Trained Parrot BlogParrot Wizard Online Parrot Toy StoreThe Parrot Forum

Poicephalus diet

Talk about bird illnesses and other bird health related issues. Seeds, pellets, fruits, vegetables and more. Discuss what to feed your birds and in what quantity. Share your recipe ideas.

Poicephalus diet

Postby DanaandPod » Tue Aug 22, 2017 3:35 pm

Hi. I was on a fb group for jardines parrots. An owner posted a book, with a front cover pic of a cape parrot. It is in another language, unfortunately. But, the woman said it says that in the wild, poicephalus parrots eat 100% seeds and nuts.
Unfortunately, my rescued jardine and meyers still are hooked on sweets. Therefore they love their fruit. I mix banana with sweet potato. And, mango with carrot. Two combos they both will eat. In thinking this is at least great due to the high vitamin A in both sweet potatoes and carrots.
Because i had read that pois need high intake of vitamin A.
Id very much appreciate books, links etc...that is specific to both captive as well as poicephalus parrots in the wild! Thanks! :senegal:
Piccolo and Pod
User avatar
DanaandPod
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 359
Location: Connecticut
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: male Jardines parrot, a female meyers parrot, and two budgies
Flight: Yes

Re: Poicephalus diet

Postby Pajarita » Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:56 am

Dana, if pois [or any other parrot] ate only seeds and small nuts, they would have a different beak. Pois eat plant material in general which includes seeds and nuts but also fruits, buds, blossoms and leaves and, on occasion, they also eat an insect or two. African birds generally require more protein than South American ones. The links I could give you are the same ones you would find if you just put 'poicephalus natural diet', I don't recommend books on parrots care as I've never found a single one that is accurate.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Poicephalus diet

Postby DanaandPod » Sun Sep 24, 2017 12:19 pm

Interesting to know about the protein! The jardine and meyers both get either two almonds each or two walnut halfs on the weekends. I have this sort of mixed schedule i created for them. Plus protein in their pellets.
Piccolo and Pod
User avatar
DanaandPod
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 359
Location: Connecticut
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: male Jardines parrot, a female meyers parrot, and two budgies
Flight: Yes

Re: Poicephalus diet

Postby DanaandPod » Sun Sep 24, 2017 12:21 pm

Why do they need more protein?
Piccolo and Pod
User avatar
DanaandPod
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 359
Location: Connecticut
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: male Jardines parrot, a female meyers parrot, and two budgies
Flight: Yes

Re: Poicephalus diet

Postby Pajarita » Tue Sep 26, 2017 10:39 am

Because birds, as all other animals, evolved to thrive in their natural habitat and, apparently, in Africa that means more protein than in Asia, South and Central America.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Poicephalus diet

Postby DanaandPod » Fri Oct 06, 2017 7:50 pm

Oh.
Well....
With (whatever it is in their african environment, that has evolved them into needing more protein to survive...) Do they still, while living in captivity?
How much more?
Do you know?
Piccolo and Pod
User avatar
DanaandPod
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 359
Location: Connecticut
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: male Jardines parrot, a female meyers parrot, and two budgies
Flight: Yes

Re: Poicephalus diet

Postby Pajarita » Sat Oct 07, 2017 9:51 am

No, I don't know and, in truth, nobody does. Not even the manufacturers of pellets which all seem to have the same minimum protein level... This is not something that worries me, to tell you the truth, Dana, because the only thing I do differently with my African birds and the too is that they get more nuts than the South Americans.

I assume that the reason why African birds evolved to withstand a slightly higher protein intake is that there aren't that many fruits available in their habitats as there are in South and Central America and Asia.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Poicephalus diet

Postby DanaandPod » Wed Oct 11, 2017 8:29 pm

Hmmm. That is interesting. About their not being as much fruits.
Mine get too much most likely.
At least it sounds pretty safe to assume that two almonds during week or two walnut quarters per day per bird on weekends, as i give them themrsnt too much.
Piccolo and Pod
User avatar
DanaandPod
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 359
Location: Connecticut
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: male Jardines parrot, a female meyers parrot, and two budgies
Flight: Yes

Re: Poicephalus diet

Postby Pajarita » Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:51 am

Well, in truth, I haven't really done any research on the fruits that are native to Africa but, if one goes by what the more common fruits are, one would have to assume that they don't have any because the greatest majority of the tropical fruits we get are South American.

I also don't give my birds just one kind of nut. They get a mix of walnuts, pecans, filberts, almonds, macadamias and brazil nuts as well as some seeds - and even a peanut or two every now and then. I don't like to give them always the same thing of anything... I think that there is a lesser risk of overdoing something that might not be quite good if one does not.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


Return to Health, Nutrition & Diet

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 15 guests

cron
Parrot ForumArticles IndexTraining Step UpParrot Training BlogPoicephalus Parrot InformationParrot Wizard Store