HOW DO I GET MY FINICKY PARROT TO EAT A BALANCED, NUTRITIONAL DIET - IN SPITE OF HIMSELF?

Ron Hines DVM PhD 4/21/06

Over the years, the greatest problems I see in pet parrots, macaws, cockatiels and budgies all relate back to nutritionally imbalanced diets based on seeds – all of which are low in a crucial vitamin, vitamin A, as well as other vitamins and nutrients and which contain too much fat. This leads to obesity; lusterless easily damaged plumage, listlessness, increased susceptibility to disease and a shortened life span.

The problem results from your birds’ natural suspicion of new objects and new situations. It may also relate to addictive compounds – possibly lipids (fats) - present in certain seeds (sunflower, safflower, white and red proso millet and peanuts). None of these seeds are part of parrot’s natural diet in the wild. They seem to produce a “high” shortly after they are eaten and depression when they are not available. Just like a mom who prepares a wonderfully nutritious meal for her kids - and then placed a bowl of Snickers bars in the center of the table. Parrots and macaws will go straight for the candy bars and eat them until they are full. I have had so many clients prepare beautiful diets for their birds, only to have their little rascals carefully sort through the mix eating only the portions they like. The problem is worse in hand-fed domestic parrots who may have been fed one, monotonous oil-rich diet during hand rearing or those that were feed the bitter U.S.D.A. corn-based tetracycline-laced diet during quarantine. Birds also choose their diet based on appearance, size, and mouth-feel as much or more than taste. This is why I always suggest that pet birds be feed pelleted diets in which all necessary vitamins; minerals and nutrients are homogenously dispersed. Over the years, more and more reputable pelleted parrot diets have come on the market. Katee Exact, ZuPreem, Roudybush, Mazuri and LaFabers as well as others market them and most can be purchased through my web page.) I am always suspicious of supposedly “unique” formulas that are sold in few locations, contain miracle Swedish ingredients and of any brand, stored in feed store or hot conditions where rat contamination is likely. These diets are best purchased through a large jobber with high turnover so that the products are sold fresh. When a reputable extruded pellet is feed, no other vitamin supplementation is necessary or desirable other than when birds are breeding or in molt (see my article on molt). Too much vitamin A and D are as bad as not enough. However, the addition of antioxidants sprinkled from microcapsules seems to retard disease and prolong life in all species studied. I myself am a guinea pig in one of these studies, The Harvard School Of Medicine’s lifetime study of professional’s eating habits as they relate to longevity and disease.

The best way to convert birds to a pelleted diet is slowly with a lot of patience. I never recommend the “Drill Sergeant” approach. A few brave parrots will eat it immediately but this is not generally the case. Most parrots, macaws and cockatiels are creatures of habit. It is also unwise to force a parrot to switch from seeds to pellets. A lot of pellet companies give helpful suggestions on their packages. Birds can be very stubborn about changes in diet. It's just part of their natural wariness of change of any kind - like new toys, a new cage or a new owner. Basically, try any number of tricks and encouragement: extra feed bowels, crushed pellets, pellets dipped in fruit juice, pellets placed here and there in the cage, etc. Some of the more flashy Nutri Berries that Lafeber Co markets (usually available through my web site) can be helpful. If the bird is already suffering from health problems, (silent heart, liver or obesity-induced respiratory distress or multiple feather stress bars) one must be extra cautious and patient in making the change. Birds with life-threatening health problems should probably be hospitalized during diet change. A healthy parrot should be able to fly 15-20 feet without becoming exhausted, mouth breathing, or having its tail bob up and down. Some suggest placing newly acquired seedeaters in cages alongside parrots, which already are eating pellets. I hesitate to do this because the infectious disease status of birds is often unknown.

Usually, you can just mix the two diets 50-50 and after a month or so the bird will suddenly be eating both. Then gradually decrease the seeds to zero. Or, you may add a topping of brightly colored foods, like “Nutri Berries”, carrot scrapings, diced spinach or purple cabbage (not too much) that will make them boulder about testing the new foods. Or, offer the pellets early in the morning when the birdie is hungriest and the mix later in the day. Or start sprouting the same seeds he is eating now to encourage acceptance of variety. The more sunflower, safflower seed, proso millet and nuts the bird is on now, the more stubborn he will probably be about change. Remember, the color of the bird’s droppings will change on the new diet. Those with red pigments in them could be mistaken for blood in the stool. I prefer pelleted diets preserved with vitamin E, rather than artificial anti-oxidants like B.H.C. or ethoxyquin and brands that have no artificial coloring agents added. Most of the “natural” brands are brown.

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