cheese

[razordogz]

why can't an african grey have cheddar cheese?
i have a small amount of grated cheddar cheese left, it needs using just thinking of giving it to 'polo'.
why is it different from other hard cheeses?

[lainmai]

Cheese and dairy in general are not good for birds as they will get "the runs" from it (they can't digest it properly) and therefore can easily drop weight quickly etc.

[Rue]

As far as I know parrots can have small amounts of cheese. It should be a treat, not a daily part of their diet. Cheese has calcium and protein and because it's 'cooked', the lactose isn't as much of a factor as I understand it.

I give my CAG medium cheddar. This is the first I've heard that cheddar is a no-no. I found this article that also says no cheddar...but not why.

http://www.africangreyparrotcentre.co.u ... ur-parrot/

So I looked a little further and found this article:

http://www.newlifeparrotrescue.org.uk/e ... ncheese%21

This seems to based on the recommendation of one parrot who MAY have picked up something from cheese (or not). It doesn't say if the cheese the bird ate was tested for contaminants or how much the bird was given to eat. So I'm not sure how they came to that conclusion.

My CAG loves cheese...she asks for it! "Want some cheese'?

[razordogz]

Cheese and dairy in general are not good for birds as they will get "the runs" from it (they can't digest it properly) and therefore can easily drop weight quickly etc.

sorry but african greys love cheese and its a good way of getting them calcium. they can also have yoghurt. but it states not cheddar or soft cheese it must be hard cheese.

[Michael]

That's because hard cheeses are aged longer and the conversion process is more complete by that point. Soft and unaged cheeses are undigestible for them.

[lainmai]

We were taught in school that cheese was a no-no, but that was back in 2002. I guess things have changed?

[Michael]

Very well aged cheese (ie the expensive stuff) in very moderate amounts is alright. I'll let my parrots have a crumb of cheese (about the size of a pea) no more than once a month. They like it and it's a good source of calcium. However, it is not a necessary part of their diet so there is no need to focus on it and they wouldn't miss out much without it.

The vet told me to try giving Truman yogurt for extra calcium but he completely refused to eat it. The important thing is that any dairy given to a parrot should be super processed and in small amounts.

[razordogz]

We were taught in school that cheese was a no-no, but that was back in 2002. I guess things have changed?

i visited the african grey parrot centre website (where i bought my CAG) and read the cheese description on there

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Cheddar is a very innocuous cheese to be singled out. A good aged cheddar is like many other firm, aged cows-milk cheeses. Hard cheeses are less likely to be contaminated by mold, and mold would be the main concern in terms of contamination I'd think. Mold won't penetrate more than about 1/4" into hard cheeses, soft cheeses can get permeated with it.

[razordogz]

what cheese do you use ill look out for it then please