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Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

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Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby GreenWing » Sat Sep 01, 2012 7:23 pm

Hey everyone,

Vitamin A vegetables/fruits should account for 30 to 40 percent of a parrot's diet, more so than other veggies and fruits (which should account for 15 to 20 percent of a parrot's diet). Here is a list for the curious:

Collard greens
Spinach
Beet Greens
Alfalfa
Butternut Squash
Sweet red pepper
Mango
Raw plantain
Mustard greens
Broccoli
Chicory
Green peppers
Hubbard squash
Acorn squash
Cantaloupe
Sour red cherry
Turnip greens
Cress
Chard
Sweet potato
Chili peppers
Pumpkin
Apricot
Nectarine
Dandelion
Kale
Parsley
Carrots
Winter squash
Persimmon
Papaya

:senegal: :amazon: :gray:
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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby marie83 » Sun Sep 02, 2012 2:13 am

May I ask where you got that recommendation from?
I'm interested in reading the full article.
Thank you :)
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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby Grey_Moon » Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:33 am

That's interesting---I did the math on Jacko's veggie type ratios and I got exactly that.
Being that leafy dark green veggies and orange veggies are high in vitamin A and 3 out 7 of the produce items in her mash (at the recommended 1 orange, 2 leafy green, 2 other veggies, 2 fruits) are in those categories (carrots, kale and collard greens).

So yup--I'd say thats pretty accurate. Not to sure about the 15-20% bit though.

Customary reminder from the nutrition geek though guys---spinach contains high levels of oxalic acid (which amongst other things binds/leeches calcium) and it (along with other produce who have the same issue) should be given sparingly.
:gray: ---Jacko (13 year old TAG rescue and my little turkey-bird girl :) )


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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby Elizebird » Sun Sep 02, 2012 12:23 pm

Thanks a bunch! I'll definitely use this. There's a mango sitting in my fruit bowl calling my name now :thumbsup:
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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby GreenWing » Sun Sep 02, 2012 11:32 pm

marie83 wrote:May I ask where you got that recommendation from?
I'm interested in reading the full article.
Thank you :)


Sure! It's a list that was given to me, but I found it here... click the word document at the lower left.

Grey_Moon wrote:
Customary reminder from the nutrition geek though guys---spinach contains high levels of oxalic acid (which amongst other things binds/leeches calcium) and it (along with other produce who have the same issue) should be given sparingly


Thanks for that extra, Grey_Moon... does cooking the spinach help with the oxalic acid?

Elizebird wrote:Thanks a bunch! I'll definitely use this. There's a mango sitting in my fruit bowl calling my name now


Awesome :) 'Hope you and your birdie enjoyed it :thumbsup:
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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby Grey_Moon » Mon Sep 03, 2012 6:30 am

A quick search says that it reduces it (some sources say its removed...but...).

But given that even reduced it still dramatically inhibits the absorption of the calcium present in these foods and can be hard on the kidneys I choose not to feed it. Given how most nutrients are leeched out of the food by cooking it...its like is it worth cooking it to make it slightly more safe to offer the nutrients that it looses in order to be cooked to safety anyway?

The other thing is that spinach is frequently contaminated with ecoli and other tastiness.. *yuk*
:gray: ---Jacko (13 year old TAG rescue and my little turkey-bird girl :) )


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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby TeddyBare » Thu Sep 06, 2012 4:06 am

That's a really useful list, thank you. Do you know where it was published? Was it part of a bird keepers journal or something?
It seems to imply that it is possible for a parrot to be perfectly healthy on a very similar diet to a vegan human. Do parrots need pellets as well as this stuff? Does that mean that pellets should make up only a relatively small proportion of what the parrot is eating? Also, I have read that sprouted seeds are healthier and contain more protein than non-sprouted seeds. Where seeds are listed here, does it mean sprouted or not sprouted?
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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby Grey_Moon » Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:26 pm

If the guardian cannot or won't put the effort in to formulating and balancing the diet, as well as ensuring access to unfiltered sunlight as well as including the necessary green wholefood supplements then high-quality pellets should be offered as more of a multivitamin.

But if balanced properly the pellets really are inferior.

*Most* seeds we feed to our birds can be fed dry or sprouted. However sprouted is always best.
:gray: ---Jacko (13 year old TAG rescue and my little turkey-bird girl :) )


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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby GreenWing » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:36 pm

TeddyBare wrote:That's a really useful list, thank you. Do you know where it was published? Was it part of a bird keepers journal or something?


It was given to me from an exotic bird shop. I wish I had more information about the author(s), and source(s), but alas, the closest I found so far is the above link.

I should add that the list I have also states the DON'TS, what NOT to feed your parrot, which I'll list in a separate post.

Thanks to Grey_Moon for the warning about spinach, as well. Better to be safe than sorry, I say.
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Re: Vitamin A veggies and fruits for Parrots (a list)

Postby pionus » Fri Sep 07, 2012 7:04 pm

thanks greenwing!
do you know if the squashes listed should or need to be cooked?
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