Beak peeling.

[GMV]

Lily's beak is peeling.
What does it mean? is it diet related?
I don't know if its OK or not.

[Wolf]

It could be diet related or it could be that she doesn't have the right things to care for her beak. What are you using for perches? Do you have anything hanging in her cage that might be slightly abrasive so that when she rubs her beak on it that is sands it down slightly? What does her current diet consist of, just in case?

[Pajarita]

Well, you never actually elaborated on her diet but, for what I remember (and I apologize if I am wrong), she had a real bad diet. When you first got her and your mother posted on my comments, she mentioned (in passing, actually) something to the effect that 'her diet was another story" and something about working on it so yes, it could very well be bad diet. Cockatoos are excellent eaters - or, at least, that has been my experience with the four I've had. People are always talking on birdsites on how they can't get them to eat a healthy diet but I've never had a problem. Quite the contrary, they seem to be much better eaters than other species! For one thing, they LOVE leafy greens and that's always the hardest thing to get them to eat.

[GMV]

mainly Higgins sunburst and zupreem fruit blend.
She doesn't like much healthy things.

[GMV]

and she will eat an occasional apple, and her trick training food is cashews.

[Pajarita]

Well, there you go, terrible diet: the worst pellets ever and seeds. And it's not that they don't 'like' healthy food, it's that they need to learn that it's not poison. It takes time, work and money to switch them but they are fairly easy compared to other species and, if she is already showing a peely beak, she will be reaching a critical point in her health soon (she already has avitaminosis and, most likely, also high uric acid levels and the early stages of hepatic lipidosis - she was never taken to an avian vet for a complete exam, was she?). Don't wait or the damage will be irreversible.

[GMV]

you mean sunburst and fruit blend are bad foods?
Please tell me the best pellets to get her.

[Harpmaker]

I'd leave this for Wolf and Pajarita, but their fingers probably get tired tying it in repeatedly.

Pellets are kind of controversial. AVs all recommend them, but don't study nutrition. All pellets have lower water content than the seeds they replace. You don't HAVE to feed pellets. If you DO feed pellets, you don't need to feed seeds.

As far as brands go, avoid artificial colors and flavors; and avoid added sugars. Some people prefer TOPS because they are organic. My bird ate Roudybush like the Parrot Wizard's birds do because I found his blog before I found the forum, and she refused to switch again. She still prefers a few seeds to a few pellets, though. We switched back to seeds during her recent health crisis, and haven't switched back. Maybe I'll use the pellets in birdy bread.

Pellets, like seeds, should be given in small amounts. Give just enough to fill the crop shortly before bedtime.

Other nutrition is better served as fruits, vegetables, gloop, chop, or birdy bread, with a few treats.

[GMV]

Whats gloop, chop, and birdy bread?
And do you think that corsairs issues were caused by pellets?
And is dandelion safe for parrots?

[Pajarita]

Lordy, Gordon, where have you been all this time?! We must have made 15 postings on gloop and such since you joined but here it goes again.

Pellets are NOT a complete food for parrots no matter what the manufacturers claim. They are waaaaay too dry compared to their natural diet and that affects their kidneys adversely, they are made with ingredients that are feed quality (except for Tops which uses human grade), they have man-made vitamins added (except for Tops which uses food-derived ones), all but Tops has soy in it (their use as animal feed is controversial) and the ones you are using have artificial everything plus sugar added (not good). You can use them instead of seeds for dinner but, taking into consideration all the cons they have and the fact that they are expensive, I don't know why anybody would.

And you can't feed pellets and seeds/dry fruit treated with sulfites (Higgins) - I would not use either product.

Gloop and chop are basically the same thing because they are both made with cooked whole grains, only chop uses raw veggies and gloop uses cooked ones. My gloop has:
- kamut - this is actually the name of the registered brand of Khorasan wheat which is a heritage (ancient or precursor of the modern cultivar) type of it, it has 28 chromosomes instead of the 48 of the modern, more common types of wheat. It has a slightly higher content of protein but it's also higher in minerals, lower in gluten, it has a lower glycemic index, it's easier to digest and provides more energy than regular wheat.
- wheat - I use hard red winter for the warm weather months and soft white spring for the cold weather months (the first is higher in protein than the second).
- oat groats
- hulled barley (but you can use dehulled and pearled, too - I like the hulled because it's closer to what grows in the plant)
- black japonica rice
- red Himalayan rice
- brown Basmati rice
- wild rice
- black lentils (my birds like them much better than the regular ones but you can use those, too)
- small white beans (the only kind I use because it's lowest in the bad bean lectin)
- chopped broccoli
- chopped blue kale
- peas and carrots
- sweet corn
- white hominy (*)
- chopped green beans
- diced butternut squash
- chunks of sweet potatoes

and one more ingredient which varies from batch to batch, it could be chopped artichoke hearts, it could be Brussels sprouts, beets, palm hearts, yucca, etc -it depends on what's on sale or catches my fancy when I do the shopping.

(*) - this is the only ingredient I buy separately from the rest of the stuff which I get from Whole Foods (I get a giant can of it from a Spanish supermarket)
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