move
is to purchase a cutting board
specifically used to prepare foods
for birds. If bird food is prepared
in the area where meats are handled,
use chlorine bleach on all work
surfaces.
